PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: Trojans calm down, move past Lake City in 6A District opener

POST FALLS — Sometimes, you just need to calm down. 

No matter what the situation might be, or what’s at stake. 

Eventually, second-seeded Post Falls did that. 

Junior Kailey Walton scored 11 of her team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter for the Trojans, who beat the third-seeded Lake City Timberwolves 45-35 in a loser-out game in the 6A District 1 basketball tournament at The Arena. 

“We looked really tight at the start, and give Lake City credit, they just played hard,” Post Falls coach Mike Divilbiss said. “The kids knew it was going to be a war and that Lake City was going to play hard. They know those kids really well, and I know some of them really well. There’s some good games and it was a tight first playoff game. I looked with six minutes to go and there was only two girls that had played in a playoff game before, and you could see it.” 

Post Falls (8-14) will face top-seeded Coeur d’Alene (14-7) in Game 1 of a best-of-3 championship series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Coeur d’Alene High. Lake City, which finished runner-up at state last year, finishes 8-14.

Walton made seven of the Trojans 12 free throws in the final quarter, pulling away with a 7-1 run to start the fourth. 

“The kids relaxed and you could see the weight go off their shoulders,” Divilbiss said. “They just loosened up and really played well.” 

Sophomore Macy Murphey scored 14 points for Lake City, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers just before the half to help pull the Timberwolves even at 15-15 at halftime. 

“The season for us has been us learning to play the game fully for four quarters,” Lake City coach David Pratt said. “We’ve had a lot of growth, but the ball sometimes doesn’t fall. It was just hard for us to score this year. The kids battled hard, and I’m so proud of them. We took some good shots, but they just didn’t fall.” 

Junior Abby Smith scored 13 points for Lake City, which pulled within a 38-33 deficit with 59.1 seconds left. 

“Abby just needed to learn how the bigger school thing works,” Pratt said. “We had some injuries and illness and we had to get some people plugged in, but she’s been a blessing. I just feel bad for our kids. They came back every day, whether they win or lose and they’d give me everything they had. And that’s going to be sad not to have practice tomorrow. Just saying goodbye to our seniors is hard, but the kids battled.” 

Lake City    4    11    5    15    —    35 

Post Falls    9    6    9    21    —    45 

LAKE CITY — Murphy 14, M. Zimmerman 0, Hiltenbrand 0, Mac. Zimmerman 0, Fagan 0, S. Zimmerman 8, Chavez 0, Smith 13, Johnson 0. 

POST FALLS — Hollenbeck 4, Reese 1, Felix 4, McGowan 8, Johnson 2, Tucker 0, Nipp-Berger 0, Mitley 12, Walton 14, Wilcox 0. 

Lakeside 66 

Genesis Prep 35 

PLUMMER — The top-seeded Knights built a 38-16 halftime lead over the second-seeded Jaguars of Post Falls at Ron Miller Court to advance to the 2A District 1 championship game on Tuesday at North Idaho College. 

Junior Kyleigh Wolfe scored a game-high 33 points for Lakeside (12-7), which faces the winner of Monday’s game between Wallace and Genesis Prep in the championship game. Freshman Laila Charley added 15 points for the Knights. 

Senior Kinzie Lawler scored 10 points for Genesis Prep (14-9), which beat Wallace 45-30 in Tuesday’s opening round at Post Falls High. 

Genesis Prep    9    7    9    10    —    35 

Lakeside    22    16    20    8    —    66 

GENESIS PREP — Rude 4, Martin 6, Pope 4, Williams 9, Nelke 2, K. Lawler 10. 

LAKESIDE — Gorr ,2, Pluff 10, Wolfe 33, Charley 15, Lowley 0, Hodgson 2, Stensgar 0, Aldrich 4, Lambert 0, Abrahamson 0. 

Wallace 53 

Clark Fork 26 

WALLACE — The third-seeded Miners held the fourth-seeded Wampus Cats to 10 points in the second half of a 2A District 1 loser-out game at Kirby Krulitz Court. 

Khepri Wood scored 18 points for Wallace (10-9), which faces Genesis Prep in a loser-out game on Monday at North Idaho College.  

Hannah Thompson scored 12 points for Clark Fork, which finishes 6-14. 

Clark Fork    5    11    2    8    —    26     

Wallace        16    15    15    7    —    53 

CLARK FORK — Christofferson 0, A. Leadbetter 3, Gannon 5, Raynor 0, Rupp 4, Scarlett 0, Thompson 12, L. Leadbetter 0, Mayorga 2. 

WALLACE — K. Phillips 13, Au. Birdsell 6, Voorhees 0, Wood 18, Stutzke 4, Johnson 0, Al. Birdsell 0, B. Phillips 10, Kessler 2. 

Kootenai 48 

St. Maries JV 13 

ST. MARIES — Freshman Sadie Rose Davidson scored a game-high 13 points for the Warriors in a win over the Lumberjacks junior varsity at St. Maries High. 

Freshman Brooklyn Charles had 12 points for Kootenai (4-11), which faces Mullan in the 1A District 1 championship game on Monday at North Idaho College. 

Kootenai    16    16    8    8    —    48 

St. Maries JV    3    0    9    1    —    13 

KOOTENAI — B. Charles 12, S. Davidson 13, Dutton 6, D. Davidson 6, Parris 2, H. Charles 5, Mazza 2. 

ST. MARIES JV — Phillips 0, Reid 0, Baird 0, Million 3, Ke. Morris 2, Keneally 3, Ka. Morris 2, McMannis 3. 

    JASON ELLIOTT/Press Post Falls senior Ellie McGowan attempts to drive past the defense of Lake City junior Abby Smith during the fourth quarter of Thursday's 6A District 1 girls basketball loser-out game at The Arena.