Post Falls pushes the pace
LOREN BENOIT/Press Lake City’s Keara Simpson looks for a teammate while guarded by Tyler McCliment-Call during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
Post Falls junior Melody Kempton wins the opening tip from Lake City’s Lauren Rewers during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School. LOREN BENOIT/Press
LOREN BENOIT/Press Jacksen McCliment-Call (22) blocks Lake City’s Capriel Halliday shot during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Lake City’s Capriel Halliday maneuvers around a Post Falls defender during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Lake City’s Kelsey Vershum applies pressure during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Briauna Robinson looks for a teammate while defended by Ashlynn Allen during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Jacksen McCliment-Call dribbles the basketball down the court during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Nina Carlson, right, steals the ball away from MacKenzie Morris during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Bayley Brennan goes for the layup during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Jacksen McCliment-Call of Post Falls tries to pry the basketball away from Payton Barber during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Players from both Lake City and Post Falls run across the basketball court during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Lake City’s Capriel Halliday passes to a teammate through the Post Falls defense during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press The Lake City pep band plays a tune during a timeout at Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Bayley Brennan dribbles the ball on a fast break during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Jacksen McCliment-Call surveys the defense as she dribbles around the arc during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/PressPost Falls Head Coach Marc Allert gives advice to his players during a timeout.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Nina Carlson catches a pass against Post Falls during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Tyler McCliment-Call shoots a three during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Jacksen McCliment-Call shoots a three over Lake City’s Keara Simpson during Thursday’s game at Lake City High School.
COEUR d’ALENE — Whoever was on the court — and whoever wasn’t — it came down to which team could control the tempo.
In a matchup of two of the top four-ranked girls basketball teams in 5A in Idaho, the fourth-ranked Post Falls Trojans pushed the pace with transition baskets and a full-court press, and coasted to a 54-31 victory over the shorthanded and third-ranked Lake City Timberwolves in 5A Inland Empire League play Thursday night at Lake City.
“I thought we executed our game plan really well,” Post Falls coach Marc Allert said. “It was going to be two contrasting styles, and if we play at our pace, we’re going to be OK. If we’ve got to play at their pace, the advantage is theirs. And we got it today at our pace.”
Junior point guard Bayley Brennan scored 14 points to lead Post Falls (12-1, 2-0 5A IEL). Freshman Jacksen McCliment-Call scored 12 points off the bench, and Melody Kempton added 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Nina Carlson led Lake City (11-3, 1-1) with 12 points.
The Timberwolves were missing two sophomore starters — forward Bridget Rieken and point guard Chloe Teets — who were playing in an Olympic Development Program soccer tournament in Phoenix. Rieken has verbally committed to play soccer at Washington State.
And Lake City got a scare 2 1/2 minutes into the game when junior forward Keara Simpson tweaked her knee when she stepped awkwardly under the basket on a fast break. She did return early in the second quarter, and played much of the rest of the game.
“Obviously it (being shorthanded) hurts, but I’m going to play with the people I have on the floor,” Lake City coach Bryan Kelly said. “I thought we battled, and played hard. We had a lot of people in different positions that they’re not used to playing. We had some girls step up and play some minutes off the JV team. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is, and we’ll play with what we’ve got.”
Largely because of the pressure from Brennan, Jenna Gardiner, Macky Morris, Jacksen McCliment-Call and her twin sister Tyler McCliment-Call, Post Falls forced Lake City into seven turnovers in the first quarter, 20 for the game. Post Falls, helped by a 3-pointer by Brennan and capped by a steal and score by Brennan off the press, jumped out to a 9-2 lead after three minutes and never trailed again.
Lake City fought back to within 17-14 two minutes into the second quarter, but Post Falls responded with a 14-3 run to close the half, sparked by two 3-pointers by McCliment-Call, then eased further ahead in the second half.
“They get out and go,” Kelly said of the Trojans, “which is not our strength, because we try to slow it down. I think that was the difference, when they got out and got some easy buckets.”
The bigger Timberwolves tried an assortment of zone defenses to slow the tempo down, and the Trojans took roughly a third of its 61 shots from 3-point range, hitting just four. Post Falls was 22 of 61 from the floor. Lake City was 12 for 38 from the field and finished with 20 turnovers.
“Time will tell, I guess,” how much a difference two missing starters had on the 23-point game, Allert said. “Anybody who loses their point guard and their most athletic girl, it’s going to make a big difference. And it did today. It’ll be a completely different game next time (Jan. 20 at Post Falls).”
On Saturday, Post Falls travels to Kalispell, Mont., to play Glacier, and Lake City is home vs. Eastmont of Wenatchee, Wash.
Post Falls 15 16 10 13 — 54
Lake City 7 10 4 10 — 31
POST FALLS — Gleaves 0, Morris 2, Gardiner 6, Brennan 14, T. McCliment-Call 4, J. McCliment-Call 12, Robinson 3, Kempton 10, Parks 3.
LAKE CITY — Allen 0, Barber 3, Carlson 12, Rewers 7, Halliday 4, Simpson 0, Vershum 5, Wilson 0.