LC boys down CdA

Appropriately, the decisive play in the Coeur d’Alene-Lake City boys basketball game Friday came down to a steal in the defensive slugfest.

Coeur d’Alene senior guard Andrew Prohaska drove into the key trying to get past Logan Frederickson, but when the Viking spun back to his left Lake City junior post Nate Frisbie stole the ball, securing the Timberwolves’ 39-38 victory over the No. 1-ranked Vikings in the Fight for the Fish spirit doubleheader before a sold-out crowd of 1,800 at Elmer Jordan Court.

In the opener, Coeur d’Alene’s girls topped defending 5A state champ Lake City for a third straight time this season, 46-33.

Coeur d’Alene took back the wooden rainbow trout – the traveling trophy that goes to the school that is judged to display the most spirit.

Both games were non-league.

Boys

The Timberwolves (9-3) led from start to finish, mandating their slow-down pace.

In the end, it didn’t matter to LC coach Jim Thacker if they won by 10 or one over the Vikings (10-2).

“We had just enough offense to win,” Thacker said. “We just kind of had to hang on. We knew they were going to make a run on us. Their guards made some tough shots. Prohaska went in there a couple of times and made a couple of tough shots. You’ve got to give them credit for coming back at us, but overall I thought our defensive effort, especially in the first half, was stellar.”

LC held CdA to a season-low 13 points. But the T-Wolves didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard with 22. But they needed all of that cushion in the second half when the Vikings saddled LC with some tenacious defense.

The T-Wolves’ lead never dipped to less than five points in the third quarter.

The score stayed at 32-27 for more than three minutes early in the fourth quarter. Then LC wing Ben Carroll hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 35-27 with 4:44 remaining.

That’s when CdA started cutting into the margin. Prohaska was fouled while driving to the basket and stepped up and hit two free throws to pull the Vikings within 37-36 with 2:09 to go.

Sophomore Devon Austin hit a tough-angling shot in the key to pull CdA within what would prove to be the final score with 1:25 to go.

CdA had one more shot to try to get the lead, but LC 6-foot-6 senior post Nick Fromm influenced Jon Latorre’s attempt from 8 feet.

Prohaska led all scorers with 19. Fromm led LC with 14 and 14 rebounds.

Non-league game aside, it was an important win for LC after CdA won the first league game 53-42 last month at LC.

“We’ve got to come back in here and play another league game,” Thacker said. “I don’t think you can say it was a statement game, but we needed to come in and play well.”

CdA coach Kent Leiss wasn’t disappointed.

“I thought our defense was good in the first half and really good in the second half,” Leiss said. “They (the T-Wolves) played great defense. The good thing about this game is we have to add some things to our offense as the season goes on.”

Girls

Whitney Heleker has had a change of perspective.

The CdA’s 5-foot-10 junior wing used to come into games looking to shoot first as the Vikings’ first player off the bench. Now she looks to play defense first.

It’s done wonders for her game let alone her confidence. Averaging 8.3 points per game, Heleker scored nine of her 11 points in a critical stretch in the first half as the second-ranked Vikings (15-1) pulled away from LC (12-4).

“Coach told me to play defense first and my offense started coming with that,” Heleker said. “Ever since I started playing defense offense just came naturally.”

Three other Vikings scored in double figures. Amy Warbrick matched Heleker’s 11 and Ali Johnson and Kama Griffitts had 10 apiece. Katie Baker led LC with 15.