The Front Row with MARK NELKE Feb. 16, 2012

Last year's first round of the 5A Region 1 boys basketball tournament at Post Falls High featured its own version of Black Friday.

No. 3 seed Coeur d'Alene upset No. 2 Lake City, then No. 4 Lewiston stunned No. 1 Post Falls on its own court.

That meant the top two seeds met on the second night, as usually happens, but not in the manner you might expect - they squared off in a loser-out game.

Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Coeur d'Alene landed in the title game as the home team, beating No. 4 Lewiston - after waiting three extra days because of snow - for the regional title and a berth to state.

Lake City, which entered the tourney with visions of a second straight trip to state, instead found itself going two and out, losing at Post Falls in the aforementioned loser-out game.

Less than 24 hours after Coeur d'Alene beat Lewiston, Post Falls knocked off the Bengals for the region's second berth to state, where Coeur d'Alene lost in the semifinals before placing third, and Post Falls lost in the first round, then came back to take fourth.

This year's 5A Region 1 boys basketball tournament begins Friday at Coeur d'Alene High, with No. 2 Lake City (13-7) playing No. 3 Post Falls (17-3) at 5:45 p.m., followed by No. 1 Coeur d'Alene (14-5) vs. No. 4 Lewiston (7-13) at 7:30.

Hmmm ... just like last year's first-round matchups.

Could we see a repeat of last year?

"I don't think anything is out of the question Friday night," Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. "Nothing would surprise me."

Well, maybe Lewiston beating Coeur d'Alene would be a surprise - especially if Bengals center Sam Heitzman is still sidelined following a partial ACL tear a few weeks ago - as Lewiston was swept by the other three teams in 5A Inland Empire League play.

But one thing's for sure - with two berths to state up for grabs, one very good team will be kept home from state. All three Kootenai County teams are capable of placing in the top four at state, and the two that qualify could very well meet up again in the state title game March 3.

But, first things first.

“I think three of us have a legitimate shot at two spots (to state),” McLean said. “It’s going to come down to execution — teams doing what their coaches ask them to.”

And if league play is any indication, expect the games between the three Kootenai County schools to be defensive battles. It’s a combination of the teams not boasting the offensive power of recent seasons, and teams locking down defensively — often times with tight zone defenses which limit the other teams’ penetration.

In three of the six games involving Coeur d’Alene, Lake City and Post Falls, the winning team — the WINNING team — scored 40 points or less. In the other three games, the winning team scored 55, 55 and 51 points — and the 51 was in an overtime game.

So while the games might not always look pretty, count on them being quite competitive.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.