PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: Still the Vikings' time
JASON ELLIOTT/Press Coeur d'Alene High senior forward Lily Phenicie and Post Falls senior forward Hanna Christensen battle for a rebound during the third quarter of Thursday's Inland Empire League game at Post Falls High.
JASON ELLIOTT/Press Post Falls senior guard Trinidie Nichols looks to drive past Coeur d'Alene sophomore guard Madison Mitchell during the second quarter of Thursday's Inland Empire League game at The Arena.
JASON ELLIOTT/Press Coeur d'Alene junior guard Madi Symons pulls up for a jumper during the fourth quarter of Thursday's game at Post Falls High.
By JASON ELLIOTT
Sports writer
POST FALLS — Coeur d’Alene junior Madi Symons was right on time in the first half for the Vikings.
Her teammates soon followed in the second half on Thursday night.
Symons hit a tying 3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining in the first quarter, then hit a go-ahead triple with 7.9 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Vikings a 20-19 halftime lead, then later extended to a 51-33 win over the Post Falls Trojans in an Inland Empire League game at The Arena.
“I’ve really been working on my outside game this season,” Symons said. “I’m glad I got it going for my team tonight because we were struggling a little offensively, so I’m glad I can get it for us.”
With the win, Coeur d’Alene (17-3, 8-0 IEL) clinched its second straight league title and top seed to the 5A Region 1 tournament starting next Friday. The Vikings will host Lewiston in the opening round. Post Falls (15-5, 5-3) will face Lake City in the other opening-round game.
“It’s really exciting,” Symons said. “Especially for our young ones that have never had the chance to experience it. I’m excited for them to get to districts with that first seed.”
“I’m just happy for the girls,” Coeur d'Alene coach Nicole Symons said. “I don’t think anyone was looking at us at the beginning of the season after losing six seniors, which is huge shoes to fill. I don’t think anyone was looking at us but our group, and the girls just kept their heads down. They love each other and support each other. I’m happy for them that they can have that league championship. It’s season one, and we’ve got another season coming up.”
The teams conclude the regular season on Tuesday with Coeur d’Alene traveling to Lewiston and Post Falls visiting Lake City.
Madi Symons finished with four of the Vikings' six 3-pointers on the night.
“She’s just so competitive,” said Nicole Symons, Madi’s mom. “When we need someone to step up, she’s not afraid to do that and she’s not afraid to carry the weight of the team when she needs to and rely on them when she needs to. Skylar (Burke) struggled a little offensively, but really kept her head in it and made some hustle plays. If we can win when one of our two leading scorers struggles a little bit, we’re getting better as a team and be able to go far in districts.”
Burke, limited in the first half after picking up her third foul in the second quarter, finished with six points. Burke and Symons are the lone returning starters from last year’s team.
“We just got buried with fouls, which completely handcuffed us,” Nicole Symons said. “But we had some girls come in and settle us in. Symons (Madi) had to come in and play the point guard with Skylar and Mitch (Maddie Mitchell) out. But we held on and went into the locker room with a one-point lead. I thought, ‘OK, we can get through this.’ And every game, our girls are stepping up and finding their way.”
Kelsey Carroll scored eight points off the bench for Coeur d’Alene.
“Kelsey coming in, and really coming into her own and understanding what she needs to do for our team ... " Nicole Symons said. "Her defense and ability to play the game smart is something that most people don’t see. Kendall (Holecek) was really, really big with IQ plays.”
“It seemed like every 50/50 ball, they got,” Post Falls coach Marc Allert said. “It was more of the small things where when a play needed to be made, they did and we didn’t. That was the key to the entire second half of the game.”
Trinidie Nichols scored nine points for Post Falls, which was limited to one field goal in the fourth quarter.
“I wasn’t happy with how we executed the entire night,” Allert said. “First half, we battled, then went on a scoring drought and didn’t score for quite a while. The 50/50 balls were huge in that. They played with more energy than we did. And you’ve got to match their energy or they’re going to beat you. Madi got some shots that we didn’t want to give up. I thought we did a good job of guarding her inside, but you’ve got to guard her both inside and outside.”
Coeur d’Alene 9 11 22 9 — 51
Post Falls 9 10 11 3 — 33
COEUR d’ALENE — Mitchell 6, Awbery 5, Symons 20, Holecek 2, Phenicie 4, Carroll 8, Burke 6.
POST FALLS — Nichols 9, Heath 3, Grant 0, Brennan 0, Sims 7, Asper 1, Crane 6, Walton 2, Christensen 5.
