Too tall a task
LISA JAMES/Press Tanner McCliment-Call (10) of Post Falls loses the ball as Colton Richardson (34) of Lewiston knocks it from his hands, with Trystan Bradley defending at left during their 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 51-48.
LISA JAMES/ PressTanner McCliment-Call, #10, of Post Falls shoots as Colton Richardson, right, of Lewiston approaches, and Trystan Bradley, #32, left, blocks during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls fans cheer on Jake Pfennigs as he drives down the court during the second half of their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressCasey Walker, 11, gets ready to shoot as Colton Richardson, #34, Riley Way, #24, and Trystan Bradley, #32, of Lewiston block during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressJake Pfennigs of Post Falls drives down the court as Braeden Wilson of Lewiston tries to block during the second half of their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressJake Pfennigs of Post Falls catches a pass during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressTanner McCliment-Call of Post Falls shoots during their State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressThe Post Falls band plays during the boys varsity State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressCasey Walker, #11, gets ready to shoot as Colton Richardson, #34, Riley Way, #24, and Trystan Bradley, #32, of Lewiston block during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressDrake Thompson of Post Falls drives to the basket as Keeshawn Clark of Lewiston tries to block during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls fans challenge a call during the boys varsity State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressDrake Thompson of Post Falls gets control of the ball during their State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressTanner McCliment-Call of Post Falls looks to shoot past Keeshawn Clark of Lewiston during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressTanner McCliment-Call of Post Falls shoots during their State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players celebrate during their State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls fans cheer players during the boys varsity State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressDavid Bourgard of Post Falls is blocked by Trystan Bradley of Lewiston during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressCasey Walker, 11, gets ready to shoot as Colton Richardson, #34, Riley Way, #24, and Trystan Bradley, #32, of Lewiston block during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressCasey Walker, #11, gets ready to shoot as Colton Richardson, #34, Riley Way, #24, and Trystan Bradley, #32, of Lewiston block during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressBraeden Wilson of Lewiston tries to block Jake Pfennigs of Post Falls a he tries to block a layup during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressDrake Thompson of Post Falls gets control of the ball during their State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressTanner McCliment-Call, #10, of Post Falls shoots as Colton Richardson, right, of Lewiston approaches, and Trystan Bradley, #32, left, blocks during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressBraeden Wilson of Lewiston comes down on Jake Pfennigs of Post Falls a he tries to block a layup during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressTanner McCliment-Call of Post Falls passes during their State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls fans cheer players during the boys varsity State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls coach Mike McLean motivates his players during the last minutes of their State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night.
LISA JAMES/ PressA young Post Falls fan shows her team spirit during the boys varsity State 5A Region 1 championship game against Lewiston at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressDrake Thompson of Post Falls, right, tries to get the ball from Riley Way of Lewiston during their State 5A Region 1 championship game at Post Falls High School on Tuesday night. Post Falls lost to Lewiston, 48-51.
POST FALLS — Eleven days after rolling up 84 points on Lewiston, the Post Falls Trojans found the offensive going a lot tougher Tuesday night.
Inside shots by the cutting guards were often blocked or otherwise affected by the taller Bengals.
Outside looks didn’t come easy, either, and Post Falls’ quickness was matched by Lewiston when the Trojans drove to the basket.
When Lewiston had the ball, the Bengals used their height to shoot over the Trojans, or pass the ball over top of Post Falls defenders for easy basket.
The result? Lewiston came into The Arena and knocked off Post Falls 51-48 in the 5A Region 1 boys basketball championship game.
“The reality is, they just came in here and were more physical, and more dominant,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said of Lewiston. “And they played like a team that has maybe been through the wars a little bit more, and knew what was on the line. They came here on a mission to take what they wanted, and that’s what they did tonight.”
Lewiston (13-8), which won its second straight regional title, advances to state March 2-4 at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Post Falls (16-3) will play host to Coeur d’Alene (11-10) on Thursday at 7 in a loser-out game. Coeur d’Alene eliminated visiting Lake City (15-7) 61-51 on Tuesday.
Lewiston 51, Post Falls 48: The Trojans jumped out to an 11-2 lead after four minutes on the strength of three 3-pointers, two by Jake Pfennigs.
