All-around and outgoing

Dani Failor is one of those rarities at a big high school anymore - a three-sport athlete at Post Falls High.

She plays basketball and volleyball, and runs track. She is also in student government, participated in the Distinguished Young Women (formerly Junior Miss) program last year, and plays the piano.

"I used to play the violin, too, back in the day," Failor said.

And oh, by the way, she also already has an appointment to West Point, where she plans to play basketball.

"I have never, ever, heard anybody say anything negative about Dani," Post Falls girls basketball coach Marc Allert said. "If you look to find something negative, I don't know if you could find anything. She gets along with everybody. She's the hardest worker we have ... she has a great amount of respect from everybody."

Brooke Litalien plays basketball and volleyball for the Trojans. She played softball as a freshman - and helped Post Falls win its first state title. She also tried track and field for a year.

Lately, her focus has been on basketball, and she hopes to continue her hoops career at a four-year school next year.

"Brooke is an extremely generous person," said Willow Hanna, her volleyball coach the past three seasons. "She will do anything to make you feel a part of her world, whether it's being part of a volleyball team ... She'll make gifts - she puts a lot of thought into gifts that she'll make, and she'll do it for the whole team. She makes CDs, she makes T-shirts ... I feel like she's always going out her way to make people feel like they're part of something."

The common bond the two Trojan seniors share is sports in general, and competition in particular. They've been teammates since playing AAU basketball together in the eighth grade.

"Some kids participate in sports because it's something to do, or their friends do it," said Hanna, who also coached Failor in volleyball the past three seasons. "These girls are out on the court because they like the sport they compete in - but they want to win."

Failor, a 6-foot post, is a three-year starter for the Post Falls basketball team. Litalien, a 5-6 guard, is a four-year starter. Along with senior point guard Katie King, they are the team captains for the Trojans, who are 17-1 overall, 4-1 in 5A Inland Empire League play, and trying to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 2008.

Failor said her mother, Shawna, is a big reason she can handle such a busy schedule.

"She tells me where I'm supposed to be," Failor said. "She's always been like that - and I love it.

She keeps my life organized. I don't know how I'd be without her."

Her busiest days were her junior year, on Mondays during basketball season.

"Monday mornings I would wake up and work out with a personal trainer at 5 a.m.," Failor said. "Work out for an hour, come home, take a shower, go to school for six hours. Then I'd have practice, then I'd go straight to piano lessons, straight to Junior Miss practice, and those ended at 9:30-ish usually, and then I'd come home and attempt to do homework."

Piano practice was roughly 45 minutes. Junior Miss practice lasted up to 3 hours.

"If I wasn't busy, I don't know what I'd do with my time," Failor said.

Litalien was asked if she was amazed by all that her friend does.

"Yeah, because I would probably break down and cry every day," she said.

Both are in student government - Failor is ASB secretary/treasurer, Litalien is a representative for the senior class.

Litalien is a self-described "gym rat." Her free time - if she has any - is often spent shooting baskets somewhere.

"My dad (Tom) encourages me a lot," she said. "He's always in my ear - 'You need to go shoot, you need to go shoot.' My dad is my motivation."

After Post Falls lost to Coeur d'Alene a couple of weeks ago - the Trojans' first loss after opening the season with 15 straight wins - it was Litalien's idea for her and teammates to shoot at the house of a friend the next day - even though Allert gave the team the day off from practice.

"There are no days off," Litalien said.

Failor was also there.

"Once you lose to Coeur d'Alene, it's not a good feeling, and especially after the way we played in the first half," Failor said, after the Trojans fell behind 12-0, and trailed 20-9 at halftime before eventually losing 47-41. "You definitely want to do something to get better, to make sure it doesn't happen again. You go shoot, you work out harder ... "

Post Falls plays host to Coeur d'Alene on Friday night, with the winner claiming the 5A IEL title.

Failor is averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds per game. She burst upon the scene with a 25-point performance in an overtime victory over Lewiston in the first round of last year's 5A Region 1 tournament. With the addition of University High transfer Hallie Gennett, the team's leading scorer at 15 points per game, Failor's scoring is down this year - but her overall production is up.

"As a player, she's come a long ways," Allert said. "And the biggest thing with her is, there's a long way left to go. She's not even close to her potential of what she can be."

Allert, in his second year as Trojans coach, recalled a moment soon after he got the job, coaching Failor in summer ball prior to her junior year.

"I remember calling timeout in a game and telling her, 'Dani, you are 6-feet tall and the most athletic person out here, and I can't find a reason to play you,'" Allert said. "Because she wasn't getting anything done. And it's to the point now where, I can't take her off the floor. She's come that far. And it's all because she works at it. She puts in the extra time. She just does what it takes to get better."

Failor remembers it as a "motivating" moment.

"I try to take what he says as constructive criticism," she said. "You don't want to disappoint Allert."

Litalien first made a name for herself as a freshman, banking in a 35-footer at the buzzer for an upset victory at Coeur d'Alene.

This year, she averages 11.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2 steals per game.

"Brooke does a lot of things," Allert said. "Defensively, that's kind of an underrated part of her game. She's very good defensively. Last year she was our defensive player of the year, as voted on by the kids. She passes the ball very well. She has a good understanding (of the game)."

Failor and her mom started working on getting Dani into West Point during her junior year. There was the pre-application, seeking congressional nominations, the candidate fitness assessment, letters of recommendation, etc.

She got a letter of assurance from the school in September, about the time she was making her official visit to West Point, so all she needed was her congressional nomination and to complete her fitness assessment and she was in.

Soon after, she received a congressional appointment from the dean at West Point. Three weeks ago, she also received congressional nominations from U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.

Failor has to report to West Point by July 1 for six weeks of boot camp. That's followed by four years of school.

"If I don't go to medical school, then I owe just five years of service and three years in reserves," she said. "But if I go to medical school, it could range from 9-12 years."

Failor said she used to want to be a pediatrician or a physical therapist, but now she's not sure. Perhaps she'll go into military intelligence, she said.

"Dani is probably one of the happiest people I've ever met; she always has a smile on her face," Hanna said. "Even when she's tired, she always has a smile for you."

Litalien wants to major in biology, and become a radiologist.

"I knew I always wanted to go into the medical field," she said. "I'm interested in the human body. I know almost all my bones ... the muscles, those are hard, but I'll get there someday."

Without sports, Litalien said she'd "probably be a couch potato." Failor said she'd probably try to get into a prestigious music school. She still plays the piano in recitals, and in Post Falls High talent shows.

Failor has lived all over the Northwest - born in Anacortes, Wash., she also lived in Mount Vernon, Wash., Priest River, Rathdrum, Nampa and Reardan, Wash., before moving to Post Falls in the third grade.

Litalien - she's lived in the same house her whole life.

Failor has been a high jumper and triple jumper in track. This spring, she might try the 400. Or 200. Or the distances.

Figures. Always trying something new.

"I wouldn't trade either one of them," Allert said.