Harmonizing on court
An analogy that aptly describes the Lake City High girls basketball team is that of an orchestra.
Not a proficient orchestra by any means, but a work in progress that is hitting most of the right notes these days.
To extend the analogy further, 6-foot-1 sophomore Katie Baker is undoubtedly first-chair post.
Together and individually, the Timberwolves and Baker have had their rough spots this season and last as they’ve learned their parts. They beat their crosstown rival in both Inland Empire League games last season, but Coeur d’Alene avenged those defeats by capturing the Region I championship and went on to play for the state title.
Lake City joined the Vikings at state, winning a second-round, loser-out game at the Idaho Center before losing the consolation game for fourth.
The Timberwolves returned that team intact this season, hoping to build on last year’s experiences. They watched victory slip away when CdA pulled out a 53-48 decision in overtime in the first league game in late November.
Then LC, somehow overconfident despite the loss, was humbled two weeks later at CdA when the Vikings won going away, 49-35.
The turning point this season for LC came during a holiday tournament in Enumclaw, Wash. The T-Wolves faced Skyview of Vancouver, Wash., a team they thought was better than CdA. Skyview, taking advantage of several turnovers, built a 15-point lead by halftime.
But LC rallied in the second half to pull out a 41-39 win.
Five games later, LC had another chance for redemption against then No. 1-ranked CdA in the Fight for the Fish spirit game. And the T-Wolves played their best game to date, handling the Vikings 56-47.
In the grand scheme of things, the victory meant nothing in terms of the postseason. The T-Wolves (15-2 overall) know they will have to prove themselves again. But they like the music they’re playing these days, and they’re hopeful that they’ll get another opportunity to play on a bigger stage next month.
The steady hands throughout belong to Baker. She was named the league’s newcomer of the year last season, and her 14.8 points-per-game average through 16 games leads the league.
“She gets better every day – it’s just amazing to watch,” LC coach Darren Taylor said after Baker scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds, a hair better than her season average, and dished out three assists. “She does something I haven’t seen every time she steps out there.”
Baker’s contributions in LC’s win over CdA are even more impressive considering she sat out more than 6 minutes because of foul trouble. But despite picking up a silly foul or two, she played the final 7:05 with four fouls after her teammates weathered a critical stretch in the third quarter without her.
Both Taylor and Baker kept the win over CdA in perspective. It was pivotal in their team’s growth and nothing more. To reach their goals, they know they’ll have to beat the Vikings again – if not before state than probably at state.
“We’re going to remember the intensity of that night – the team unity of that night – and we’re going to move on,” Baker said of the win over CdA.
Baker attends Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy. She can play at LC because the school doesn’t field a basketball team. Even if Charter had a team, there’s no doubt where she would play.
“I want to play at the highest level possible,” Baker said.
She got a glimpse of it last summer. Her AAU team, the Spokane Blazers, captured the 14-and-under Division II national championship at Orlando, Fla. She plans to play for that team and a local team coached by North Idaho College women’s coach Chris Carlson this spring and summer in tournaments NCAA Division I coaches can attend.
Baker is a well-rounded student/athlete. She’s a first-chair cellist in the Coeur d’Alene Youth Symphony. She’s played the instrument for 12 years and she practices 40 minutes a day.
She maintains a 3.8 grade-point average while taking mostly college prep or college-level courses. If she attended a mainstream high school, her GPA would easily be 4.0, she said.
Baker said she’s a better student than a basketball player at this point. But she’s working on bringing the latter to the level of the former.
“Last year I didn’t know what to expect being a freshman,” Baker said. “As it turned out I was satisfied with the season. But I’ve gotten a lot more confidence this year. I’m not just going through the motions. Last year I had the mind-set just don’t make a mistake. This year if I make a mistake it’s no big deal, because I can make up for it on defense. Just playing the game includes making mistakes. But you take those and learn from them.”
Just as her team has the past two years.
“Finally, we’re becoming a team that we set out to become at the beginning of last year,” Baker said.