But Lewiston soon established a slower tempo, looking to work the ball inside to 6-foot-8 Trystan Bradley, who has signed with Lewis-Clark State College, and 6-5 Braeden Wilson. Then 6-5 Colton Richardson came off the bench to give the Bengals three bigs inside.
Bradley, he of the 7-foot-2 wingspan, finished with 20 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Wilson added 10 points, including a huge 3 in the fourth quarter to quell a Post Falls rally, and Richardson scored six points.
“It’s amazing what happens when you play with some emotion,” Lewiston coach Jayson Ulrich said. “It helps with so many things — the defense, the rebounding.”
Lewiston led by as much as 10 points in the first half, and was up 27-19 at halftime.
Post Falls made three 3-pointers in the third quarter, capped by Colby Gennett’s 3 that put the Trojans up 37-34 with 1 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.
David Bourgard, who finished with 13 points, made a 3 early in the fourth to put the Trojans up 40-36. But Post Falls went the next six minutes without a basket, and, trailing 44-40 with 3 1/2 minutes left, committed turnovers on three straight possessions.
Tanner McCliment-Call’s basket brought Post Falls to within 45-42 with 1:22 left. Wilson missed the front end of a one-and-one with a minute left, and Post Falls forced a jump ball with the arrow in its favor. But Bradley blocked the next Trojan shot, and Lewiston hit 6 of 6 free throws to pull away.
Drake Thompson’s 3 pulled Post Falls within 51-48 with eight seconds left.
In the final, frantic seconds, a long inbounds pass by Lewiston was batted around by both Phennigs and Bradley. Post Falls grabbed the ball in its backcourt with 3 seconds left, but Casey Walker’s half-court heave was just off the mark at the buzzer.
“The first half is where we lost the game,” McLean said. “We just didn’t match their intensity.”
McLean noted in all three of Post Falls’ losses, the Trojans were outrebounded.
“Their length; Bradley protects the rim real well,” McLean said. “And they did a good job taking away our first or second option, and we didn’t do a good job being assertive offensively, and taking what we wanted. I thought we settled at times.”
Pfennigs finished with 12 points, all on 3-pointers, and 13 rebounds.
Post Falls made 11 of 21 3-point shots, but was just 6 of 22 inside the arc as Lewiston madd sure nothing came easy.
“We worked on switching that down screen,” Ulrich said. “Even though we put a little one out on Pfennigs, we knew that they were going to be more guard-oriented; they weren’t going to take you down in the post.”
“We just came out with more intensity, and had a hand up,” Bradley said. “That made a lot of difference right there. We just played more intense defense, didn’t give up as many easy shots, and we did a good job switching screens.”
Lewiston 11 16 9 15 — 51
Post Falls 12 7 18 11 — 48
LEWISTON — Driskill 5, Ahlers 0, Wilson 10, Clarke 6, Way 4, Light 0, Bradley 20, Richardson 6.
POST FALLS — Gennett 8, Thompson 5, McKeown 0, McCliment-Call 0, Walker 2, Bourgard 13, Ballew 0, Pfennigs 12.
Coeur d’Alene 61, Lake City 51: Sam Matheson scored 19 points and Joey Naccarato added 18 points and 18 rebounds as the host Vikings eliminated the Timberwolves at Elmer Jordan Court.
But the key, Coeur d’Alene coach Tony Hanna said, was the defense of Brody Lundblad and Caleb Beggerly on Kenny Louie-McGee, Lake City’s high-scoring guard who was held to 4 points.
“We did a good job crashing the offensive boards,” Hanna said, noting Colson Yankoff also grabbed 11 rebounds to go with his 10 points. “We put Brody and then Caleb on (Louie-McGee), and he had a hard time getting looks at the basket. That’s the nice think about getting Brody back (from a stress fracture in his foot) — he’s a long defender who is quick as well.”
James Carlson led Lake City with 12 points.
Lake City 12 6 15 18 — 51
Coeur d’Alene 17 14 13 17 — 61
LAKE CITY — Louie-McGee 4, Kolden 9, Womelduff 2, Butler 8, McCartin 0, Manzardo 9, Carlson 12, Schaffer 7, Neville 0.
COEUR d’ALENE — Lundblad 9, Kofmehl 1, Matheson 19, Yankoff 10, Bronson 2, Beggerly 0, Naccarato 18, I. Edwards 2, K. Edwards 0.