4A REGION 1 BOYS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Unlikely return
<p>SHAWN GUST/Press Lakeland High’s Dan McDevitt goes up for a shot against Sandpoint during the second quarter of the 4A Region 1 boys basketball tournament Wednesday at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene.</p>
<p>SHAWN GUST/Press Lakeland High’s Dylan Knight makes a move around Sandpoint’s Carlos Collado to take a shot during the first half.</p>
COEUR d’ALENE — Lakeland High boys basketball Dave Stockwell couldn’t help but chuckle at the question.
He was asked if, at the beginning of the season, he could imagine this year’s Hawks, with no returning starters and three returning players — and only one of them with notable varsity experience — finding a way back to the state tournament.
“This is a lot better than we originally thought,” Stockwell said as the Hawks celebrated nearby after beating the Sandpoint Bulldogs 43-34 in the championship game of the 4A Region 1 tournament Wednesday night at North Idaho College’s Rolly Williams Court. “The kids have done everything I’ve asked them to do all year, and they’ve worked really, really hard. To their credit, they earned this trip; it’s their trip. I’m proud of them.”
Lakeland (10-12), which won its second straight regional title, advances to state March 3-5 at Borah High in Boise. The Hawks open next Thursday at 2 p.m. PST against the District 4 runner-up — either Minico or Burley.
Sandpoint (7-15) bidding for its first trip to state since 2009, travels to Grangeville on Saturday for a 1 p.m. state play-in game vs. the third-place team from District 3.
Lakeland sophomore Kaden Davis, one of the many Hawk varsity newcomers, hit 3 of 5 3-pointers and scored 14 points. Senior Forest Zubaly added 11. Senior Andrew Knight, the sixth man on last year’s team, had seven points and five rebounds.
Both teams played zone in a slow-paced first half. Sandpoint went man after intermission, and Lakeland tried to spread the Bulldogs out and drive on them. Sophomore point guard Dylan Knight and Zubaly each drove to the basket for 3-point plays, hiking Lakeland’s lead to 32-20.
Sandpoint went to some full-court pressure and scored seven straight points, capped by Kyle Perry’s outback to pull the Bulldogs with 32-27 with 3 minutes left.
“Sandpoint was so doggone big and physical, that we thought we had to run from them a little bit,” Stockwell said. “We tried to get them out of their zone. That was the plan in the first half, spread ‘em and see if we if we could get a bucket or two and get the lead, and so then they had to come out And then it put it back in our court a little bit; we’re a little quicker.”
Sandpoint made just 16 of 53 shots, and missed its only two free throws.
“I thought our first problem was defense,” Sandpoint coach Kent Leiss said. “We gave up an open 3 to start the game, and then we couldn’t guard dribble penetration about four times with our zone. We were slow defensively. It didn’t help that we shot so poorly.”
Carlos Collado scored 10 points, Kyle Perry eight for Sandpoint.
Sandpoint senior guard Davan Norris, the MVP of the 4A Inland Empire League, managed just five points on 2-of-14 shooting, including 1 of 11 from 3-point range.
“We just prayed a lot that his shot wouldn’t go in,” Stockwell said.”He missed a couple in the first half that would have really made a difference. We kind of changed our zone a little bit. There was some holes in it on Thursday (when Sandpoint won in overtime at Lakeland), so I thought our zone was pretty good tonight.”
Davis had nine points in the first half, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, including a 25-footer just before the half.
Though both teams played zone in the first half, Davis and Dylan Knight were able to penetrate the top of the Sandpoint zone at times, setting up baskets.
Sandpoint hit just 5 of 18 from the floor in the first half. Norris was 0 for 6 on 3s and had two first-half points.
Lakeland led 9-6 after one quarter, but nobody scored in the second until Andrew Knight buried a deep 3 from the top of the key with 3:18 left in the half to make it 12-6 Lakeland. With the Hawks leading 14-10, Davis drove into the lane, lost control of the ball while he was fouled, but gathered it and scored, leading to a 3-point play with 1:41 left in the half. It was the only free throw shot in the half.
Sandpoint 6 4 6 18 — 34
Lakeland 9 11 5 17 — 43
SANDPOINT — Thompson 0, Curtiss 5, Norris 5, Sundquist 4, Rockwell 0, Perry 8, Collado 10, McLaughlin 2.
LAKELAND — D. Knight 5, Davis 14, McDevitt 6, Zubaly 11, A. Knight 7, Ray 0.
ALL-4A INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE
MVP — Davan Norris, sr., Sandpoint
COACH OF THE YEAR — Dave Stockwell, Lakeland
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR — Kaden Davis, so., Lakeland
ALL-LEAGUE: LAKELAND — Andrew Knight, sr.; Dylan Knight, so.; Dan McDevitt, sr. SANDPOINT — Carlos Collado, sr. MOSCOW — Glen Gosse, jr.