Beck, Hawks at the ready

It’s that magical time for girls basketball once again:

The postseason.

Some teams are looking to get hot at exactly the right time. Others are trying to remain on a roll.

Put senior Ashley Beck and Lakeland High into the second category.

The Hawks (14-6), top seed in the 4A Region I Tournament, survived some jitters Tuesday in a 64-51 victory over No. 4 Post Falls.

But, with a few minor reservations, Beck said she and her teammates are right where they want to be heading into Friday night’s winner-to-state championship game against No. 3 Moscow (9-12). Moscow went to Sandpoint Tuesday and knocked off the No. 2 Bulldogs 56-54.

“I think we are all playing the way we want to be playing right now, and it’s pretty much the same way we’ve been playing all season,” said Beck, a three-sport athlete and one of the top scorers for Lakeland. “I think Moscow will be a little different this time, though, because it’s the championship game.

“We’ve beaten them twice, by nine or so down there, and we led by 20 at half up here and only ended up winning by two, so it’s going to be a good game.”

She pointed to balance as her team’s biggest asset.

“With our team, on any given night, any girl can step up and score the most points,” said Beck, who, case in point, watched teammate Mindy Meyer pour in 17, including five 3-pointers Tuesday. “We’re not looking past Friday, but we think we can make it to state and hopefully we can bring back a trophy.

“Of course we have to take it one game at a time, but that’s our goal.”

Beck said she and her teammates are fully aware, however, that all the balance in the world will only take you so far in the state basketball tournament.

“I don’t think we need to make any major changes, but we do need to bring the intensity and play together,” Beck said. “We usually have a pretty good running game, so if we can run, we should be good.”

After high school, Beck said she plans to forego competitive sports and instead focus on a major in physical education when she attends the University of Idaho this fall.

“It’s been great (playing at the high school level), but I’ll probably just play intramurals in college,” said Beck.