THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: What's in a league — and an environment

It's been 12 years since games between 5A and 4A schools in the Inland Empire League have counted toward league placing.

And, more important, postseason seeding.

So forgive us — and some coaches and players as well — if we temporarily forget that Lake City vs. Sandpoint, Post Falls vs. Lakeland and even Lewiston vs. Moscow, mean just as much toward potential home-court advantage in the regional tournaments as the usual rivalries, like Lake City vs. Coeur d'Alene and Lakeland vs. Sandpoint.

"From my end, I probably put a little more (preparation) into it, knowing it could have an impact," said Lake City girls basketball coach James Anderson, after his 5A Timberwolves beat the 4A Sandpoint Bulldogs on Tuesday night. "Yeah, I don’t know if they (the players) know (about the combined league). I haven't addressed this change."

BESIDES, THE league tried this idea in the fall sports, too, but had to revert to separate 5A and 4A IELs when Moscow, a 4A school, decided to rejoin the league partway through the fall season after originally opting out in favor of playing intramurals for this one school year, due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

Not every 5A team in the league was able to plug two meetings with Moscow back into their schedules. Some could, some couldn't.

And that could happen again this winter in basketball, if COVID-19 causes some league games to be canceled that can't be made up. If that happens, the league will go back to separate 5A and 4A IELs for hoops.

But so far, so good ...

THE STATE high school girls basketball tournaments are scheduled to begin five weeks from today, so area teams are heading into the home stretch in league play.

Coeur d'Alene (13-1, 9-0 IEL) is on the verge of clinching the league title, and the top seed to the 5A Region 1 tournament, with three league games remaining.

Post Falls (7-3, 5-2) has a slim lead over Lake City (7-4, 4-2) for the second seed in 5A, heading into the first of their two meetings Friday at Lake City.

In 4A, Lakeland (6-5, 4-3) holds a slim lead over Sandpoint (5-6, 2-4) for the top seed. Lakeland owns two wins, Sandpoint one over 5A Lewiston. Sandpoint has lost twice to Lake City, which has yet to face Lakeland.

Coeur d'Alene has two wins over Lakeland, but has played Sandpoint just once.

Lakeland and Sandpoint are scheduled to collide in girls and boys basketball for the first time this season Friday in Rathdrum.

THE BOYS' teams are still fairly early into their conference schedules.

5A Post Falls (7-3, 3-0) has the early lead in the league, followed by Lake City (6-5, 2-0). Post Falls has one win over a 4A school (Moscow), and both of Lake City's league wins are over 4A schools (Sandpoint, Moscow).

The lone league win so far for Coeur d'Alene (2-5, 1-2) was at Lakeland (5-3, 1-2), a squad some think might be the best in North Idaho, but has lost twice in league, to the Vikings and Lewiston. The Hawks also have a win over the Bengals.

The 4A schools pushed for the combined league this year on a one-year trial basis, in part to help to toughen up the 4A teams from the North who advance to state, and in part to help all seven schools. In recent years, 5A teams played six league games, 4A teams four. This year, everyone plays 12.

Post Falls was the one school to vote against the idea, mostly because its boys basketball team has had great success in recent years finding nonleague competition in the Greater Spokane League and elsewhere in Washington and Idaho.

Until this year, the Post Falls boys hadn't played a 4A IEL team since the 2017-18 season. Post Falls and Lakeland high schools are only 7 miles apart, but the two prairie rivals (well, it WAS a prairie) haven't met in boys basketball since the 2017-18 season. That will change next Tuesday, when Lakeland visits Post Falls.

Post Falls' game at Moscow on Tuesday was the Trojans' first at Bear Den since the 2016-17 campaign.

Asked if playing at Moscow felt any different because it counted in the league standings this season, Post Falls coach Mike McLean replied, "What seems different is we’re playing in empty gyms. There’s not that big-game environment."

"I'm still against this; I don’t think it's good long-term, for the lower levels," said McLean, in his 14th season at his alma mater. "But it is what it is. We would have ended up playing them (Moscow) anyway because of COVID (which wiped out any potential matchups with Washington schools this season). We knew exactly what

was on the line (at Moscow). We knew this game could impact whether we win the league or not."

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.