Bengals believe
Just after the Lewiston High boys basketball team had cut into Coeur d’Alene’s nine-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Bengals coach Dave Cornelia took a timeout.
“I just told them it’s not over,” Cornelia told his team moments after 6-foot-8 senior post Andrew Packwood hit a jumper from the free-throw line to pull the defending Inland Empire League champs within 59-52 with 2:35 to play. “We had some magic in this gym last year.”
The Bengals, recalling that magic, believed their coach. In an improbable finish, senior point guard Shane Moser hit two 3-pointers – the final one coming from 28 feet with 8 seconds remaining – as Lewiston forced overtime.
Lewiston rode the momentum in the 4-minute extra session to a 73-68 victory before an estimated crowd of 800 at Elmer Jordan Court.
CdA senior wing Nate Bligh extended the Vikings’ lead to 59-50 when he hit an 8-foot jumper with about three minutes to go. But the Vikings missed their final four free throws – two on the front end of 1-and-1 opportunities – to give Lewiston late hope.
On the game-tying possession in regulation, Lewiston was trying to set a screen for Packwood, who would rather shoot from 3-point range than use his big-boned body in the post.
“Just how we drew it up,” smiled Cornelia. “We were trying to get Shane to come off a screen and hit Andrew. Then we’d have either or and we’d also have Shad (Strerath) in the corner.”
Moser never let the play fully develop as he stopped seemingly just a couple of strides past midcourt and launched the high-arcing shot that swished through the net.
Because Moser shot so soon, CdA had a final chance. But a 3-pointer by Bligh – fired up with 4 seconds to go and well behind the 3-point arc – bounced away as the clock expired.
Cornelia had no problem with Moser letting go from 28 feet, saying his standout guard has that range. But he thought he shot too soon.
“I didn’t know if we’d get a better look and I felt comfortable,” Moser said of the tying basket.
Moser finished with a career-high 31 points – most of which came from the free-throw line. He made 18 of 22 foul shots, 11 of 14 in the final 6:54 of the fourth quarter and OT. He played the final 11 minutes with four fouls.
“We were playing way too much their tempo in the first half and (the Vikings) were getting into us,” Cornelia said. “Shane’s pull-up jump shots (in the first half) weren’t there. He got stronger as the game went on.”
Cornelia knows the win, coupled with a 56-49 win over visiting Lake City on Thursday and a 60-58 road win at Post Falls before Christmas, gives his team the early lead in the race to decide where the 5A Region I tournament will be held.
“Any time you win on the road in the league it’s big,” Cornelia said. “But Coeur d’Alene came to our place and beat us last year. It’s going to be a dogfight every night.”
CdA coach Kent Leiss said his team lost the game in regulation when it missed the foul shots late.
“That was the game right there,” Leiss said. “I thought for 13 minutes (in the second half) we played really well until about 2-3 minutes to go and they had to foul. I thought our three main seniors – (Leon) Duplessis, (Austin) Heleker and (Nate) Bligh – were outplayed by Moser and Packwood, especially when it counted. I can’t make it any more simpler than that.”
Nate Clinton led CdA with 17 points, 15 in the first half. Bligh and Heleker had 15 each.