THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: January 5, 2014

January means it's time for area boys basketball teams to cut down on all those trips to the Tri-Cities or wherever, and get ready to face the teams they need to beat to get to state.

5A Inland Empire League boys basketball play begins Tuesday, when Coeur d'Alene (7-1) visits Lake City (6-3). Post Falls (8-4) opens league play Jan. 14 at home vs. Coeur d'Alene.

4A Inland Empire League boys play starts on Jan. 14, when Lakeland (6-4) travels to Moscow. Sandpoint (6-4) opens league play Jan. 18 at Moscow.

IN 5A, Lake City is the defending IEL and Region 1 champ, with three returning starters.

As for common opponents in December, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls each played Chiawana of Pasco, Wash., and Kennewick. Coeur d'Alene beat Chiawana by 15 points and Kennewick by nine, both at home. Post Falls played both on the road, losing by fve at Kennewick and by six at Chiawana.

Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls each beat the same three teams at the Coeur d'Alene Inn-vitational, each by similar margins.

"I think it (the league) is like it's been for quite a few years - everybody's pretty good," Lake City coach Jim Winger said. "You look at how we've done with the teams from Washington, and our nonleague schedule, everybody's played pretty tough. I don't think much is going to change with that. I've watched Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene a lot and they both look tough, so I think it's going to be the same old story."

Two teams advance to state, scheduled for March 6-8 at the Idaho Center in Nampa.

Though Lake City comes in on paper as the favorite, it appears any of the three teams could claim the two berths to state. Since Lewiston won four straight Region 1 titles from 2003-06, the three Kootenai County teams have divvied up the last seven regional titles - Coeur d'Alene in 2007, '08 and '11, Post Falls in 2008 and '12, and Lake City in 2010 and '13.

IN 4A, Moscow has pretty much dominated, winning seven of the last nine Region 1 titles. Most years, only one 4A team from the IEL advanced to state. Sandpoint won regional titles in 2005 and '09, and also qualified for state in '06.

Lakeland has not been to state since 2004 - its last year in 3A.

This year, it looks like a wide-open battle for the one berth to state March 6-8 at Borah High in Boise between three teams with distinctly different styles - Sandpoint wants to play up-tempo, Lakeland wants to spread teams out and break them down on the dribble, and Moscow is its usual deliberate self.

Sandpoint has already tripled its win total from last year, when the Bulldogs were 2-20. Moscow has taken some lumps this year, but has been without senior post Nick Ellison, last year's 4A IEL Player of the Year.

"I think every team in that group has a huge strength," Sandpoint coach Tyler Haynes said. "When Ellison is back, they have a three-headed monster with (Adam) Gresch and (Jack) Akey and Ellison. And I think Tyrel (Derrick, Lakeland's point guard) can control a game. I think we might be the deeper of the three teams, and I think that's our strength - we're going to play very hard, and we're going to play a lot of guys and try to keep that game in transition.

"Moscow thinks scoring in the 60s is a violation or something," Haynes added with a laugh.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.