Schwartz shoots Bulldogs past Hawks in playoff opener

RATHDRUM — Lakeland used a box-an-one defense in an attempt to slow down Jackson Olin, Sandpoint’s high-scoring senior guard.

Sandpoint’s Plan B — Ryan Schwartz.

The 6-foot senior wing poured in a career-high 26 points as the No. 3 seed Bulldogs edged the second-seeded Hawks 53-48 in the first round of the 4A Region 1 boys basketball tournament Tuesday night at Hawk Court.

“At districts, everybody’s got two games to figure out what they need to do,” Sandpoint coach Tyler Haynes said. “They were going to take Jackson away. Jackson got 18, but it was on tough, limited looks. Someone’s got to step up there, and I think Ryan realized, I’ve got an opportunity to step up, play a big game, and counter what they’re going to try to do with their box-and-one.”

Schwartz hit 9 of 11 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, for Sandpoint (8-13), which travels to top-seeded Moscow (10-10) on Thursday. Lakeland (4-17) awaits the loser on Saturday in a loser-out game.

“He’s been a huge senior for us,” Haynes said. “Just this quiet leader that, you forget about him, but he’s so dependable. Guys with huge character play huge in character games.”

Schwartz made three of his 3-pointers in a 1 1/2 minute stretch in the fourth quarter that turned a tie game at 37 into a 46-40 Sandpoint lead with 2:38 remaining.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Schwartz, who said his previous career high was “nowhere near” the 26 he bucketed on Tuesday. “We’d set up our play for us other three guards to run it, and set up Jackson on the baseline so he was out of the picture, and we stepped up and hit big shots. I don’t know; they just kept falling.”

During the season, Lakeland beat Sandpoint by two points in double overtime at home, and Sandpoint won by two on its home court.

This one was similarly tight.

Eric Cooper led Lakeland with 13 points. Aaron Spencer and Tyrel Derrick each added 11, and the Bulldogs had a hard time keeping Spencer off the offensive boards in the first half.

Most of Sandpoint’s offense came from the perimeter. Schwartz and Olin combined for 44 of Sandpoint’s 53 points. Schwartz scored 13 points in each half, and scored 11 in the fourth quarter.

Lakeland led 21-15 midway through the second quarter when Schwartz scored six straight points and Olin sank a 3 for a 9-0 Bulldog run. The Hawks battled back to take a 25-24 halftime lead.

AM 1400 will carry the Sandpoint/Moscow game live on Thursday night, with tip off at 7 p.m. at the Bear Den.

Sandpoint  12   12    7    22 — 53

Lakeland   13   12    4    19 — 48

SANDPOINT — Rodriguez 0, N. Schwartz 2, Burgstahler 4, Nitcy 0, R. Schwartz 26, Nelson 0, Olin 18, Howk 1, Gagnon 2.

LAKELAND — Spencer 11, Carr 3, Derrick 11, Black 2, Horne 0, Cooper 13, Simpson 8.