STATE 5A GIRLS BASKETBALL: "A tremendous 1-2' .... Lake City seniors Waddington, Zufelt have T-Wolves seeking first title since 2007.

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

Seniors Avery Waddington and Sophia Zufelt have provided a 1-2 combination that has the Lake City High girls basketball team as one to watch when it comes to a state 5A title contender this week.

The two started playing together nearly nine years ago on the North Idaho Elite AAU basketball team, alongside fellow Lake City senior Kamryn Pickford.

“We started playing together in the third grade,” Waddington said. “I’d just played in a parks and recreation league when I was little and my mom (Amy) wanted to get me onto a club team. I knew Sophie because we went to the same school, but never talked to each other. We actually didn’t like each other at first for some reason, I can’t remember. But my mom brought me to the coach’s house to meet the coach, and it was Sophie’s dad (Terry). So, from there, we started our friendship.”

Zufelt and Waddington both laughed when Avery said "we actually didn't like each other at first for some reason ... ”

“Avery’s a very mature person and basketball player,” Zufelt said. “She’s very composed and a rock you can lean on all the time. I’m a very passionate player and she’s always reminding me to settle in and relax on the court.”

Both Waddington and Zufelt branched outside of basketball as kids before settling on basketball in high school.

That was until Waddington stepped in to help the Lake City girls golf team.

“I used to golf back when I was younger and did a summer golf program,” said Waddington, who wasn't on the team last fall until she was recruited to play in the regional tournament so that Lake City had a full team in an attempt to qualify for state. “They asked me to do it, and I thought, ‘why not?’ and just went and did it.”

Waddington shot a 125 for the Timberwolves, who finished third at regionals, but didn't qualify for state.

Zufelt played outfield in softball before opting for basketball only.

“I really like how fast-paced basketball is,” Zufelt said. “When I played softball, the game went a lot slower. Basketball is more fun and entertaining to watch.”

That friendship, both on and off the court, has Lake City back at state for the second time in three years. The Timberwolves (24-2) open vs. Middleton (20-4) on Thursday at 4 p.m. PST at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.

Lake City was third at state in 2021, Waddington and Zufelt’s sophomore season.

“It’s a whole different game,” said Waddington, who signed with Montana in December. “The seeding doesn’t really matter. Everyone is going for one goal, and whether you’re the eighth seed or the first seed, each game is going to be a challenge and hard. They’re going to give it their all. It’s a good feeling walking into the Idaho Center, it’s a huge facility and gym to play in. It’s a good spot to be in. It can be overwhelming, but it’s also a great feeling.”

Lake City coach David Pratt took over this season after previous coach James Anderson took over the boys program after the retirement of Jim Winger following the 2022-23 season.

“We played them a year ago, and I noticed they’re a tremendous 1-2 punch,” said Pratt, who was previously coach at Mt. Spokane, who lost to Lake City 57-37 on Dec. 16 in Coeur d'Alene. “At that time, Sophie was averaging 20 points a game, so we tried to put our best defender on her and Avery brought the ball up the court. Sophie didn’t force anything and played within herself. Whether it’s getting steals, getting on the floor for a loose ball and taking charges, she’s a smart player. Avery, she’s just smart, long and athletic. She can get the ball on the open floor and do some really good things. She’s got tremendous skill.”

Lake City won 16 straight games before a loss in the regional title game to Coeur d'Alene, then beat Post Falls and Timberline of Boise in a play-in game to advance.

“This year has been a lot more fun,” Waddington said. “We came in as one big group with all the sophomores in 2021 and now we’re finishing it as seniors. To see the development from then to now, and going through all the challenges and success has been fun. To see how we’ve grown from that has been amazing.”

“It’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Zufelt said. “Mental toughness has been a big part of it and played a role in how we’ve played this year. It’s been fun to get another four years with them and playing together has been special.”

Waddington, 6-foot-3 guard, was weighing offers from Montana, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego and Nevada before committing to the Grizzlies.

“The culture they have there is great,” said Waddington, who averages 17 points and eight rebounds a game. And they’ve got a ton of fans that come for games. And I think that’s important, especially for women’s basketball. Out of the schools that I had offers from, there were right at the top as far as that went. The coaching staff is great and the girls on the team were awesome.”

Zufelt, a 5-7 guard, has an offer from Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, where she plans to visit next week.

“I’m really looking forward to going to see the campus,” said Zufelt, who averages 15 points and four assists.

Last season, Lake City went 2-2 in the 2022 Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz. This season, the Timberwolves claimed the Top of the Peak Invitational title at Glacier Peak High in Snohomish, Wash.

“Every tournament we’ve traveled to has been a lot of fun,” Waddington said. “Going to Arizona last year was a lot of fun. Vegas (the 2021 Tarkanian Classic) was a good experience. But any time we get to spend together as a team on the road is a lot of fun.”

Lake City was upset in a state play-in game by Eagle in 2023 after the Timberwolves had four field goals in the second half. On Saturday, Lake City led 15-6 over Timberline of Boise after the first quarter, only to have the Wolves rally to cut the deficit to 28-25 at halftime.

“We knew going back to last year, it’s a hard game to play,” Waddington said. “You’re traveling all day and it’s on the line, whether you continue or not. As seniors, we knew we weren’t done just yet. After last year, that also fueled us a little bit.”

Zufelt felt a little more pressure for a few more reasons.

“We had a pretty good lead, and then we let them back in a little bit and that was a wakeup call,” Zufelt said. “We knew it was serious, and a win or go home, so we just gave it our all. I kind of got PTSD from last year. My dad said if we lost again, he wasn’t going to talk to us, and I believed him. He said that’s it for us.”

Earlier this season, Zufelt went over the 1,000-point mark for her career with a basket in the Fight for the Fish spirit game on Jan. 12 at Lake City High.

“There’s no better way to do it than in the biggest game of the year,” Zufelt said. “It was a cool moment for sure. For the longest time, I didn’t want to know the number because I’d just be thinking about it. I just wanted to let it happen. I knew I was close, and it wasn’t the best decision because I was thinking about it. But I just had to get it done.”

“She puts in so much work,” Waddington said of Zufelt. “She’s always in the gym and doesn’t take a day off. To learn from her hard work, it’s really helped me be successful.”

As for the team’s competitive nature, that has come from Pratt.

“He brings a real fire in everything he does,” Zufelt said. “We were having a shooting contest and he was getting mad at himself because he was missing shots. In every play, he’s very competitive.”

Something that Pratt believes can bring the team closer to their ultimate goal this weekend.

“They’re tough, gritty players,” Pratt said. “They’ve got a lot of passion to win. The nice thing about us is that we’ve got one goal in mind, and that’s to win every time we get on the floor. I came in here with that passion, so they didn’t need me to instill that into them. I think we just blended that together and it’s worked really well.”

    JASON ELLIOTT/Press Lake City senior Avery Waddington.
  

    JASON ELLIOTT/ Lake City senior Sophia Zufelt.