If having strength in numbers proves true at the state high school wrestling tournament, then chances are a lot of those faces that appeared under the spotlight at Rolly Williams Court during the 42nd Tri-State Invitational last month will have a lot to look forward to.

For some, it could be the final time they lose the rest of the season.

OF THE championship matches, only one match contained competitors from the same state (Idaho) when Bryce Parson of Lewiston beat Kurtis Loftis of Kuna by an 11-9 decision at 138 pounds. Lewiston is a 5A school, while Kuna is 4A.

Kuna ran away with the tournament with 193 points, with Lewiston second with 141 and Lake Stevens (Wash.) third with 141.

Locals advancing to the finals were Drake Foster (120) and Seth McLeod (170) of Post Falls, with both finishing second to help the Trojans finish seventh. Matt James (285) was third and Kaleb Maciosek (98) and Phoenix Duncan (195) each finished fourth for Coeur d'Alene, which was 11th.

Lakeland junior Killian Estes, who advanced to the semifinals at 182, finished third.

Wrestlers from Post Falls and Lakeland High will get a good look at what the state tournament will be like this weekend as they compete in the Rollie Lane Invitational at the Idaho Center in Nampa, the same site as the wrestling championships Feb. 27-March 1.

It has been said Tri-State is one of the toughest tournaments in the northwest, but for the first time in a while, this year might have been the first time that the top seeds held strong.

Of those that were dubbed the top seed in the 15 weight classes, 10 of them won. Three title matches came down to the top two seeds, with the second seed beating the top seed each time.

THERE IS no such thing as an easy game in Scenic West Athletic Conference basketball.

On any night, any team can come into your gym and get a win.

The Salt Lake women, who entered the last NJCAA poll unranked, upset No. 6 Southern Idaho 70-58 on Thursday night in Twin Falls.

Next up for the Bruins - the 14th-ranked North Idaho College Cardinals, today at 3 p.m. at Rolly Williams Court.

NIC, which played its first home game since Dec. 7 on Thursday, will be at home for its next four games, all in the SWAC.

"It's nice," NIC women's basketball coach Chris Carlson said. "We're excited now with five games here at home. To start out with a win is big, but we've got a hot team coming in here, so it should be a lot of fun. It was a big win for them (Salt Lake) on the road. It should be a really fun one."

The Salt Lake men's team, ranked 14th, lost to No. 15 Southern Idaho 64-61 on Thursday.

Salt Lake's men play at NIC today at 5.

"They're going to come in here pretty upset and fired up," NIC men's basketball coach Jared Phay said. "They're going to be looking to get another win. They're a good basketball team, so that will be a battle."

Then again, it always is between the two schools.

It never fails.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.