5A REGION 1 BOYS BASKETBALL: Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls to play for regional title

The top-seeded Coeur d’Alene Vikings overcame a slow start to beat the fourth-seeded Lewiston Bengals 56-39 in the first round of the 5A Region 1 boys basketball tournament Friday night at Viking Court.

Coeur d’Alene (19-3), which has won nine straight, will play host to the No. 3 Post Falls Trojans (14-7) in the championship game on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Post Falls upended the second-seeded Lake City Timberwolves 72-59 at Lake City.

Lake City (13-9) will play host to Lewiston (14-8) on Tuesday at 6:30 in a loser-out game.

Coeur d’Alene 56, Lewiston 39: The Vikings trailed 14-7 at one point in the first quarter.

“We came out tight, and we were rushing things,” Coeur d’Alene coach Jon Adams said. “Then we calmed down a little bit.”

In the second quarter, junior Carter Rupp hit two of his three 3-pointers, and scored 13 of his 18 points in the quarter, and senior Trey Nipp hit a basket near the buzzer as the Vikings took a 31-22 halftime lead.

“We were playing their halfcourt pace, and Carter got really aggressive, looking for his shot, penetrating,” Adams said. 

Junior Kai Wheeler had eight of his 12 points in the second half and “really crashed the boards in the second half,” Adams said.

Jordan Bramlet scored a game-high 21 points for Lewiston.

Coeur d’Alene last won a regional title in 2011. The Vikings last went to state in 2012.

“We’re excited,” Adams said. “We have an opportunity to cut down our nets. It’s been a long time since Coeur d’Alene has been able to do that.”

Lewiston    14    8    8    9    —    39

Coeur d’Alene    9    22    12    13    —    56

LEWISTON — Gomez 3, Bramlet 21, Walker 0, Fisher 5, Torpey 1, Cushman Bogar 2, Hottinger 4, Hepburn 3.

COEUR d’ALENE — Larson 2, Orchard 9, Rupp 18, Nipp 3, Entzi 3, Wheeler 12, Symons 9, Riley 0.

Post Falls 72, Lake City 59: After each team won on its home court during Inland Empire League play, the visiting Trojans broke through on the road in the first round of regionals.

Senior Neil McCarthy and sophomore Connor Carver each scored 17 points for Post Falls, and senior Alex Shields and junior Trenton McLean each added 13.

Junior Reese Strawn scored 16 points for Lake City. Freshman Jordan Carlson added 14 points, junior Cason Miller 13, sophomore Josh Watson 12.

Post Falls    17    17    16    22    —    72

Lake City    17    15    15    12    —    59

POST FALLS — Lysne 2, McLean 13, McCarthy 17, Cameron 0, McKeown 3, Carver 17, Blake 5, Shields 13, Ostlund 2.

LAKE CITY — Parker 3, Winey 0, Strawn 16, Miller 13, Watson 12, Kloos 0, Arrieta 1, Hill 0, Williams 0, Meredith 0, Carlson 14.