THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT, December 21, 2013

There's something to be said about basketball in the 5A Inland Empire League.

It's the toughest conference in the state and any team, on any given night, can get a win.

Take Tuesday night for example.

IN A matchup of two teams that have represented the IEL in the girls state 5A title game since 2006, it was another classic battle pitting the Lewiston Bengals at the Coeur d'Alene Vikings.

Lewiston found a way late to win the game late, holding the Vikings to 18 second-half points in a 49-46 win at Elmer Jordan Court.

"This court is tough to play on," Lewiston coach Pat Teichmer said. "No matter what level of team you have. It's nice to win a league game in mid-December, but we'd like to play our best in six weeks. This is good for us to get a win against the premier team in the state for a decade."

Close enough, coach.

Both teams have won state titles during that span, with the Vikings winning three straight from 2008 to 2010. Lewiston won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

The one thing that kept the Bengals from their own three-peat, as well as the Vikings from four in a row, was each other.

And had it not been for a late 3-pointer by Centennial against Coeur d'Alene in the semifinals, who knows what could have happened in 2012 when Lewiston went on to down the Patriots in the title game.

THE TEAMS will meet again in league play, with the right to host the 5A Region 1 tournament at stake on Jan. 24 at Booth Hall in Lewiston. With a Lewiston win, the Bengals will be on the fast track to hosting the tournament and having everyone in the league travel down U.S. 95 to their gym on the opening night of the tournament.

"It definitely puts a little more pressure on us the next time we play them down there," Coeur d'Alene coach Dale Poffenroth said, "because I don't think they'll trip up against Lake City or Post Falls."

Should Coeur d'Alene win, it could wind up coming down to a coin toss to determine hosting rights. Then again, Lake City and Post Falls could have something to say about it before things are all said and done.

The Vikings bounced back in a big way on Thursday night, beating Burlington-Edison 68-33 in Burlington, Wash. They play at Lake Stevens (Wash.) today. Next week, Coeur d'Alene competes in the St. Francis Healthcare Cup, part of the Diamond State Classic in Wilmington, Del.

"These upcoming games are really important to get back on track," Poffenroth said.

LAST YEAR, after entering the boys 5A Region 1 tournament as the No. 4 seed, the Post Falls Trojans claimed the second berth to state by winning a state play-in game last year in Grangeville.

After starting the 2012-13 season 3-3, the Trojans went 2-1 in the Coeur d'Alene Inn-vitational, with the loss snapping a 13-game winning streak in the tournament.

This year, they're at 3-3 entering Friday's Prairie Pig spirit game at Lakeland.

Can they peak at the right time once again this year?

Anything is possible in this league.

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]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.