Vikings, after coach resigns, roll past Trojans
POST FALLS - One day after coach Kent Leiss resigned, the Coeur d'Alene High boys basketball team went out and snapped a three-game losing streak.
Sophomore Colby Daniels led five players in double figures with 17 points and the Vikings finished strong to beat the Post Falls Trojans 72-57 in 5A Inland Empire League play Saturday afternoon at The Arena.
"It's all about the kids," interim Coeur d'Alene High coach Darren Taylor said. "They really came together; they played hard. The system that we have in place from all we've done so far, is solid, and it helped us down the stretch."
Leiss, in his 10th season in Coeur d'Alene, resigned two days after parents of 10 of the Vikings' 13 varsity players met with school district officials, expressing concern the players had over what Leiss termed his "tough love" style of coaching.
A volunteer assistant, John Naccarato, also resigned. Taylor, in his first year as a varsity assistant, was named interim coach.
Much like the first game between the two teams, Coeur d'Alene (11-7, 3-3 5A IEL) built a big lead, then had to weather a spirited comeback by Post Falls (8-11, 1-4).
On Saturday, the Vikings jumped out to an 8-1 lead after 3 1/2 minutes, and led by as many as 13 in the first half. Coeur d'Alene still led by 12 points with 3:02 left in the third quarter when Post Falls went on a 16-3 run, capped by a basket by freshman Max McCullough that gave the Trojans a 50-49 lead with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
After an exchange of baskets, Justin Carpenter's 3-point play started Coeur d'Alene on a 7-0 run. The run was capped when Alajah Tripp scored in the post, then Daniels stole the inbounds pass and scored. All told, the Vikings outscored the Trojans 21-2 over a 5-minute stretch in the fourth.
"One thing I've noticed, being this is my first year in the boys game, is there's always a run, no matter who you're playing, and you always have to answer the adversity, and I thought we did a great job," Taylor said. "Our 2-3 zone, and the rotations we made, were key in the fourth quarter."
Tripp, Carpenter and Ryan Walde each added 11 points for Coeur d'Alene, and Devin Kluss had 10. The Vikings, who never stopped attacking the basket throughout the game, shot 23 of 45 from the field.
"I was impressed with their kids; they handled it (the coaching change) very well," Post Falls coach Mike McLean said of the Vikings. "I wasn't sure what to expect from them ... I think it just shows how resilient young people are - that's dealing with adversity."
McCullough and Dalton Thompson each scored 11 points for Post Falls, which shot just 6 for 25 from the floor in the first half, before finishing 19 of 55 for the game.
"That could be a microcosm of our season," McLean said. "We have struggled to find consistency as far as being able to score and make good things happen. We battled back ... and then it's what we do sometimes - go days without scoring."
Coeur d'Alene plays host to Moscow on Wednesday, then visits Sandpoint on Saturday to finish the regular season. Post Falls is home vs. Lewiston on Friday in its regular season finale.
Coeur d'Alene 17 19 12 24 - 72
Post Falls 10 14 17 16 - 57
COEUR d'ALENE - Paulsen 4, Walde 11, Tripp 11, Daniels 17, Carpenter 11, Naccarato 6, Moore 0, Hancock 2, Kluss 10.
POST FALLS - Hall 2, McKeown 9, Davenport 6, Pfennigs 0, Jackson 2, Hillman 4, Mueller 2, McCullough 11, Thompson 11, Corr 9, Koski 1.