Gonzaga commit Melody Kempton leads Post Falls to district tourney win

Bayley Brennan scored 23 points and Gonzaga commit Melody Kempton added 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots and top-seed Post Falls routed fourth-seeded Coeur d’Alene 55-19 in an Idaho 5A District 1-2 first-round matchup on Friday.

Post Falls (20-2), ranked No. 2 in Idaho 5A, advanced to face Lewiston on Tuesday in the district title game for a berth to state on Feb. 15 at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.

Coeur d’Alene (6-14) faces a loser-out game against Lake City on Tuesday.

“I thought Coeur d’Alene played very hard,” said Post Falls coach Marc Allert. “I actually think they outplayed us in that first half.”

The Vikings – who have no seniors and five freshmen – stayed close early. CdA picked up baskets by Emily Minerath and Emma Whiteman midway in the first and trailed by two.

Kempton grabbed an offensive rebound and banked it in, and then Brennan scored two fast-break layups to give the Trojans a 16-10 lead after one.

Kempton heated up in the second with six straight points. She forced her way to the hoop for a layup, then added a pair of free throws and a jumper in the lane and Post Falls extended its lead to 28-17 at intermission.

Post Falls outscored CdA 19-2 in the third quarter and shut out the Vikings in the fourth.

“We came out a little slow,” said Kempton. “We just went into the locker room and said we needed to pick it up and we did.”

Whiteman, a freshman guard, led CdA with 11 points.

Lewiston 42, Lake City 24: Alyssa Ralstin scored 11 points and the visiting Bengals (16-6) handled the Timberwolves (13-9).