Panhandle Picks with Greg Lee

I’m this close to giving myself a pink slip. An obnoxious assistant coach has suggested that I should turn things over to a coin – as in start picking the games by flipping a coin. Funny.

For a fourth straight week the guest beat me, and for a second consecutive week it was decided by the tiebreaker. Former Lake City boys basketball coach Kris Knowles kept me mired in my slump. Both of us picked six of nine games correctly. That makes the overall count 42-19 (.688) for the Scribe and 44-17 (.721) for the guests.

With four weeks remaining in the regular season, there’s still plenty of time to turn things around. I’m not going to reach for a quarter yet.

My guest this week is Lakeland head baseball coach Jason Bradbury. A 1991 Priest River High graduate, Bradbury will begin his fourth year with the Hawks next spring.

Lakeland at Timberlake (tiebreaker): These teams may not be in the same classification, but that doesn’t mean a thing. They’ve developed a good in-district rivalry.

This matchup could be the most hotly contested and entertaining. In a battle of Wing T-style offenses, Lakeland will use its size to stave off Timberlake’s speed. LL 35, Timberlake 27.

Guest: This is going to be a tight game, especially since Timberlake is hosting. It’s hard to win football games at Timberlake. Lakeland is much improved, but so is Timberlake. The Hawks will have the upper hand and will rely on their seniors (Bubba Bartlett and Chase Roberts) to pull them through. LL 28, TL 21.

Lewiston at Sandpoint: The Bulldogs face their fifth 5A opponent.

Lake City, Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls gave Sandpoint three of its four losses, and the Bengals must win – and do so decisively – to prove they can challenge for a 5A state playoff berth. Lewiston 34, Sandpoint 21.

Guest: Even though it’s hard to win in Sandpoint, Lewiston has better skill players and more leadership. It will be tight for two quarters, but the second half will be all Bengals. Lewiston 35, Sandpoint 14.

Lake City at Central Valley: The Timberwolves could be flat after their messy but key win over Coeur d’Alene. But it’s doubtful the T-Wolves want to do extra running two Mondays in a row. LC 42, CV 10.

Guest: LC pulled off a tight one against CdA. The T-Wolves will be raring to do some damage and get back on track. LC 49, CV 7.