Viks have good flashes against gritty Trojans

Kent Leiss thought a 6-minute, 19-second stretch from the first into the second quarter was perhaps the best his Coeur d’Alene High boys basketball team has played this season.

Coeur d’Alene used that stretch to outscore visiting Post Falls 19-3 as the Vikings opened up a 30-12 lead.

As it turned out, the Viks would need most of that margin before they settled for a 74-62 decision Thursday in an Inland Empire League game at Elmer Jordan Court.

“I thought we played very well in that (first-half) stretch,” said Leiss, whose team improved to 11-4 overall, 6-1 in league.

Post Falls coach Dave Stockwell, meanwhile, didn’t think his team could have played more tentative than it did in the first half. The Trojans committed 17 turnovers, and the Viks parlayed the extra possessions into a sizeable advantage in attempted shots.

CdA took 19 more shots in the opening half, making 15. The Trojans shot well in the first two quarters, making 8 of 14. Problem was they didn’t get enough shots.

“Our guards grew up a little bit I hope,” Stockwell said. “(The) second half we came to play a little bit.”

The Trojans (8-8, 3-5) certainly didn’t quit despite trailing 36-22 at halftime and despite the fact that CdA left-handed shooting guard Nate Bligh caught fire in the third quarter.

Bligh hit four straight 3-pointers, finishing with 16 of his game-high 23 points in the period. That allowed CdA to take a 56-43 lead into the fourth.

“I just started feeling it,” Bligh said. “I thought we had to get something going so I started shooting a little bit.”

An 8-0 spurt early in the fourth period, though, allowed Post Falls to pull within 60-56 with 4:13 remaining. But it appeared the Trojans didn’t have much energy left. The Viks finished on a 14-6 run to pull away.

“Fatigue may have been setting in a little bit at that point,” Stockwell said of closing within four points. “I don’t think that Coeur d’Alene dropped off any. We just decided that we were going to attack. That’s what we should have done in the first (half), and that’s what we talked about after the ballgame.”

Leading the Viks in hustle as he usually does was 5-foot-8 senior Andrew Prohaska, who had 12 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds. He converted two of his three steals into breakaway layups in the third quarter that kept the Trojans at bay.

Leiss thought his team contributed to Post Falls’ comeback.

“I thought we were a little too in a hurry at times in the middle of the second half,” Leiss said. “I told the kids there’s just a little too much drama there. That allows them to come back within (four). I’m happy with the game, but there’s definitely some things in there that we can talk to the kids about and keep getting better. As you saw Post Falls is a dangerous team.”

CdA turns around and plays host to league-leading Moscow (12-2, 6-0) tonight. Post Falls is at home against Lake City (10-4, 4-2).

Stockwell is looking forward to the return game against CdA.

“Everything we did was caused by us,” Stockwell said. “They’re a nice ballclub, no doubt about it, but they’re certainly beatable. I’m looking forward to the next time we play them.”

Senior forward Brandon Haas led the Trojans with 16 points and 11 rebounds.