THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: Sunday, March 1, 2015
Some thoughts after watching four straight nights of high school boys playoff basketball last week:
* I still like the 4As and 3As holding their state-qualifying tournaments at North Idaho College.
Not because it's a mile from our office (though that doesn't hurt), but playing at NIC creates such a tournament atmosphere - it seems to be a big deal for the boys (and, two weeks earlier, the girls) to play at the local junior college in the "big" city.
Plus, it's a bargain for fans - three games on Monday, three on Wednesday. And it can't hurt NIC to have some potential students and their parents on campus for a few days.
Sure, the format might be a little more nerve-wracking for the 4As, who gave up their double-elimination tournament for a single-elimination tourney with a winner-take-all title game, but it also spared those teams endless trips up and down U.S. 95 between Sandpoint and Lakeland and Moscow.
* After watching how good Post Falls looked in beating Lake City for the 5A Region 1 title, you can't wait to see if they can continue that level at play at state, where the Trojans went two-and-out each of the last two years.
With as many as 11 guys playing in most games, the duties - and the glory - is shared. The opposing team never knows who is going to step up for Post Falls on a particular night. Take one thing away, the Trojans hurt you another way.
* There's an old financial axiom that says past results do not equal future performance. With that in mind, you had to think Thursday's rematch between Coeur d'Alene and Lake City wasn't going to be anything like their game just six days earlier, where Lake City routed the visiting Vikings by 20 points.
As it turned out, it was more like the first two meetings between the two teams, which both went to overtime - each team winning once.
Coeur d'Alene played much better than the previous Friday night, and pulled out a one-point win to eliminate the host Timberwolves, and send the Vikings to a state play-in game Saturday.
But alas, Coeur d'Alene came up short, losing to Borah of Boise in Grangeville. It was the second straight year the Vikings were one game away from state.
The Vikings thought they should have been to state each of the past two years, but fell short at regionals.
* If rankings mean anything, North Idaho teams should fare pretty well at the state basketball tournaments this week in the Boise area.
Post Falls was ranked No. 1 in the final 5A media poll. Lakeland is ranked No. 2 in 4A, Kellogg No. 1 in 3A and St. Maries fourth in 2A.
Then again, past results do not equal ...
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@CdAPressSports.