Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

New attitude lifts LC boys

A little attitude goes a long way.

After sleepwalking through the first half of their District 8 4A winner-to-regional, loser-out game at Squinty Hunter Fieldhouse Friday night, the Lewis and Clark Tigers roared back to extend their boys basketball season one more week for the first time since 1999.

Happy birthday, Coach.

“This is all new for us, big game, big crowd, going to regionals,” LC coach Jeff Norton said while his daughter wished him a happy birthday. “I think we had a little glaze over our eyes. They decided if they’re going to go down, they were going to go down swinging.”

The Tigers were down 18-11 after one quarter as Ferris senior Just Stewart pumped in 11 of his 16 points. It was only that close because LC’s Austin Ehlo, who had 11 points, hit a pair of 3-pointers. The Saxons led 27-13 late in the second quarter before Sean Hoffman made 3 of 4 free throws.

In each of the final two quarters Ferris (12-12) scored just eight points while LC (13-10) had a 36-point half.

“Improved attitude,” Norton said. “We decided we’d play to win instead of playing not to lose. That’s how we can defend. And we executed. Once we got that mindset we made it a game.”

Hoffman sparked the defense with eight blocked shots. Leading the charge was Levi Taylor, who scored 14 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, nine in the third quarter.

“Coach told us we were playing not to lose,” said Taylor, who hit 6 of 7 shots in the second half. “He told us to shoot with confidence. I didn’t do that in the first half.”

Taylor Eglet gave the Tigers a boost when he promptly drained a 3 to open the second half. LC clawed back into the game late in the third quarter because Taylor scored all nine points, three layups and a 3-pointer, in a 9-1 run that cut the deficit to 33-31.

When Taylor fed Ehlo for a layup and Hoffman scored on a turnaround fadeaway from the right block, the game was tied at 35 just 2 minutes into the fourth quarter.

Hoffman, who finished with 10 points, broke a 40-all tie when he converted a three-point play with 2:25 remaining. After a Ferris miss, Eglet, who also had 10 points and six assists, hit a clutch 3 from the corner.

Ferris only hit 5 of 24 shots in the second half and just 3 of 6 free throws.

The Tigers play at the No. 3 team out of the Columbia Basin Big Nine on Tuesday.

The last trip to regional was in 1999 when they came up one win short of state.

Connor Halliday added 12 points for Ferris. The Saxons, the two-time defending state champion, had won both regular-season meetings, 62-50 and 54-51.

Idaho boys

Post Falls defeated Lake City 62-50 and Lewiston downed Coeur d’Alene 65-40 in the first round of the 5A Region I basketball tournament at Lewiston.

The victorious Trojans and Bengals will play Tuesday night at 7 at Lewiston for the tournament title. The two Coeur d’Alene high schools will play in a loser-out game Tuesday at Lake City. The winner gets the loser of the title game in a Thursday matchup.