Post Falls, Cd'A girls team up
MARK NELKE | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 8 months AGO
Mark Nelke covers high school and North Idaho College sports, University of Idaho football and other local/regional sports as a writer, photographer, paginator and editor at the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has been at The Press since 1998 and sports editor since 2002. Before that, Mark was the one-man sports staff for 16 years at the Bonner County Daily Bee in Sandpoint. Earlier, he was sports editor for student newspapers at Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University. Mark enjoys the NCAA men's basketball tournament and wiener dogs — and not necessarily in that order. | May 23, 2013 9:00 PM
They went at each other four times this past season, the final time to decide the Idaho state 5A girls basketball championship.
Next Wednesday, four members of the state champion Post Falls Trojans will team up with four Coeur d'Alene Vikings on the Region team in the 20th annual Jack Blair Memorial Girls All-Star Basketball Classic, set for 7:30 p.m. at The Arena at Post Falls.
From Post Falls is Danielle Failor, Brooke Litalien, Katie King and Hallie Gennett, and from Coeur d'Alene is Caelyn Orlandi, Sydni Parker, Madison Sumner and Sydney Williams.
All told, 10 of the 12 players on the Region team are from North Idaho - the others are Madi Farrell of Lake City and Natahnee Spencer of Lapwai.
The Metro team, made up of girls from the Greater Spokane League, has won 18 of the 19 matchups with the Region team, which consists of players from North Idaho and elsewhere in eastern Washington.
The Region's lone win came in 2009. Last year, the Metro eked out an 80-79 victory at University High.
"The reason the Metro is so good is, they play such good defense - the entire league," said Ron Adams, director of the Spokane Stars and organizer of the Jack Blair game. "There's probably 13, 14 D-I kids between the two teams. The Region team, their strength is their physical talent, from the guards all the way to the post players. And they have the most highly recruited player for both teams in Chandler Smith (of Brewster). She's a monster - good luck trying to defend her."
Smith, a 6-foot junior guard/forward, is the daughter of Dale Smith, who starred on Brewster's three straight Washington class B state titles in the mid-1970s. Chandler Smith was the Washington 1A Player of the Year.
All six seniors for the Region team have signed to play basketball in college - Danielle Failor (Post Falls) with West Point; Hallie Gennett (Post Falls) with Sacramento State; Brooke Litalien (Post Falls), Caelyn Orlandi (Coeur d'Alene) and Natahnee Spencer (Lapwai) with Lewis-Clark State College; and Katie King (Post Falls) with North Idaho College.
For the Metro, senior guard Jade Redmon led Mead to a state title, and was named 4A Player of the Year. She has signed with Eastern Washington. Senior guard Kayleigh Valley of University High was the 3A Player of the Year in Washington. She has signed with Montana.
Other Metro players who plan to play basketball in college include forward Brooke Reilly of Mt. Spokane (Idaho), guard/forward Kaycee Hert of Shadle Park (NCAA Division II Regis University in Denver) and forward Mackenzie McPhee of Mead (Regis University).
Notes: General admission is $6, and $5 for kids and seniors ... Adams reminds fans that the players will be available for autographs before the game from 6:30 to 7:05 p.m.; after that; they won't be available until after the game.
METRO - Mariah Cunningham, jr., Central Valley; Kayleigh Valley, sr., University; Kaycee Hert, sr., Shadle Park; Laura Stockton, so., Gonzaga Prep; Taylor Howlett, sr., Lewis and Clark; Delany Junkermier, jr., Mead; Madison Hovren, so., Central Valley; Brittney Johnson, jr., Ferris; Otiona Gildon, so., Gonzaga Prep; Brooke Reilly, sr., Mt. Spokane; Jade Redmon, sr., Mead; Mackenzie McPhee, sr., Mead.
Coach: Quantae Anderson, Mead.
REGION - Natahnee Spencer, sr., Lapwai; Caelyn Orlandi, sr., Coeur d'Alene; Katie King, sr., Post Falls; Brooke Litalien, sr., Post Falls; Madison Sumner, jr., Coeur d'Alene; Emily Drake, so., Pullman; Sydni Parker, jr., Coeur d'Alene; Madi Farrell, jr., Lake City; Hallie Gennett, sr., Post Falls; Chandler Smith, jr., Brewster; Danielle Failor, sr., Post Falls; Sydney Williams, jr., Coeur d'Alene.
Coach: Marc Allert, Post Falls.
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“The whole process has been completely amazing,” said Nathan Williams, now in his fourth season as the Badgers boys basketball coach. “And the parents … it’s an hour and a half to Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, when we’d play an AAU game, and an hour and a half back, and there were so many times there was 6, 8 inches of snow. And we’ve got a game at 8 a.m. They’d always schedule us at 8 a.m., coming from Bonners. So we’re waking up at 5 … it was crazy. But the commitment from the parents and the kids has been amazing.”