GSL, 5A IEL hoop teams to square off

Watching high school girls basketball in June can send your mind off in so many directions.

Folks on both sides said the right things in capturing the spirit of the Jack Blair Memorial Girls All-Star Basketball Classic on Thursday night at Post Falls High.

The game was a chance for the best high school girls basketball players in North Idaho and eastern Washington to share a court and see what kind of basketball they could produce with a pair of all-star teams.

On this night, the Region team also shared the ball, and beat the Metro 84-73.

Afterward, the talk was how nice it was to have all this talent on one court, a showcase for fans who normally only get to see teams in the Greater Spokane League play, or teams in North Idaho play.

The game pits all-Greater Spokane League selections (the Metro) vs. players from North Idaho and elsewhere in eastern Washington (the Region).

And seldom, except maybe in club ball, do the top players on each side of the border get to face each other. How cool would that be, to see some of the top players in each state face each other in a regular-season game?

THAT WILL happen next year.

Post Falls is scheduled to play six GSL schools next season, highlighted by a Dec. 16 visit to Central Valley.

Post Falls is expected to challenge for a state 5A title this year, after returning everyone from last year’s team that placed third at state, including forward Melody Kempton, the MVP of the Jack Blair game.

Central Valley was undefeated last year before being upset in the semifinals of the Washington 4A state tournament. The Bears have nearly everybody back from that 26-1 team, including junior twins Lexie and Lacie Hull, who have verbally committed to Stanford.

Post Falls athletic director Craig Christensen emailed Central Valley, and that got the ball rolling toward the scheduled matchup.

Post Falls is also scheduled to play Lewis and Clark, Rogers, Gonzaga Prep, Shadle Park and Mt. Spokane from the GSL.

(After playing Central Valley, Post Falls will travel to Las Vegas for the Tarkanian Classic Dec. 20-23).

Coeur d’Alene’s girls have Shadle and North Central on their schedule next year.

IN PAST years, GSL schools played most, if not all, of their regular-season games within their own league, leaving little to no room to play anybody else.

Last year, the 10 teams (4A and 3A schools combined) played a double round-robin, for a total of 18 league games in a 20-game regular season.

This year, the six 4A schools (Mead, Gonzaga Prep, Central Valley, Lewis and Clark, Ferris and University) will play 14 league games and 6 nonleague games.

The four 3A schools (Rogers, Mt. Spokane, Shadle Park and North Central) will play 12 league games and 8 nonleague games.

The 4A schools will play the 3A schools once instead of twice in league play, and vice versa.

PRESUMABLY THIS ends up being a good thing for both leagues. The GSL gets some good nonconference tests, the 5A Inland Empire gets competitive nonleague games a lot closer to home.

It’s been a good idea in football for both the 5A and 4A IELs, so no reason it’s can’t be as beneficial in hoops.

(Post Falls boys, who have nearly everybody back from last year, also have four GSL teams on their schedule, including a Dec. 7 home date with Gonzaga Prep. And the Post Falls boys are also entered in the Tarkanian Classic; there’s a boys tourney and a girls tourney).

And fans get to see the top players from each side of the border go against each other in something other than an all-star setting.

Which will be kinda cool to see when, well, it’s cold outside.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.