Post Falls girls post Pig victory

The first basketball game in the Battle for the Prairie Pig may have featured the most contrasting ebb and flow in the 11-year history of the spirit doubleheader.

The Lakeland and Post Falls girls exchanged 16-0 runs in the Inland Empire League game Thursday played before an estimated crowd of 3,000 at The Arena in Post Falls.

It was the second-half surge by Post Falls that allowed the Trojans to rally from a 15-point deficit in a game that Lakeland seemingly had in hand at halftime.

Post Falls stayed within eyesight of league-leading Coeur d’Alene and even with Lake City as the Trojans pulled out a key 48-45 win.

The experimental three-man officiating crew twice stopped play in the first half, including about a 15-minute delay between the first and second quarters, because of slippery substances on the floor. A maintenance worker rode a riding mopping machine during the long delay as extra care was taken to make the court safe for the players, several of whom slipped and fell in the opening quarter.

After play resumed, Post Falls appeared as if it might shrug off a poor first period in which the Trojans committed 10 turnovers. Believe it or not, the worst was yet to come for the Trojans.

After Post Falls pulled within 16-11, Lakeland went on its 16-0 tear. Two free throws by Ali Whitted gave the Hawks their biggest lead at 32-11 with 2:33 to go before halftime.

A 5-0 spurt by Post Falls just before intermission kept the hole from being deeper.

“It was a great first half – as well we’ve played all year,” Lakeland coach Steve Seymour said. “The girls played with great confidence. (The Trojans were) back on their heels and everything was going our way.”

As dominating as the Hawks were in the first half, though, the Trojans matched it if not exceeded it in the final two quarters.

Had it not been for a basket by Katie Hoye, Lakeland would have gone scoreless in the third quarter. That basket put the Hawks ahead 34-20.

Sixteen straight points later – capped by freshman guard Katelyn Loper’s second 3-pointer during the run – Post Falls led 36-34 going into the fourth quarter.

Lakeland still had opportunities to win in the final period. Senior guard Natalie Nichols made both ends of an 1-and-1 opportunity to give the Hawks their final lead at 42-41 with 3:04 to go.

Loper stepped up one more time, making a third 3-pointer that gave the Trojans (14-3, 7-2) the lead for good at 44-42 with 2:46 remaining.

“That first half is as horrible an experience as I think I’ve ever been through,” Post Falls coach Chris Johnson said. “We didn’t do anything well – not one facet of the game. Give credit to Lakeland for that. They outhustled us, they outrebounded us, they outexecuted us. Every facet they were just superior.”

Post Falls made two key defensive adjustments in the second half. First, the Trojans used a box-and-one on Nichols. Second, they forced the Hawks (6-11, 3-7) to commit 12 turnovers, many of which came against a tandem half-court trap.

Loper scored all 11 of her points in the second half. But she was admittedly nervous before tipoff.

“I could not breathe before the game (in the locker room),” Loper said. “My teammates had to calm me down a little bit.”

Asked what she was thinking about in the third quarter when she hit the 3-point shots, Loper was honest.

“I really didn’t think,” she said. “I didn’t think or anything.”

Heather Arnone led the Trojans with 15 points. Nichols had a team-high 14 while Whitted had 11 points to go with 10 rebounds.

Seymour said his team can salvage something despite the loss.

“(There’s) still something positive we can take from it,” Seymour said. “Post Falls is a much better team than what they showed in the first half. We showed we were a pretty good team in the first half. Post Falls showed they’re a pretty good team in the second half.”

“The boys game started about 40 minutes late. Post Falls (8-6, 3-3) handled Lakeland 68-45, sending the winless Hawks to their 12th straight loss this season and 16th in a row dating back to last season. Post Falls used a 30-7 start in the first quarter. The Trojans made 9 of 22 3-pointers, six by Spencer Pingel, who had a team-high 21 points.

Lakeland was awarded the orange and green windup toy pig that goes to the school that displays the most spirit.