Post Falls takes two

The Post Falls girls and boys basketball teams hogged the Pig.

Motivated perhaps by a loss that snapped a 10-game winning streak two nights earlier, the Trojans girls overwhelmed Lakeland 62-28 in the first game of the Prairie Pig spirit and Inland Empire League doubleheader Thursday.

The Post Falls boys had little difficulty later, stopping Lakeland 54-39 before a sold-out crowd of 1,800 at the newly opened Hawk Court in Rathdrum.

It was the first time in the 12-year Prairie Pig history that the doubleheader was held at Lakeland.

For the fourth time in the last five years the spirit competition was won by Lakeland, which claimed the windup toy pig that serves as a traveling trophy.

Girls

Rebounding was the Trojans’ biggest liability in a critical 55-51 loss Tuesday at Lewiston. Post Falls rebounded with a purpose against the Hawks.

Post Denise Schmidt had a team-high 11 boards as the Trojans finished with a 39-21 advantage, including 23 on the offensive end. Schmidt’s twin sister C.J., Kandice McArthur and Heather Arnone each chipped in five.

“It was a really frustrating night in Lewiston for us,” Post Falls coach Chris Johnson said. “They got home late, didn’t get much sleep, had a late practice (Wednesday) and yet they came out full of energy tonight. I thought they executed very well. We’d won 10 in a row and maybe those kids needed a little bit of a wakeup call. We really focused on rebounding because we were very poor at that in Lewiston.”

Post Falls (14-3 overall, 6-3 league) is just a game behind second-place Lake City (13-4, 8-2) in the loss column. IEL-leading Coeur d’Alene (16-1, 9-0) needs one win in its final three games to secure the title and top seed in the 5A Region I tournament.

The Trojans did many things well at Lakeland. They executed a solid half-court trap, forcing many of Lakeland’s 31 turnovers. And Post Falls spread the offense around and had 28 more shots than the Hawks (4-13, 2-8).

Jenny McVeigh hit two 3-pointers and Jordan Schoening and McArthur each had one to help the Trojans open fast against Lakeland’s zone. Schoening’s 3-pointer and a jumper at the buzzer by Katelyn Loper gave Post Falls a 23-7 lead after the first period.

Ali Whitted made a basket as Lakeland crept within 26-16 with 4:40 to go before halftime. But the Trojans blew it open, finishing the quarter on a 14-4 run for a 40-20 lead.

Loper, the Trojans’ leading scorer, had an off night, making 2 of 22 from the field.

McVeigh led with 17 points, 10 in the first half, and Schoening had 10 to go with seven steals and just one turnover.

If it weren’t for point guard Camille Reynolds, the Hawks wouldn’t have scored 28 points. She finished with 15, including two NBA-length 3-point shots.

“They’re quick – they were like a pack of hunting dogs out there,” Lakeland coach Steve Seymour said of the Trojans. “That’s the type of environment where those dogs get to hunt, and they’re all over the floor and every loose ball. They’d be fun to watch from any vantage point except for where I was sitting.”

Boys

Malcom Colbert staked the Trojans (6-8, 4-2) to a 29-16 halftime lead by making 5 of 6 3-point shots.

When the Hawks (3-9, 0-7) clamped down on Colbert in the second half, the Trojans’ Levi Buckles got loose inside for all 10 of his points. Colbert had a game-high 19.

Austin Black led Lakeland with 16.