The Front Row with MARK NELKE March 3, 2011

Last year, the Post Falls boys basketball team had its ups and downs during the regular season.

But once the Trojans got to state, they were focused and intense at both ends of the floor, and charged to their first state title since 1964 in impressive fashion.

Turns out, that was by design.

“We work a lot on basic fundamental defense, team stuff during the regular season -- we don’t talk a lot about what the other teams are going to do,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. “It’s my own personal opinion that these are still high school kids, with school going on, life going on. I’m a believer that kids can’t straight focus (with) super attention to every detail for 20 games, plus regionals. So we don’t really start cranking up our defensive intensity, as far as ‘this is what we’re going to take away, this is what we’re going to do,’ until regionals and state.”

Post Falls (19-4) opens defense of its state 5A title tonight at 7 PST vs. Borah (18-5) of Boise at the Idaho Center in Nampa.

After the Trojans, 5A Inland Empire League champs, lost 72-64 to No. 4 seed Lewiston in the first round of the Region 1 tournament, McLean said, “we don’t guard anybody,” after the Bengals sank 10 3-pointers.

Four days later, Post Falls held Lake City to 38 points and four days after that, the Trojans held the same Lewiston team to 29 fewer points in a 59-43 win to advance to state.

“It’s not that we don’t guard people earlier, but we’re working more on team stuff, and what we need to do as individuals,” McLean said. “And when we get into regionals and state, we really crank up our focus and our interest level — this is what the team is specifically trying to do, this is specifically what we’re going to try to do against them. It’s worked all four years I’ve been here.”

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP pits the No. 1 (Post Falls) and No. 2 (Borah) teams in the state, according to the media rankings. Borah, which lost the District 3 title game to fourth-ranked Centennial, is led by 6-foot-7 junior Ben Tucakovic and freshman point guard Isaiah Wright.

“He’s the freshman sensation down there,” McLean said. “He breaks people down off the dribble, creates a lot of things for his teammates.”

Sounds like someone else from two years ago at state — Post Falls point guard Marcus Colbert, now a junior in his third season as a starter.

“I’ll let Marcus know that this guy’s the new sensation point guard in the state; I’m sure he’ll be aware of that,” McLean said earlier this week. “If you tell Marcus Colbert that he can’t do something, or this kid’s good in basketball, Marcus will do everything in his power to go right at that kid, and challenge him. If there’s one guy on our team that’s even more of a competitor than Connor (Hill), it’s Marcus.”

COLBERT AND Hill were starters on last year’s title team and post Matt Lickfold was a key reserve. Hill averages 21.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals, Colbert averages 16.0 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals, and Lickfold averages 8.0 points and 5.3 boards.

Three others who have moved up from the junior varsity into key varsity roles -- juniors Michael Hillman, Luke Thoreson and Seth Anderson -- were brought up last year for state.

This year, Hillman averages 5.4 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game. Thoreson averages 6.2 points per game.

They’ll be new to playing at state, but not new to the Idaho Center.

“They’ve been through the routine; they know what the itinerary’s like,” McLean said. “They’ve warmed up for three games there (at the Idaho Center), it’s not going to be the first time they’ve walked into this big building.”

McLEAN WAS an assistant coach at Coeur d’Alene under Kent Leiss for a few seasons prior to taking over at his alma mater in 2007. The morning before Coeur d’Alene played Lewiston for the regional title, the two head coaches had a conversation.

“I’m like, ‘You guys handle your stuff, we’ll handle our stuff, and we’ll meet on a Saturday down at the Idaho Center,’” McLean recalled.

Coeur d’Alene went on to beat Lewiston the following night to earn a trip to state. The following day, Post Falls beat the Bengals to advance to state.

Why not an all-5A IEL state title game? It’s happened the last two years in the girls tournament with Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston. Lake City, which went to state last year, was a minute away from ending Post Falls’ hopes of returning this year. McLean said he has “no doubt” Lake City would have brought home a trophy from state if the Timberwolves had qualified.

“I couldn’t think of a better thing,” McLean said of an all-North final. “I hope they (the Vikings) get to the state championship, and I hope we do too.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of the Press. He can be reached by phone at 664-0239, or via e-mail at mnelke@cdapress.com.