Clark Fork falls to Lapwai
CALDWELL - Defense was not the problem for Clark Fork Thursday at the 1A state basketball tournament at Caldwell High School, as the Cats held Lapwai's two top scorers to a mere six points while keeping a high octane offense in check.
It was the offensive end of the court that ultimately did in the Cats, as they had one of those nights where nothing seemed to fall through the net, falling 41-34 to Lapwai in a defensive slugfest.
Jared Broggi had his second consecutive strong game in the post, leading the Cats (18-5) with 16 points and nine rebounds, much of his damage coming around the basket.
“We were trying to get the ball to Broggi, who had a size mismatch,” said Cats coach Brian Powell. “We just didn't get enough from the outside, couldn't get the ball to go in the hole.”
Mike Martin added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Thomas McMahon added four points and seven boards, but is was the pair of seniors' defense that kept the Cats in the game. They held Lapwai gunners Drew Church and Justin Hernandez, who combined for 32 points in the opening round, to only six points, employing a stiff brand of man-to-man defense.
“Those two guys did a great job at the defensive end,” explained Powell. “We just needed to get more out of some other guys.”
Clark Fork was down 26-14 at the half, due in part to a few long three pointers by Lapwai (22-3), which made up for its lack of size with a definite quickness advantage. The Cats closed the gap to four points a couple different times in the fourth quarter, but could never get closer. Harry Taylor and Lamont Phillips picked up much of the scoring slack, leading the Wildcats with 11 apiece.
It will be Clark Fork vs. Clark County (18-6) today in the consolation bracket, as the Cats look to remain in the hunt for a fourth place trophy. Powell had a chance to watch Clark County, which lost to Troy in the other quarterfinal, and saw a team even taller than his own, boasting a few 6-foot-5 kids, including one who's being looked at by several colleges.
“They're not great ball handlers,” said Powell of Clark County. “We'll look to put some pressure on them.”
Tip off is at 2 p.m. (PST) at Vallivue High School.
Clark Fork 6 8 8 9 - 34
Lapwai 11 15 11 7 - 41
CLARK FORK - Martin 10, Young 2, McMahon 4, Baugh 1, Wilkinson 3, Broggi 14.
LAPWAI - Weber 5, Church 4,Hernandez 2, Slickpoo 3, Taylor 11, Wilson 5, Phillips 11.
n Bonners Ferry falls in opener
MERIDIAN - Ryan Winebark scored 16 and Andrew Galloway added 13, but a cold second half cost Bonners Ferry in a 59-45 loss to Shelley in the opening round of the 3A state basketball tournament at Meridian High School.
Winebark added 10 rebounds, and A.J. Bennett tallied nine points, four assists and three steals for the Badgers (14-10), who had a two point half time lead over the No. 1 seed Russets (20-4), before being outscored 31-15 in a decisive second half.
The Badgers play Buhl (17-9) in the consolation bracket today.
n Vikings drop defending 5A champs
NAMPA - The Madison Bobcats from Rexburg made Nate Clinton go stand in the corner for most of game Thursday afternoon.
The star point guard for top-ranked Coeur d'Alene was flattered with the respect, as Madison coach Bill Hawkins used a box-and-one defense and forced the other Vikings to try to beat his team.
And the other Vikings stepped up, led by sophomore guard Devon Austin, who came off the bench and scored a game-high 17 points as IEL champion Coeur d'Alene beat Madison 52-44 in the first round of the state 5A boys basketball tournament at the Idaho Center.
Coeur d'Alene (21-2) will take on Eagle (19-5) in a semifinal game tonight at 5:15 PST. Eagle defeated Centennial (11-13) 61-46.
n Genessee 45, Wallace 36
Jordan Beehner scored 14, and Darrick Holmquist had 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead North Star League Wallace (17-7), but wasn't enough as they fell to Genessee (22-3) Thursday in the 1A state basketball tournament. They'll play the loser of Hagerman/Murtaugh tomorrow in the consolation bracket.