THE FRONT ROW: Owens, top wrestlers to gather at NIC

The Owen Invitational wrestling tournament was held recently in Polson, Mont.

The Tri-State Invitational, unofficially dubbed the “Owen Family Reunion” because so many of the coaches (and some of the wrestlers) have been part of the Owen family, is slated for this Friday and Saturday at North Idaho College.

Tri-State annually attracts the top wrestling programs from Idaho, Washington, Montana and Oregon.

Post Falls will try to win its third straight Tri-State title this weekend.

More than 500 wrestlers will squeeze into cozy Christianson Gym this weekend for two days of wall-to-wall action, culminating with Saturday’s finals around 5 p.m.

YEARS AGO, 5A Inland Empire League girls basketball teams routinely played a few league games prior to the first of the year.

These days, most league games are now squeezed into the month of January.

One exception is Tuesday night, when Coeur d’Alene travels to Lewiston.

Coeur d’Alene is 2-3, Lewiston is 4-2. Both teams have played defending state 3A champion Timberlake, with Lewiston losing 69-63 in overtime, and Coeur d’Alene falling 71-46 to the Tigers.

POST FALLS’ boys basketball team added a game at Camas (Wash.) on Wednesday, making up a game that was postponed due to snow last weekend, but also making a long road trip even longer.

The Trojans will now play four games in four days. Post Falls will continue on to Scappoose (Ore.) on Thursday, play Union High in Camas, Wash., on Friday, then play at Battle Ground (Wash.) on Saturday before heading home.

The Post Falls girls basketball team also heads over to southwestern Washington for three games in three days, facing Skyview of Vancouver on Thursday, Union on Friday and Camas on Saturday.

PRIOR TO Tri-State, Coeur d’Alene and Lake City will wrestle Kellogg and Lakeland in a double-dual Wednesday at Lakeland.

THE NIC men’s basketball team (6-1), fresh off a tournament championship in San Jose, Calif., this past weekend, heads in an easterly direction this weekend, playing at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., on Friday, then facing the Wyoming All-Stars on Saturday in Powell.

LAKE CITY’S girls basketball team (6-1) welcomes a pair of Boise-area teams this weekend, hosting Boise (8-0) on Friday and Kuna (4-5) on Saturday. Boise won 43-36 at two-time defending state 5A champion Mountain View last Thursday.