Lakeland falls to Moscow

COEUR d’ALENE — The defensive strategy seemed to work pretty well for a while for the Lakeland High girls basketball team Monday night.

But there was that little matter of putting the ball in the hoop at the other end that spelled the end of the season for the Hawks.

No. 3 seed Lakeland was 8 of 30 from the floor, 5 of 15 from the free-throw line in a 42-23 loss to the No. 2 seed Moscow Bears in the first round of the 4A Region 1 tournament at North Idaho College’s Rolly Williams Court.

“After the second quarter, we just went cold, which we’ve been prone to do on occasion,” Lakeland coach Steve Seymour said.

Moscow (10-9) will play top-seeded Sandpoint (12-9) on Wednesday at 8 at NIC for the regional title and a berth to state next week. Lakeland finished 4-17, dropping its last 10 games.

But the Hawks didn’t look like a team seeking its first victory of the calendar year at the start of the game Monday night. Lakeland started in a diamond-and-one defense, with junior Tawna Kirk guarding sophomore Moscow standout Gracey Meyer.

The Bears managed just one basket in the first six-plus minutes, and a 3-pointer by senior Faith Bodak gave Lakeland an 11-4 lead.

Another 3 by Bodak, off a feed from Kassadi Bilski, tied the game at 18 late in the first half.

But a couple baskets by Rachel Bayly in the final minute gave Moscow a 22-18 lead at halftime.

Then the Bears opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run for a 34-18 lead. Lakeland went the first 7:22 of the quarter without a point before back-to-back baskets by senior Savannah Pruitt pulled the Hawks within 34-22 at the quarter.

Pruitt hit another free throw in the first minute of the fourth quarter, but the Hawks went scoreless over the final 7:13.

“We knew the start of the third quarter was going to be critical,” Seymour said. “We wanted to get two defensive stops and one hoop, and the exact opposite happened.”

Bodak had eight points, five rebounds and three steals for Lakeland, which switched to man-to-man late in the second quarter, then went back to a diamond-and-one at times in the second half.

Pruitt chipped in five points and six rebounds, and Bilski had six rebounds and two blocked shots.

“I was really proud of how we played in that first quarter,” Seymour said. “We did a great job energy-wise, and execution-wise. I was afraid of playing that (diamond-and-one) defense, but they weren’t, and I thought they did a good job.”

If the missed shots weren’t enough of an issue for Lakeland, the Hawks also committed 13 of their 20 turnovers in the second half.

“Moscow just turned up their defensive intensity,” Seymour said. “They switched their press to a zone press, and we struggled.”

Meyer finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals for Moscow, which shot 13 of 44 from the field, 14 of 24 from the line. Senior Natalie McDaniel also scored 10 points, and Nona Meyer added nine.

Lakeland 11 7 4 1 — 23

Moscow 8 14 10 10 — 42

LAKELAND — Vanderhoof 0, Gatten 0, St. Mark 0, Bunch 2, Prockish 0, Edinger 0, Bodak 8, Kirk 4, Charles 1, Pruitt 5, Cooper 0, Farris 0, Boyer 0, Dowd 0, Bilski 3.

MOSCOW — Haeder 2, McDaniel 10, Thorsteinsen 0, Bayly 4, G. Meyer 10, Cook 0, Hill 3, Simpson 4, N. Meyer 9, Frederiksen 0.