Coeur d'Alene finally finishes off Post Falls

By MARK NELKE

Sports writer

COEUR d'ALENE — In the past few years, the Coeur d'Alene Vikings have jumped to leads over the Post Falls Trojans, but were unable to hold on.

On Saturday afternoon, Owen Smith and the Vikings finally finished the job.

Smith scored nine of his 13 points in the first quarter as Coeur d'Alene grabbed the early lead, and the Vikings never trailed in a program-building 49-42 victory over Post Falls in 5A Inland Empire League play at Viking Court.

Prior to Saturday, Post Falls had won 13 straight games over Coeur d'Alene. The Vikings' last win over the Trojans came in 2016, in the first round of the 5A Region 1 tournament at Jordan Court — Coeur d'Alene's old home floor.

"It felt really good," said Smith, a senior forward. "We came close in the last couple of games last year; we choked a little bit in the fourth, we lost at Post Falls by two the last time we played ‘em. We just showed up ready to go, and got the win — much needed."

"A lot of people overlook Owen," first-year Coeur d'Alene coach Jon Adams. "Owen is that guy that every coach wants on his team because he could care less about stats … he does all the dirty work. But, he’s also a very talented scorer. He’s aggressive, he’s a good rebounder and he’s a great defender. So, you overlook Owen and that’s what happens. He can really play. He was a huge spark for us."

Coeur d'Alene (6-7, 1-4 5A IEL) scored the game's first seven points — the first five by Smith, and never looked back.

The Vikings opened up leads of 21-7 and 24-9 in the first half. Coeur d'Alene led by six at the half, expanded it to 14 after three quarters, and held on despite not scoring a field goal in the fourth quarter — the Vikings' defense kept Post Falls from making any serious runs.

"It’s a huge win for the program," Adams said. "I was just telling the kids, we’ve worked really hard. They’ve been through a lot, with the pandemic, and games being canceled, having a couple tough years behind them, some of the seniors. I’m sitting in that locker room and I’m so proud of these kids — 'you guys have earned this, more than any team I’ve been a part of.' So they earned that win."

Caden McLean scored 13 points, Cole Rutherford 11 for Post Falls (11-5, 3-2), which despite the loss remained tied for first place in league with Lake City, which lost at Lewiston on Saturday. The Bengals (9-5, 3-2) moved into a three-way tie for first with the win.

However, Lake City still holds the tiebreaker over Post Falls for the top seed, with one league game remaining for each.

"We did not play hard enough to deserve the win," Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. "In a league game on the road, you have to play at the same intensity or higher than the team you’re playing against. And tonight, we didn’t.

"And they just killed us on the boards; the rebounding margin was huge. But at the end of the day, they just played a lot harder, they played with more of a sense of urgency, and … we got what we deserved tonight; they outworked us in every element of the game. And that’s what happens."

(Since not all the 5A and 4A boys teams in the IEL will play each other twice due to COVID, the league has reverted to separate leagues — a 5A IEL and 4A IEL — where only 5A vs. 5A games, and 4A vs. 4A games determine seeding to their respective regional tournaments).

Cooper Larson added eight points for Coeur d'Alene, Cameren Cope and Steven Burgess had seven each, and Luke McLaughlin scored six.

Coeur d'Alene scored the first six points of the second quarter for a 21-7 lead. James Lee's 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run that pulled Post Falls within 24-19 with 3 minutes left in the half.

Post Falls never got closer than seven points in the second half.

"We knew that if they started out hot, it would be hard for us to catch up, so we had to start out strong," Smith said. And defensively, "make them take time off the clock, play great defense and if they do score, make it a tough shot over you."

"You can’t just show up and expect things in this world. You have to work hard for it," McLean said. "And today, we just kinda showed up, and Coeur d’Alene, they wanted it more.

"Cope, he’s a man-child out there. It takes so much energy to keep him off the boards, it’s hard to get out and go. He and McLaughlin, they’re just physical players, and they just make things difficult."

On Wednesday, Post Falls travels to Sandpoint, and Coeur d'Alene is home vs. Lakeland.

Post Falls 7 14 8 13 — 42

Coeur d’Alene 15 12 16 6 — 49

POST FALLS — Anderson 0, McLean 13, Hauser 0, Rodriguez 2, Rutherford 11, Ballew 2, Lee 6, Horning 8.

COEUR d’ALENE — Bengtson 3, Prka 3, Burgess 7, Larson 8, Cope 7, Smith 13, Reyes 2, McLaughlin 6.