PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Coeur du Christ wins district title, advances to state play-in game

COEUR d’ALENE — In their first year as a full member of the Idaho High School Activities Association, the Coeur du Christ Saints are one win away from advancing to the state tournament. 

Top-seeded Coeur du Christ beat the second-seeded Kootenai Warriors 84-39 in the championship game of the 1A District 1 tournament Thursday night at North Idaho College. 

Ben Connelly scored 37 points for Coeur du Christ (13-8), which will face Deary (13-11) on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Post Falls High in a state play-in game. The winner advances to state March 6-8 at Caldwell High. 

Grant Clemens and Jerome Cools each added 17 points for the Saints. 

"Most fans, parents, and players just look at how many points someone scored, but there were a lot of great contributions that don’t show up on the box score," first-year Coeur du Christ coach Chris Kiefer said. "The way we rebounded, moved the ball, and executed the little things was impressive. I’m really pleased with how Greg (Hayes), Aedan (O'Neill) and Jerome played -- they made a big impact with their effort and teamwork. You always want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the season, and I like the way this team is coming together."

Christopher Moore scored 13 points, Riley Ausman 10 for Kootenai, which finished 4-14. 

Kootenai     15    12    8    4    --    39 

Coeur du Christ     20    27    23    14    --    84 

KOOTENAI – Addington 0, Braz 3, Strobel 4, Ausman 10, C. Moore 13, Gentry 9.  

COEUR du CHRIST – Anderson 0, Ja. Cools 0, Clemens 17, Connelly 37, Hayes 4, Je. Cools 17, O’Neill 5, Denke 4.

St. Maries 52 

Kellogg 42 

ST. MARIES — The host Lumberjacks were not ready to see their impressive streak come to an end. 

With the game tied after three quarters, junior Jack Barta scored eight of his 14 points in a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter, and No. 2 seed St. Maries went on to beat the No. 3 Wildcats in a loser-out second-place game of the 3A District 1-2 tournament. 

St. Maries (12-11), which will play Marsing (11-11) on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Prairie High in Cottonwood in a state play-in game, has made 10 straight trips to the state tournament. 

“It’s been a special run,” 11th-year St. Maries coach Bryan Chase said. “Our kids just had the will and the desire to keep fighting.” 

Junior Isaiah Gustaffe had 17 points for St. Maries, which jumped out to a 16-4 lead after one quarter as Kellogg missed its first 11 shots. Junior JJ Yearout had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Both scored three points in the fourth-quarter run. 

Barta and Yearout each hit three 3-pointers for the Lumberjacks, who finished 8 for 16 from deep. Gustaffe hit two 3s. 

Junior Draeden Taylor scored 19 points for Kellogg (12-11), which won at St. Maries on Monday, then lost at home to fourth seed Orofino on Wednesday in the district title game. 

“We knew coming into this game it was going to be tough,” Kellogg coach Mike Martin said. “Coming off the district championship loss, it was going to come down to whatever team had more juice. And St. Maries just made more shots that we did tonight. We battled to get back into it in the third quarter, but just couldn’t get a stop in the fourth.”

Landon Riberich had 10 rebounds and three blocked shots for St. Maries, and Hayden Defoort had five boards for the Lumberjacks, which won at top-seeded Priest River on Wednesday in a loser-out game. 

“They got punched in the mouth by Kellogg on Monday, and they definitely had a chip on their shoulder the rest of the week, to play as hard as they could,” Chase said. 

Kellogg     4    11    16    11   —    42 

St. Maries     16    3    12    21   —    52 

KELLOGG — Robinson 2, McDonald 8, Taylor 19, Lewis 7, Honnerlaw 2, Cheney 4, Vindasius 0, Baker 0. 

ST. MARIES — Harold 0, Garcia 0, Sexton 0, J. Barta 14, Yearout 15, Gustaffe 17, B. Barta 0, L. Riberich 4, Defoort 2, Speakman 0, F. Riberich 0. 

Lewiston 69

Sandpoint 55

LEWISTON — The top-seeded Bengals beat the second-seeded Bulldogs to sweep their best-of-3 series for the 5A Region 1 title.

Lewiston (20-4) advances to state March 6-8 at Rocky Mountain High in Meridian.

Sandpoint finishes 11-12.

    JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Christopher Moore of Kootenai blocks a shot by Greg Hayes (15) of Coeur du Christ during the 1A District 1 championship game Thursday at North Idaho College.