Change works for Trojans
A championship team needs a good bench.
The Post Falls Trojans captured the Inland Empire League crown with a 59-48 win over the Coeur d’Alene Vikings Saturday at the Arena in Post Falls and, in the process, they made a statement as to why they are truly deserving of wearing that crown.
Down 32-24 at halftime and being outrun by the pesky Vikings, coach Dave Stockwell opted to go small, starting the second half with a four-guard offense that included two non-starters.
He got the result he wanted.
Down 39-29 with just more than six minutes left in the third quarter, the Trojans began to climb back. An 11-0 run fueled by one of those non-starters, junior Zach Deines, gave Post Falls a 40-39 lead, its first since the beginning of the second quarter when it led 19-18.
The Vikings regained the lead moments later on a three-point play by senior Tom Hughes and the two teams fought to a 44-all tie to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was all Post Falls. The Trojans opened the quarter with five straight points from post Kyle Turpin to grab a 49-44 lead. After CdA’s Kevin Menting hit two free throws, Post Falls went on an 8-1 spurt to put away the game.
The Vikings were held to just four free throws in the final quarter, going 0 for 7 from the field.
“At halftime, I said we’re just going to go small and go for it,” Stockwell said. “We stepped up the defense and they got after it. And then the momentum switched.”
The win by PF (12-6 overall, 9-2 IEL) not only earned the Trojans the league title, but also solidified their lock on the No. 1 seed to the 4A Region I tournament giving them home-court advantage. It was also win their 11th win in the last twelve games.
CdA of the 5A drops to 8-10, 4-6.
Stockwell had huge praise for his bench and in particular, for Deines and junior Dan Hamilton. Hamilton scored six points and helped control the ball down the stretch. Deines brought a sense of exuberance to the Trojans, something they were missing in the first half.
“His hustle was huge tonight,” Stockwell said of Deines. “Those kids came back and decided they were not going to lose this ballgame. They’re really coming together. That’s why they call it a team.”
The Trojans were also hurt a bit by the illness of their leading scorer. Scott Stockwell, the all-time leading scorer in Post Falls history, was nursing a 101-degree fever which caused him to miss a morning shoot-around.
Stockwell finished with 17 points, but said he was affected by the illness.
“I needed a lot of water,” he said. “I got tired more easily than normal. But Deines comes in every game and plays his heart out. We’re starting to play more as a team and when that happens, you get this,” he said, holding up a piece of the net he had just cut down in celebration of their championship.
After a tight first quarter, it looked as if the Vikings were going to put away the game. Down 19-18, CdA scored 10 straight points to take a 29-19 lead.
The Viks stretched that to 39-29 early in the third, but then the roof caved in.
“We totally lost our composure,” CdA coach Kent Leiss said. “Two or three guys mentally lost their composure and we started turning the ball over. And we could not block out over the final 12 minutes of the game.
“It seemed like we spent the last 12 minutes in the Post Falls end of the court.”
In addition to Stockwell’s 17, the Trojans got 13 points from Deines and 11 from Turpin. Turpin also finished with eight rebounds.
CdA was led by Jake Wolfe with 13 points, while Matt Palmer scored nine.