How the ball is bouncing so far in preps
The high school girls basketball season for area teams is heading into the home stretch, while the boys basketball season is roughly at the midway point.
Here’s a look at both:
GIRLS
Post Falls, which took third at state last year in 5A and is expected to challenge for the state title again this year, is off to an 11-2 start. The Trojans’ only losses have come at Central Valley, expected to win the Greater Spokane League and challenge for a Washington state 4A title, and at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, where Post Falls finished 3-1.
Post Falls played Central Valley tough in mid-December at CV, before fading late and losing by 11. But the Trojans showed they could play with the Bears and their three Division I signees, including the Stanford-bound Hull twins.
Post Falls (1-0 in the 5A IEL) has a go-to player in Gonzaga signee Melody Kempton. But, like the Trojan boys (read below), the Post Falls girls will need others to step up if Kempton is in foul trouble, and/or other teams try to take her away. The good news is, a couple of them have shown they can do that if needed.
Elsewhere in the league, Lake City (8-6, 1-0 5A IEL) and Lewiston (11-3, 1-1) figure to battle for the second spot in the league and regional tournament. They’re scheduled to meet for the first time Friday at Lake City, which opened league play with a win at Coeur d’Alene (4-8, 0-2).
In 4A, Lakeland is 3-9 but the Hawks will begin to find out where they stand in the 4A IEL when they open league play at Moscow (4-5) next Thursday. League and regional favorite Sandpoint (6-5) is getting some of its injured players back.
Quietly, two-time defending state 3A champion Timberlake is 8-3. It sounds silly to say the Tigers might sneak up on some teams this year, after losing several key players to graduation last year. But Timberlake still boasts some returning firepower, and a couple of freshmen have stepped up as well.
In 2A, St. Maries is off to a 5-4 start, and is 1-0 in the Central Idaho League. The Lumberjacks are poised for a return trip to state.
In 1A Division II, Genesis Prep is “only” 2-6. But like the Jaguar boys (read below), the Genesis Prep girls have “scheduled up” to toughen themselves up for the postseason. The Jaguars were third at state last year, and still have their eyes on a state title this year.
BOYS
Post Falls was expected to control the 5A IEL, and challenge for a state title. The Trojans’ record is only 6-5, but that’s in part to playing as tough a schedule as they can find, including four games in the top bracket of a tournament in Las Vegas.
But the bigger concern is, the Trojans have been hit by injuries and whatnot, and are currently shorthanded as league play begins. Just like last year, Post Falls’ go-to player is 6-7 Jake Pfennigs. But, just like last year, others have to step up if the Trojans — shorthanded or not — are to be playing on that first Saturday night in March at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Elsewhere, Lake City (5-5) has won four of its last five, with a mixture of new and old.
Coeur d’Alene (4-4) has a few returnees, but mostly new players filling key varsity roles as the Vikings begin league play tonight at home vs. Post Falls.
And Lewiston, which lost the bulk of its team that won the regional title last year, has had new varsity players step up in a 5-4 start.
Lake City hosts Lewiston on Friday. Next Friday, Lake City hosts Coeur d’Alene in the Fight for the Fish game. Also that day, Post Falls visits Lewiston.
In the 4A IEL, Lakeland is off to a 6-2 start, its two losses on the road vs. 5A IEL schools Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston. After missing out on state last year, the Hawks are looking to make it back for the first time since 2016. Their first league test is next Thursday at Moscow.
3A Timberlake is 4-7, but three of those losses have come to 4A schools and one to a 5A school.
St. Maries appears to have successfully reloaded after losing most of last year’s team that finished third in 2A. The Lumberjacks are off to a 6-1 start, heading to Grangeville on Saturday for its Central Idaho League opener.
Genesis Prep is sort of in the same boat as Post Falls, at least as far as records go. The Jaguars, in Idaho’s smallest classification (1A Division II), are 6-4, but have mostly “played up” — they’ve only played two team in their division thus far, every other opponent has been a much bigger school. That will begin to change when Genesis Prep, the defending state champions, begins to dribble into the meat of its league schedule.
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.