4A REGION 1 GIRLS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Lakeland bid to return to state falls short

Sandpoint tops Hawks for state berth

SANDPOINT — Last year’s regional champs didn’t go down without a fight.

The Lakeland Hawks took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the host Sandpoint Bulldogs finished strong to beat the Hawks 48-44 to win the 4A Region 1 girls basketball championship Friday at Les Rogers Court.

Sandpoint won the best-of-3 series for the regional title two games to none, and advance to state next week at Timberline High in Boise.

Lakeland, which won the regional title last year and qualified for state for the first time since 2009, finished 8-15.

Sandpoint (16-7) won its sixth regional title in seven seasons.

Lakeland coach Steve Seymour said he was “really happy” with the fight his team showed this season, and in the regional tournament.

“I think Sandpoint was on the outside looking in last year, and had all those kids coming back,” Seymour said. “We knew that it would be a battle. I didn’t know that Sandpoint would improve as much as they have; they turned into a pretty good basketball team.”

With Lakeland leading 33-31 early in the fourth quarter, Maddie Morgan hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Sandpoint ahead 37-33.

A steal from Kelsey Cessna and three free throws from Kaylee Banks in the final minute helped seal the win for the Bulldogs.

Cessna, a freshman, finished with 13 points.

“I thought we played really well for three quarters,” Seymour said. “The fourth quarter, a couple of Sandpoint kids hit some big 3s. We held them in check most of the game, and then they ended up getting a couple of steals, and we had a couple loose passes.”

Junior Katy Ryan finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots for Lakeland, and Mel Loutzenhiser added 10 points.

“It was a grinder for sure and it could’ve gone the other way easily because Katy had a great game and we just couldn’t stop her,” second-year Sandpoint head coach Will Love said.

Sandpoint won Game 1 55-37 at home on Wednesday.

“It’s awesome,” Love, formerly an assistant under head coach Duane Ward at the alma mater of both, added about getting back to state after a one-year absence. “We finished 5-15 last year, didn’t go to state, the kids were really disappointed and credit to them they worked hard throughout the summer and these last four months. They’ve been doing everything that we’ve asked and I’m just really happy for everybody that’s been involved with helping us get here.”

Sandpoint will take on Burley (15-9) in the first round at state Thursday at 5:15 p.m. PST.

Lakeland 15 5 13 11 — 44

Sandpoint 6 18 5 19 — 48

LAKELAND — Boyer 0, Tingey 0, McDevitt 0, Neff 2, Ryan 18, Hostetler 0, Loutzenhiser 10, Kiefer 9, Woempner 0, Calvert 0, Simon 2, Huddleston 3.

SANDPOINT — Cessna 13, Day. Driggs 0, Morgan 9, Daw. Driggs 8, Edwards 0, Steiger 0, Phillips 2, Larson 11, Platte 0, Banks 5.