Lumberjacks To State, At Last Long Wait Ends For Holdahl, St. Maries With Win Over Grangeville

As a freshman on the St. Maries High girls basketball team, Tiffany Holdahl remembers the Lumberjacks losing to then State A-2 power Moscow 97-6.

Holdahl was determined to help turn the once-proud St. Maries program around. The Lumberjacks captured back-to-back state titles in 1986-87 and ‘87-88.

Holdahl, a senior, accomplished her goal. And that explains why she was giddy following the Lumberjacks’ state-qualifying 47-40 win over Grangeville in a District I-II playoff game Saturday at North Idaho College’s Christianson Gym.

It’s St. Maries’ first trip to state since 1990.

“I have a perma-grin a mile wide,” said Holdahl, who scored a team-high 11 points.

For good reason, too. St. Maries (19-6 overall) travels to Nampa where it will open state Thursday against District V champ Preston (13-10) at 5:30 p.m. MST.

District I champ Lakeland (19-1) takes on District III runner-up Fruitland (15-10) at 12:45.

The win was the Lumberjacks’ third in as many games against the Bulldogs.

And it appeared it would be St. Maries’ easiest victory. The Lumberjacks topped the Bulldogs 37-29 at home and 59-55 in overtime at Grangeville.

St. Maries led 11-1 after the first period. But Grangeville recovered quickly from an 0-for-15 shooting spell.

The Bulldogs caused three quick turnovers with fullcourt pressure, and four layups later Grangeville had pulled within 11-9.

The battle was on.

“We panicked a little bit (against) their press,” said St. Maries coach Bryan Chase, whose team committed 15 of its 24 turnovers in the second and third quarters. “We made some costly turnovers. But we made some adjustments and tried to get the floor space out a little bit more and move the ball quicker instead of trying to dribble the ball through the darn thing.”

Katie Arnzen gave Grangeville its first lead at 15-14 when she completed a three-point play with 3:18 left in the second quarter.

But the Lumberjacks took a 17-15 lead into halftime when Karin Grieser hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 7 seconds left before intermission.

Both teams doubled their points in a furious third quarter. It took another Grieser 3-pointer - this one coming with 5 seconds left - to give St. Maries a 32-31 lead going into the fourth period.

Grieser’s third 3-pointer extended St. Maries’ lead to 39-31 with 5:43 left.

Grangeville pulled within 45-40 on a putback by Jacqui Hall with 1:24 to go. The Bulldogs wouldn’t get any closer.

Holdahl provided the final points when she made two free throws with 8 seconds remaining.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Chase, St. Maries’ second-year coach and a 1990 Lumberjack graduate who recalled St. Maries’ last trip to state.

St. Maries 47, Grangeville 40

Grangeville 1 14 16 9 - 40

St. Maries 11 6 15 15 - 47

Grangeville (9-14) - Long 6, Fitzmaurice 0, Hall 2, Meinen 12, Arnzen 3, McCauley 13, Bailey 4.

St. Maries (19-6) - Harpole 0, Holdahl 11, A. Hammons 10, Grieser 9, Kachelmier 8, Nelson 7, Gibson 2, Charles 0.