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The Front Row with MARK NELKE Jan. 31, 2013

| January 31, 2013 8:00 PM

First of all, I must strongly deny that I used deer-antler spray to recover from typing my last column.

ONE OF sports' many sayings goes something like this: It's hard for one team to beat another team "X" amount of times in the same season.

In this case, substitute "four" for "X."

POST FALLS, ranked No. 1 in 5A, and Coeur d'Alene, ranked No. 2, have already proven that in girls basketball this year. They have played twice this season, each winning on their home court.

They could meet again twice more - in the title game of the 5A Region 1 tournament next Tuesday, and in the state title game Feb. 16 at the Idaho Center in Nampa.

(Of course the one thing to consider is, as much as people talk about it, sometimes the actual outcome of games gets in the way of such talk. Lewiston could have something to say about that on Friday, and Highland of Pocatello could do the same in the semifinals at state).

In any event, the fun begins Friday at Post Falls High, when No. 2 seed Coeur d'Alene (16-4) plays No. 3 Lewiston (15-5) at 5:30 p.m., followed by No. 1 Post Falls (19-1) vs. No. 4 Lake City (10-10) at 7.

Lewiston, the two-time defending state champions, has given Coeur d'Alene all it wanted in both meetings in 5A Inland Empire League play, winning in overtime in Lewiston and losing a close one up here.

Post Falls suffered its lone loss of the season at Coeur d'Alene in early January, after starting off 15-0. Post Falls avenged that loss last Friday at home, rallying to win in overtime to capture its first league title since 2003.

To beat Coeur d'Alene for the league title meant quite a bit for Post Falls.

"This league goes through Coeur d'Alene - it has been that way for a number of years," Post Falls coach Marc Allert said. "They (his players) know that. Coeur d'Alene's beaten them year after year, and that's their drive. A lot of it comes from (senior point guard) Katie (King) ... that's her personality. She doesn't want to be beat."

Coeur d'Alene coach Dale Poffenroth wasn't worried about his team's psyche in the wake of the loss to the Trojans. He just hopes his players are healthy for the stretch run. Senior forward Kendalyn Brainard sat out the regular-season finale at Moscow, after suffering an ankle injury the night before against Post Falls.

"It's just two good teams and if you're going to beat them four times in one year, I don't know if that can really happen," Poffenroth said. "(If) two teams that are dead even can really do that."

In the 2009-10 season, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston played four times, including the title game where Coeur d’Alene won its third straight state title.

Lewiston actually won two of the first three meetings — including a win at Coeur d’Alene during the regular season and another win over the Vikings in the regional title game. But Coeur d’Alene won the most important game.

In 2006-07, Coeur d’Alene and Lake City played four times, including the state title game. Coeur d’Alene won the first two meetings, before Lake City broke through in the Fight for the Fish game (back then, the teams played three times a year, and the Fish game was a nonleague game). Lake City then won the state title game as well.

So we’ll see. Friday’s winners meet in the regional title game next Tuesday, with the winner going to state. The loser has to win the second-place game next Thursday, then also win a play-in game next Saturday vs. the fifth-place team from District 3, to get to state.

A LENGENDARY coach visited the Lake City High boys basketball locker room the other night after the Timberwolves beat Post Falls to wrap up the 5A IEL boys basketball title, and spoke briefly to the team.

Don Haynes formerly coached at Coeur d’Alene High, as well as at Kellogg and Moscow, among other stops in his 30-plus years as boys basketball coach. He won more than 500 games and won four state titles — two at Meridian, one each at Kellogg and Twin Falls.

He had been living in West Linn, Ore., a suburb of Portland, following his retirement from coaching. But last summer Haynes, 82, moved to Sandpoint to be near his son, Tyler, who is the Sandpoint High boys coach.

Lake City boys coach Jim Winger was on Haynes’ staff for four seasons — one as a varsity assistant and three as coach of the sophomore team — before succeeding him as Coeur d’Alene High coach in 1992.

“It means everything; I can’t begin to tell you how much he means to me,” Winger said of Haynes. “He recommended me (for the Coeur d’Alene job). And other than the past few years, I’ve called him a million times and, obviously, he’s my mentor. To have him come into the locker room afterward was really special.”

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