Guice steers T-Wolves past Bears
COEUR d'ALENE - The fourth quarter of close games are when teams count on their big-time players to come through when they need it.
On Friday night, there wasn't anyone bigger than Lake City junior Kyle Guice.
Guice scored 9 of his team-high 14 points in the final quarter - and also finished with 10 rebounds, four assists and one block - as the 5A Timberwolves defeated the 4A Moscow Bears 55-40.
"My shot was feeling good and I was getting a little confidence," Guice said. "The team was playing well and everything was feeling good."
Guice, a 6-foot-6 forward, hit two 3-pointers for Lake City (8-3), which hosts Lewiston on Tuesday in 5A Inland Empire League play.
"It's getting to that point where we need to step it up for league play," Guice said.
Lake City led 19-9 after the first quarter, but had the lead shrink to 30-25 at halftime and eventually to 35-34 early in Jones credited Arena Rumble promoter and Spokane Shock owner Brady Nelson for getting him started in mixed martial arts.
“Brady’s really helped me a lot,” Jones said. “But everything else was my call. My mom and everyone else back home wanted me to find something. They didn’t really want me to go with this, but it’s where my heart is. I love to compete, like the competitive edge and the man-to-man combat.”
Jones also trains at Trevor Prangley’s Coeur d’Alene-based American Kickboxing Academy. Prangley is another former NIC wrestler.
“Coaching has really helped me mature as far as the wrestling game goes,” Jones said. “I’m coaching what I know. It’s my life and I love the atmosphere. I’m very grateful that (NIC wrestling coach) Pat (Whitcomb) gave me an opportunity to be here. Trevor’s been great. He treats me well and pushes me to get better. He’s broken me a couple times — but it’s all love and he’s got over 30 fights and knows what he’s doing.”
WHEN PROMOTERS held the first Arena Rumble in 2009 at the Spokane Arena, 4,000 fans showed up — at the time a state record for fans at an MMA event, Nelson said.
Nelson expects between 1,000 and 1,200 this time.
“I think it will be cool,” Nelson said. “It’s going to be a little smaller obviously and going to have a more intimate feel (at the Shock Training Center), but will have most of the bells and whistles that you get at the Arena — just not the same surroundings.”
In the 2009 event, Ben McCombs — a defensive lineman for the Shock — competed, and won his bout. With the season beginning soon, no Shock players will fight this time.
“We could have had some fight, but nobody could do it,” Nelson said. “The last time, it was a month after the season and Ben was able to train and do really well. He was a warrior.”
Tickets are available by visiting www.arenarumble.com. The event will be filmed and broadcast on a tape delay in two weeks on KSKN 22 in Spokane.
“Our main drive to feature amateurs is that there’s not many pros around here,” Nelson said. “There’s not many fights you can make and sometimes they can go from being a local pro to national pro like that. A lot of them fight on local amateur shows until they get their break and you never see them again. What I’m hoping to identify is the best local guys and letting fans come here to see them — and I think Jamelle is one of those guys. He’s got a tremendous upside and is physically gifted too. He’s a beast.”
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 jelliott@cdapress.com.