4A DISTRICT 1-2 BOYS BASKETBALL: Sandpoint wins nail-biter play-in game over Lakeland

Sandpoint 64, Lakeland 62

RATHDRUM — Emerik Jones is the definition of clutch. In addition to a large night on the stat sheet, the Sandpoint junior caused turnovers on the Hawks’ final two possessions and scored the last seven points of the contest to lift the Bulldogs to a 64-62 victory over Lakeland in the 4A Inland Empire League District 1-2 play-in game held at Hawk Court Monday night.

Lakeland started out the first quarter on a 13-4 run, and to close out the first half, got a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from sophomore Peyton Hillman, who finished with 12 points, eight rebounds for Lakeland. Heading into halftime, the Hawks led 37-28. However, the Bulldogs had other ideas as to how this game was going to end.

Sandpoint, who trailed by as much as 10 points, started off the second half on a 14-4 run and eventually took a 42-41 lead with 2:37 remaining in the third quarter after sophomore Logan Roos stole a defensive rebound from Lakeland and sank two free throws; it was the Bulldogs’ first lead of the contest. Sandpoint would not lead again until the game’s final basket.

Down 62-55 with 2:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, Sandpoint knew they had to be just about perfect in order to pull off a win — and they just about were. After a two-point basket by sophomore Caiden Gion, assisted by senior Parker Childs, the Bulldogs cut the deficit to five and called a timeout to regroup.

On the next Hawks' possession, Jones blocked Lakeland’s Ben Roth and scored on a jump-hook shot on the other end of the floor to pull the Bulldogs within three points. After another defensive stop, Childs fed a pass to Jones on the right wing where he then nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 62 with 1:44 remaining. Sandpoint would force the Hawks to miss again, and on their next possession, Jones fought through contact down low, grabbed his own missed shot, and scored. The crowd erupted as the Bulldogs took a 64-62 lead.

During the final minute of play, Sandpoint stopped the Hawks on three separate possessions. With roughly four seconds remaining, Jones blocked Lakeland senior Kenton Ferguson’s 3-point attempt. On the ensuing inbound, Gion deflected Lakeland’s pass near the block and Jones stole it away to seal the deal.

“It’s nice to have some size,” head coach Brian Childs said. “Emerik got the block on that jump shot and we were able to guard the lob at the end, which we drew up ourselves. Pretty awesome.”

Childs said the entire team made contributions Monday night to help the Bulldogs to victory.

“We were pretty determined tonight,” Childs said. “We got off to a slow start and it took us a while to get our legs around us and into the game. Once we did, we put ourselves in a position to have a chance in the fourth quarter. Overall, we did a good job executing. We did a really good job adjusting and weathered the storm after some early foul trouble.”

Jones led Sandpoint with 21 points, seven rebounds, and six blocks. Childs added 12 points and dished out a game-high eight assists. Gion was the third Bulldog to reach double-figures with 11. Derrick Chamberlain and Roos rounded out the top scorers with nine and eight points, respectively. Freshman Knox Williams also hit a timely third quarter 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a momentum boost.

“Knox played really well in the third quarter.” Childs said. “He struggled early on but was really active defensively and made a big shot for us — that’s big for a freshman. Caiden also came up big for us in the first half scoring-wise when we were searching for answers.”

Childs also said Roos played great down the stretch and that Parker Childs settled down, opted to make the easy play, and helped facilitate the offense in the second half.

Sandpoint (10-12) will head to Moscow for the 4A IEL District 1-2 best-of-three championship series. Game 1 will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Sandpoint 9 19 16 20 – 64

Lakeland 17 20 13 12 – 62

PTS: SPT – Jones 21, Childs 12, Gion 11, Chamberlain 9, Roos 8, Williams 3, Leisy 0, Leavitt 0. LAK – Ryan 13, Hillman 12, Harris 10, Roth 8, Ferguson 8, Hensley 8, Weil 3, Norce 0.

REB: SPT – Roos 8, Jones 7, Chamberlain 5, Childs 4, Leisy 2, Williams 1, Leavitt 1, Gion 1. LAK – Hillman 9, Roth 8, Ryan 6, Harris 6, Ferguson 4, Hensley 4, Norce 1.

AST: SPT – Childs 8, Jones 2, Leisy 1, Roos 1. LAK – Ferguson 5, Ryan 3, Hillman 2, Norce 2, Roth 1, Hensley 1.

STL: SPT – Childs 3, Roos 2, Williams 2, Jones 1. LAK – Roth 2, Ryan 2, Hensley 2, Hillman 1.

BLK: SPT – Jones 6, Leisy 2, Williams 1, Roos 1. LAK – Ryan 1, Hillman 1.