THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE, June 5, 2014

I think back to the state boys basketball tournament, in particular the state 5A semifinal between Lake City and Capital of Boise.

Here was Lake City, playing about as well as it could play against the undefeated Eagles. One week earlier, the Timberwolves struggled to get the ball across midcourt against Coeur d'Alene's pressure. One week later, against the "athletes" of Capital, Lake City had little problem patiently maneuvering the ball up the court against the pressure.

Had a couple more bounces gone Lake City's way, the T-Wolves would have been in the title game, playing for its first state title in program history. But alas, Capital held off Lake City, then went on to beat Borah of Boise for the title the next night before a standing-room-only crowd at the Idaho Center in Nampa.

Third-place games at state often comes down to who has more interest in winning, and hours later, Lake City put together its third solid game in three days to beat Rocky Mountain of Meridian and bring home a trophy.

It wasn't the trophy they were hoping to bring home, but it was a state tournament to be proud of for the Timberwolves.

POST FALLS' boys went 0-2 at that very same basketball tournament, though just getting there was a victory in itself - though you wouldn't get the Trojans to admit that.

That's because coach Mike McLean runs a no-excuses program - an attitude that has served the Trojans well in his seven seasons as coach.

The last two seasons, Lake City has been the league favorite, and Coeur d'Alene, with its young, talented players, the trendy pick to join the T-Wolves at state.

So all Post Falls has done is make it to state in both of those seasons - both times eliminating Coeur d'Alene on the Vikings' home court en route to getting there. And this year, the Trojans blasted by Lake City by 18 points during the season.

So it shouldn't be a surprise when his Trojan teams do well - whether they have several future college players on the roster, or just a bunch of good high school athletes who refuse to back down.

THEN THERE'S that other team that practiced in the same gym during the winter.

With four starters gone from a Post Falls girls basketball team that won the state 5A championship in 2013 - not only gone, but all four playing in college - the Trojans could have taken a mulligan this year and called it a rebuilding year.

But coach Marc Allert didn't think that way. He could have used the "we're young" excuse but he didn't, and he didn't accept that way of thinking from others. He was disappointed when they lost, pushed them to play better, and declined to feel good about a narrow loss.

The end result was a respectable 10-12 record.

Perhaps that is why the Post Falls girls could challenge again sooner, rather than later, for a berth to state.

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