THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: A big weekend on the shores of NIC

Sports fans live for weekends like this one. 

Big time matchups and someone is going to win a championship.

It might not be Super, but for a North Idaho sports fan, it’s as close as you’re going to get to it. 

STARTING TODAY at 1 p.m., North Idaho College will renew its in-state rivalry with the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls in women’s basketball, this time at NIC.

When the teams opened Scenic West Athletic Conference play on Jan. 4 in Twin Falls, CSI beat NIC 80-69. 

Entering today, both teams have battled to a 6-3 conference record, tied for second behind Salt Lake, which is 7-2 after beating Utah State-Eastern 63-49 in Price, Utah, on Thursday. 

NIC had a five-game conference win streak snapped last Saturday by Snow in overtime at NIC's Rolly Williams Court.

“I think we’ve established ourselves as a team that’s a contender,” NIC women’s basketball coach Nathan Covill said after last week’s game against Snow College. “After today, anybody can beat anybody in our league. We’re not out of this and we’ve got a week to prepare. I’ve been here three years and I’ve lost to (CSI coach) Randy (Rogers) every single game we’ve played them. It’s not about me, but it would be nice to have the girls play and perform like we’ve been in front of a good crowd and get a good win against our rival.” 

CSI is ranked 21st in this week’s NJCAA poll. Salt Lake is 23rd. 

“I think a win would go a long way in letting our girls know what they can get done in league,” Covill said. “We’ve been in overtimes, and we’ve came back, and we’ve given up leads. We’ve just got to get ready for CSI.” 

Likewise, the Cardinal men are in the midst of a conference battle, sitting fourth at 3-6 entering today’s game at 3 p.m. CSI is 7-2 and second in the conference. 

NIC battled with top-ranked Snow last Saturday before the Badgers pulled away in the final moments for a 99-87 win. 

Snow beat Colorado Northwestern 98-84 in Ephraim, Utah, on Thursday, improving to 9-0 in conference. 

NIC fell at CSI 75-74 on Jan. 4. 

“Having that extra rest is really going to help us,” NIC men’s basketball coach Corey Symons said. “It’s a rivalry game, and we’ve been cutting our rotation down and these guys are playing a lot of minutes. We’ve got a chance to rest our bodies and get a little healthier.” 

Southern Idaho is ranked 20th in this week’s NJCAA poll. 

NIC sophomore Vaughn Weems leads the NJCAA in scoring at 27.9 points per game. 

Snow coach Andrew May, who had previous stops at Salt Lake and BYU as an assistant, expects today’s game to be just like the first one. 

“I think they’re both really, really talented teams,” said May of NIC and CSI. “It’s going to be a heck of a battle for them. All of the games in the conference are slugfests, and hopefully there’s some people around the country that realize just how good our conference is. Down the stretch, hopefully we’ll be able to get multiple guys into the (national) tournament.” 

ON SUNDAY, the Cardinal wrestling team takes over Christianson Gymnasium as NIC hosts the Region 18 Tournament starting at 10 a.m. 

“We’re excited for the postseason to come,” NIC wrestling coach Derrick Booth said. “We’re ready to go.” 

NIC won its first regional title since 2013 last year on the campus of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. 

“We’ve got a good mixed group of younger and older kids that are here and hungry to go,” Booth said. “Those guys are back hungry to chase another national title and bring those younger guys along.” 

NIC’s lineup will consist of sophomore Elijah Cater (125 pounds), freshman and Lewiston High product Hoyt Hvass (133), sophomore Ethan Boulton (141), sophomore Sam Silveria (149), freshman Jake Hubby (157), redshirt freshman Gabe Lake (165), sophomore Hunter Gonzales (174), sophomore Conan Northwind (184), sophomore Chandler Loveless (197) and freshman Ray Griffin (285). 

Northwind was fourth at nationals last year, Cater sixth for the Cardinals, who finished sixth at the NJCAA Tournament in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 

Big Bend of Moses Lake, Clackamas of Oregon City, Ore., Snow of Ephraim, Utah, Southwestern Oregon of Coos Bay, Ore., and Umpqua also make up the region. 

Nationals are March 7-8 at the Mid-American Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 

Just who gets there will be determined after tonight’s coaches meeting, where schools will agree where the extra at-large bids will go before the start of Sunday’s tournament. 

After that, it will just be Super, won’t it? 

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.