5A REGION 1 GIRLS BASKETBALL: Fast start sends Trojans past Vikings
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Lexi Heath, right, of Post Falls, and Kelsey Carroll of Coeur d'Alene wrestle for the ball Thursday night at Coeur d'Alene High.
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Post Falls celebrates after beating Coeur d'Alene on Thursday night in the 5A Region 1 girls basketball second-place game at Coeur d'Alene. Post Falls advances to a state play-in game on Saturday in Grangeville vs. Owyhee of Meridian.
By JASON ELLIOTT
Sports writer
COEUR d’ALENE — It wasn’t just one moment that sent the Post Falls Trojans past the top-seeded Coeur d’Alene Vikings in the 5A Region 1 girls basketball loser-out second-place game.
The start and finish sure helped on Thursday.
“It’s six of us seniors,” Post Falls senior guard Americus Crane said. “We’ve been playing together since we were freshmen. It’s really cool that we made it together. We’ve been practicing for so long and so hard, and it was really cool to see it come together tonight.”
Crane scored nine of her 12 points in the first half and junior Capri Sims scored 26 points for the Trojans, who beat the Vikings 75-72 at Viking Court, advancing to a state play-in game on Saturday at Grangeville High against Owyhee of Meridian.
“Once I start scoring a few points, I’m able to get into the zone a little more,” Crane said. “It just allows me to drive and shoot the ball a little more.”
“Once I start scoring a few points, I’m able to get into the zone a little more,” Crane said. “It just allows me to drive and shoot the ball a little more.”
Post Falls led 38-29 at halftime against Coeur d’Alene, which ran the table in the Inland Empire League.
“I don’t know what happened,” Coeur d’Alene coach Nicole Symons said. “We were just a little tight in the first half. We finally got it going, but we just couldn’t dig ourselves out of it.”
Sims scored 18 of her points in the second half for Post Falls. Seniors Lexi Heath and Hanna Christensen scored 12 points each for the Trojans.
“I was happy with how we got started,” Post Falls coach Marc Allert said. “We wanted to put a little bit of pressure on them from the beginning and not let them get rolling and get some confidence. We just needed to stay in attack mode, which we did a good job of. We got into a little bit of a lull and got away from it, but got back into it.”
Coeur d’Alene senior Skylar Burke scored 32 points, 19 coming in the first half.
“That’s one of the better first halves we’ve played,” Allert said. “Things were rolling. Offensively we were getting some stuff done. Defensively, I thought we did a good job. (Coeur d’Alene senior) Skylar (Burke) was doing her thing, but you kind of live with that because she’s really, really good.”
Coeur d’Alene, bidding for its third straight trip to state, finishes 19-5.
Coeur d’Alene beat Post Falls 58-53 on Jan. 14, then again at Post Falls 51-33 on Jan. 27.
“We just kind of put everything together tonight,” Allert said. “We haven’t been playing really well in the last couple of weeks. Each person just came in tonight and did their job. They played really well. We got into some foul trouble losing Americus and Lexi, but the kids that came off the bench did a great job. Everyone just did their job.”
Junior Madi Symons scored 12 points, sophomore Kendall Holecek 11 points for Coeur d’Alene.
“Even though this isn’t the way we thought this would end, I’m super proud of the girls,” Symons said. “They supported each other and worked for each other all year. I’m just disappointed we couldn’t give our three seniors that trip to state and honor for all their work over the years. They were the class that turned the culture around.”
Post Falls 18 20 16 21 — 75
Coeur d’Alene 15 14 17 26 — 72
POST FALLS — Nichols 10, Heath 11, Brennan 1, Sims 26, Asper 2, Crane 12, Walton 1, Christensen 12.
COEUR d’ALENE — Mitchell 8, Awbery 0, Symons 12, Naccarato 0, Holecek 11, Phenicie 0, Carroll 7, Burke 32.
