Sandpoint downs Lewiston to grab first IEL win
SANDPOINT — After three straight losses to 5A Inland Empire League opponents, Sandpoint girls basketball was hungry for a win Friday night against Lewiston — and that desire made all the difference.
The Bulldogs outscored the Bengals 28-19 in the second half to grab a 46-40 victory. It's Sandpoint's first 5A-4A Inland Empire League win of the season.
Over the last week and a half, the Bulldogs have suffered blowout losses to Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Lake City on their home court. But SHS didn't let those defeats get them down. They stuck with it and their dedication paid off against the Bengals.
"A lot of credit to the girls for believing," head coach Will Love said, "and working hard over these last couple weeks when some teams might say, 'I don't know if I want to work that hard.'"
The victory also allows Sandpoint to avoid going winless in IEL play against the 5As.
The Bulldogs came out strong Friday as senior Tru Tomco knocked down a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game to set the tone in the opening quarter.
Sandpoint was in control from start to finish in the first and carried a 15-10 advantage into the second quarter.
But the Bulldogs hit a wall offensively after that, only scoring 3 points in the frame. This allowed the Bengals to take a 21-18 lead into halftime.
But the Sandpoint attack revved back to life in the second half — all it took was a spark. Trailing 30-22 midway through the third quarter, sophomore Aliya Strock stepped up and drilled a 3-pointer — with a nice assist from the rim — to kickstart an 11-1 run by the Bulldogs.
Junior Anna Reinink capped off the run with a 3-pointer that took a kiss off the glass before finding the bottom of the net to give SHS a 33-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Sources were unable to confirm whether Reinink called "bank."
"The bank was open," Love said.
Lewiston regained the lead early in the fourth quarter on a 3-point play, but Sandpoint had all the momentum and took it right back. The Bulldogs remained in front the rest of the way thanks to some clutch free throws and baskets from junior Kelsey Cessna.
"From the third quarter on I thought we executed really, really well," Love said. "We had some kids step up and make some big plays."
Cessna finished with 17 points, five rebounds and three steals. She was also 9-of-13 from the free-throw line.
"When you have a kid that's scoring like that in a game, it just opens up opportunities for other kids," Love said. "I'm really proud of Kelsey and the entire team."
With under a minute left, Strock and senior Sofia Platte connected to seal the deal for the Bulldogs. Strock drove to the hoop and dished a nice pass to Platte in the post, who did the rest to give SHS a 44-40 lead.
On Nov. 20, the Bulldogs lost at Lewiston 54-34 in their second game of the season. Sandpoint got off to an extremely slow start in that contest and, at the time, Love said he saw signs that his squad could take down the Bengals when they matched up again. SHS just had to limit its turnovers and shoot better from the field, Love said, and the Bulldogs did both Friday. Sandpoint limited itself to 10 turnovers.
"We're seeing the offense run a lot smoother and kids are getting to where their strengths are at," Love said.
Platte finished with 7 points, Strock and Tomco each tallied 6 and Reinink scored 5. Junior Daylee Driggs added 3 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists.
The Bulldogs (3-5, 1-3 IEL) head to Boise after Christmas to play in the Timber-Lion Tournament. They will face Kuna on Dec. 28, Caldwell on Dec. 29 and Columbia on Dec. 30.
Lewiston 10 11 10 9 — 40
Sandpoint 15 3 15 13 — 46
LEWISTON — Collins 9, U'Ren 8, Wessels 10, Riddle 3, Kessinger 1, Ortiz 9, Salim 0, Samuels 0, Burke 0.
SANDPOINT — Cessna 17, Driggs 3, Reinink 5, Tomco 6, Owens 0, Strock 6, Lyons 2, Platte 7.
