Viks complete great turnaround
NAMPA, Idaho – From 2-19, the worst record among 5A teams in the state, to 21 wins and fourth place a year later.
The storybook turnaround for the Coeur d’Alene High girls basketball team culminated Saturday morning in a 47-44 victory over the Highland Rams at Skyview High School.
The Vikings’ final win wasn’t without drama – especially the final 3 minutes. The Viks never pushed the panic button, but they had their fingers on it a time or two.
CdA withstood two turnovers, three offensive rebounds that led to the Rams’ final basket and four missed free throws before sophomore Lindsey Stark grabbed the Viks’ final rebound and made two foul shots with 1.5 seconds showing on the clock to secure a trophy.
Veteran coach Dale Poffenroth, concluding his first season at CdA after leading Central Valley to three state titles and two runner-up finishes in 17 years, said the Viks also overcame a critical coaching blunder as well.
CdA (21-5) got the ball with 26 seconds to go when Stark, defending Highland guard Mandee Daniels, forced a 5-second defensive count violation.
Poffenroth called a timeout to set up an inbounds play knowing the Rams would probably foul at some point. So he had four of his five players in the backcourt while sending sophomore guard Jackie Lenz, who had missed four free throws moments earlier, well into the frontcourt.
Stark was called for traveling near midcourt, but had that infraction not been called a 10-second violation for not advancing the ball into the frontcourt most likely would have been whistled because nearly 11 seconds had expired after the inbounds play began.
“It was a big screw-up on my part,” Poffenroth said. “The ball’s thrown around in the backcourt and I should have called timeout at the 8-second mark and we would have had 18 seconds left and the ball. We could have tried to get the ball (across midcourt) again. You get to watching the game and you get engrossed in it like the kids do.”
Thankfully for CdA, Highland (22-4) couldn’t take advantage. One more time, the Viks had to come up solid on defense, and the Rams hurried a 3-point shot that was more like a heave, and the ball fell short off the rim into Stark’s hands.
Stark did the rest with the final free throws.
“The kids saved me,” Poffenroth said, smiling. “I told them during a timeout that I made a big mistake. I asked them to save me. They went out and played good defense. I’d had looked really bad if we hadn’t have won that one.”
Traditionally, coaches send their seniors out to retrieve the trophy during the postgame award celebration. So Poffenroth sent his lone senior, Jenna Griffitts.
Griffitts held the trophy above her head and pointed to CdA’s parents, boosters and band. She finished with a game-high 16 points and 50 for the three games after a nine-point start on Thursday.
“It means so much to me,” said Griffitts, who was a starter as a freshman on the last CdA team to qualify for state. “It says consolation on (the trophy), but heck we got a trophy and we’re champions.”
“I don’t think there’s a better player in the tournament,” Poffenroth said of Griffitts, who has decided to pursue an opportunity to play basketball over volleyball in college.
The University of Idaho and College of Southern Idaho, one of the top junior college programs in the nation, have offered Griffitts a scholarship. Several other coaches got to see the 5-foot-10 Griffitts at her best during the tourney.
Griffitts admitted that the final 2 minutes were frenetic.
“I was kind of nervous there for a little bit,” she said, smiling. “But I knew for a fact that it was our game and we were going to win. Highland’s a good team, but we just got it done. We played up to our potential – played like we usually do – and got it done.”
Lenz said Griffitts will leave a big void.
“We’ll have to step up and replace her (as a leader) because she’s led us so much in everything we do,” Lenz said. “When we need that extra bucket or the rebound, she was there. You never heard anything negative out of her. She’s always positive.”
Lenz atoned for her missed free throws with a steal in the final minute and steady defense.
“It was nerve-racking,” Lenz said. “To come back from last year and win a trophy is special. We want to come back and get another trophy next year.”
Viks freshman guard Ali Johnson, who played all 32 minutes Saturday as did Griffitts, had 10 points. Sophomore Jenna DeLong, in foul trouble the entire tourney, managed to play her most minutes in the three games and finished with a game-high seven rebounds.
In an all-Boise state final, Boise edged Borah 30-28. Twin Falls, which tripped CdA 53-50 in overtime on Thursday, slipped past defending state champ Centennial 40-39 for third.