THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Dec. 31, 2014
The idea of remaining home for the holidays has worked out pretty well for a handful of area basketball teams this week.
Between tournaments at Coeur d'Alene and Lake City High, as well as at North Idaho College, teams - and fans for that matter - haven't had to go too far to find some quality tests during a winter break from school.
IN THE opener of the Coeur d'Alene Winter Classic girls basketball tournament, the Lake City Timberwolves and Sandpoint Bulldogs faced off, with the Timberwolves winning 56-26.
It also was the third matchup between the schools this season.
"It is a little bit of an advantage," Lake City coach Bryan Kelly said of facing the familiar opponent. "Seeing Sandpoint, we kind of knew what they were going to do."
In its semifinal matchup in the tournament, Lake City took on Mountain View High of Meridian, which beat Post Falls to advance and remain unbeaten at 10-0.
"It's exciting to play some of the other teams that we don't get to see every year and get to play in tournaments like this," Kelly said. "It really helps us prepare for what to expect down the road."
For some, the slightest break could cause a setback.
"We played like we'd practiced the last couple of days," Post Falls coach Marc Allert said. "We took three days off for Christmas, and we came back and played like a team that hadn't done anything in a few days."
It's worth noting that Mountain View, the No. 1 ranked team in the latest state 5A girls basketball media poll, is lead by junior point guard Destiny Slocum.
Only a junior, and she's verbaled to the University of Washington and averaging 27.9 points per game. Even more interesting, after giving a commitment to Washington, she turned down Conneticut, telling them she was already committed to the Huskies.
EVEN IN a win on Monday night, Lakeland coach Dave Stockwell said his team - the No. 1 in the state 4A boys media poll, wasn't quite itself, despite winning against Vallivue High of Caldwell 54-35 in its opener.
"We had a nine day layoff," said Stockwell, whose team last played in the Prairie Pig spirit games in Post Falls on Dec. 19. "We came out a little rusty, but picked things up in the second half."
With the start of the spring semester looming at North Idaho College, the Cardinals were able to add 6-foot-6 guard Austin Pope, who was ineligible for the fall semester.
With a season-ending injury to Will Dorsey before the first game, Pope was able to make an quick impact in his first game, scoring seven points and finishing with six assists against Medicine Hat on Monday.
"He's a true point guard and looks to get everyone involved," NIC men's basketball coach Corey Symons said. "He looks to get others involved and we're looking forward to getting him acclimated to the team."
Oklahoma State and Wichita State were among the Division I programs interested in Pope before he wound up at NIC.
"Due to some things falling through the cracks, he wasn't able to play in the first semester," Symons said. "But we're glad he's here with us now."
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports