The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT Feb. 15, 2012

North Idaho College women's basketball coach Chris Carlson may have said it best following Saturday's 63-58 win by the 12th-ranked Cardinals over Utah State University-Eastern Utah.

"This is when some great basketball is happening and players are starting to spark."

A FEW hours later, after what was easily the most entertaining game I've seen at Rolly Williams Court, it was hard to argue.

The NIC men's team fell behind 25-18 at halftime after shooting 6 of 30 in the first 20 minutes of the game. Not that Eastern Utah was doing any better, with a 10-of-30 mark of its own.

Eastern Utah even led by 14 points late in the game, but the Cardinals found a way to come back, eventually forcing overtime on a buzzer beater by Keon Lewis.

And forcing another on a dunk by Michael Middlebrooks as time expired in the first overtime. And another after not being able to hit a jumper after a pair of free throws by Eastern Utah with seven seconds remaining.

In the third OT, the Cardinals fell behind early, but came up big late to score the final five points to win 81-78.

All of that excitement could have been for naught, had an Eastern Utah player not been caught dunking a basketball during pregame warmups and NIC not started the game with a 2-0 lead.

Saturday's game was amazing to watch.

NIC shot 5 of 42 from beyond the 3-point line, and still won.

And for those fans in attendance, you'll probably never see that kind of a game again.

The teams combined for 105 defensive stops and 125 rebounds and NIC scoring 32 points off the bench. Middlebrooks (21) and Kaj Sherman (19) had 40 of the team's 65 rebounds.

WHILE NIC has three weeks remaining in its regular season, things are winding to a close for area prep boys basketball entering the postseason starting Tuesday night.

Lakeland lost to Sandpoint to open the 4A Region 1 tournament on Tuesday, with Coeur d’Alene Charter traveling to Lapwai High tonight to face Grangeville in a 2A District 1-2 tournament first-round game.

And with the girls state tournaments starting in the Boise area on Thursday, only those teams playing their best right now will come back satisfied with their finish.

The NIC women’s basketball team is proof of that.

Just like Carlson said, players are starting to spark at this point in the season.

The Cardinals used a spark and caught fire near the end of last season, eventually winning an NJCAA championship.

Will lightning strike twice — who knows?

Anything can happen, right?

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]