COEUR d'ALENE - Finally comfortable in the starting lineup, senior Devon Loy is beginning to help the top-ranked Coeur d'Alene Vikings boys basketball team get back to full strength.

Missing starting forward Chad Chalich, who is out with a hairline fracture in his right foot, Loy and Deon Watson scored 16 points apiece as the Vikings beat Flathead High of Kalispell 54-38 in a nonleague game Thursday night at Elmer Jordan Court.

"Overall, we're starting to play better late in games," Coeur d'Alene coach Kent Leiss said. "For the second straight year, we're still trying to get into basketball shape after football season. We've made a ton of progress this past week."

Flathead opened an early lead before Coeur d'Alene scored six of the next eight points to take an 8-6 lead. After Flathead tied the game at 11 on a layup by Matt Tokarz, Watson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Coeur d'Alene a 14-11 lead after the first quarter.

"I thought we played well together as a team," said Loy, a 6-foot-5 senior forward. "In Seattle, we had some problems rebounding the ball, but seemed to do a better job of that tonight."

Last season, Loy rotated with Ty Higbie in the starting lineup.

"I think it was some senior jitters," Loy said. "I was just trying to do my best and play well for the team. Once I starting doing what I could, I started hitting my shots."

"We knew that Devon was a really good player for us," Leiss said. "He did a good job on the boards tonight and was a big spark for us tonight."

Coeur d'Alene scored the first seven points in the second to stretch its advantage to 31-21. Watson scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half.

"Watson's been a steady player for us this season," Leiss said. "Our defense played well and our conditioning was a lot better."

Coeur d'Alene (3-2) will face Foster of Tukwila, Wash., in the opening round of the Coeur d'Alene Inn-vitational at North Idaho College on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

"We're going to treat it like a state tournament setting," Leiss said. "Everyone in the field is a solid team. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of shape we're in."

Flathead (3-2) senior George Sherwood scored a game-high 17 points.

“We knew that Sherwood averaged 17 points, but I thought Higbie played good defense on him,” said Leiss, who coached five years at Flathead before taking over at Coeur d’Alene in 2003. “(Matt) McLean scored 20 points in a game earlier this year, but we held him without a field goal.”

Higbie had nine points for Coeur d’Alene, which held Flathead to five field goals in the second half.

“Coeur d’Alene’s an extremely athletic team,” Flathead coach Fred Febach said. “They play a very aggressive style of game. Coach Leiss does a super job with their program and the kids compete well. We knew coming over here they’d be a stiff test for us, but it was fun to play them.”

Flathead 11 10 7 10 — 38

Coeur d’Alene 14 17 13 10 — 54

FLATHEAD — Cronk 0, Tokarz 4, Crosby 0, McLean 4, Sherwood 17, Jones 1, Olszewski 0, Schroeder 2, James 2, West 7.

COEUR d’ALENE — Tackett 2, Roletto 4, Neirinckx 0, Daniels 0, Loy 16, Moore 0, Higbie 9, Watson 1, Blakley 7.