COEUR d'ALENE - In a game which featured 87 points, more than 1,100 yards of offense and three electrifying kick returns for touchdowns, the decisive play here Friday night was made by the defense.

Junior Scott Helsper stepped in front of a Coeur d'Alene receiver for an interception on the second play of overtime, setting up Casey Bourque's 27-yard field goal as the Lake City Timberwolves beat the Vikings 45-42 in overtime in a terrific 5A Inland Empire League football game before an estimated 4,000 fans at Viking Field.

Lake City (7-1, 2-0 5A IEL) clinched a playoff berth and the No. 1 seed from the North to the expanded 12-team state 5A playoffs, which means a bye in the first round and a home game in the quarterfinals.

"We knew we were closer (to Coeur d'Alene)," said Lake City coach Van Troxel, whose team had lost six straight to the Vikings. "But we also knew they were a very, very good football team that's not going to quit. It was a great win for our program."

Coeur d'Alene (6-2, 1-1) scored the last two touchdowns of regulation, late in the third quarter, to tie the game at 42, leading to overtime.

On the first possession of overtime, which started at the Lake City 10, Coeur d'Alene faced a second and goal at the 14. Helsper stepped in front of Viking receiver Brian Skinner and picked off Austin Lee's pass inside the 10, ending the possession.

"We're always taught to look at the ball," said Helsper, a defensive back. "I was just in the right place at the right time. I saw his (Lee's) eyes, and he locked in, and I was locked in too."

Lake City took over at the Viking 10. After a loss on the first play, Jerry Louie-McGee ran 12 yards to the Cd'A 1, then was stopped inches short on the next play. Lake City lined up on fourth down like it wanted to run it in, but a penalty pushed the T-Wolves back to the 5, and they brought in the kicking team. Another penalty pushed LC back to the 10, and Bourque made the kick from the right hash, setting off jubilation on the Lake City sideline.

"This is huge," Helsper said. "This is the biggest win in a while; I'm really happy for my team."

Louie-McGee scored four touchdowns, three of the highlight-reel variety. He opened the scoring with a 33-yard reception from Colin Hunter on a flanker pass, then added an 85-yard kickoff return, a 60-yard punt return and a 92-yard kickoff return.

"We couldn't control No. 10 (Louie-McGee) very well," Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos said. "He made some huge plays. It was a heckuva battle, and they earned it. It was what we expected."

Coeur d'Alene, which lost a league game for the first time since 2009, travels to Post Falls next Friday, with the winner securing the second berth to the playoffs, and a first-round road game.

Michael Goggin completed 18 of 24 passes for 226 yards with three interceptions for Lake City, which totaled 429 yards. Fullback Connor Newby, questionable coming into the game with an unspecified injury, entered the game early in the second quarter and finished with 63 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Coeur d'Alene piled up 689 yards of offense. Lee was 26 of 42 for 381 yards and two touchdowns, and he also had three short touchdown runs. Jonny Plum caught 12 passes for 114 yards. The Vikings ran for 308 yards, with Gibson Green racking up 119 of his 145 yards in the second half. Drew Berger ran for 101 yards on 14 carries, including a 65-yard touchdown burst in the second quarter that tied the game at 14.

Lee's 48-yard TD pass to KC Hutchings in the final minute of the first half pulled Coeur d'Alene to within 28-21 at halftime.

The Vikings tied it midway through the third quarter on Lee's 16-yard pass to Colby Daniels, but Louie-McGee took the ensuing kickoff back 92 yards for a score.

One play after a 2-yard Viking punt, Kirk McKenzie ran 12 yards around right end for a 42-28 T-Wolf lead.

Coeur d'Alene answered with Lee's 3-yard run, then got the ball back when a line drive kickoff bounced off a Lake City up man and the Vikings recovered. Lee's 1-yard run tied it at 42 late in the third quarter.

Coeur d'Alene thought it had scored the go-ahead touchdown with seven minutes left in the game, when Daniels caught a pass from Lee over the middle on second down at the Lake City 15. But as Daniels was going into the end zone, he was hit by a T-Wolf player and fumbled. He was ruled to have fumbled before he crossed the goal line, and the ball squirted out the back of the end zone for a touchback.

Lake City 14 14 14 0 3 - 45

Coeur d'Alene 6 15 21 0 0 - 42

First quarter

LC - Jerry Louie-McGee 33 pass from Colin Hunter (Casey Bourque kick), 1:19

Cd'A - Austin Lee 1 run (kick blocked), :05.9

LC - Louie-McGee 85 kickoff return (Bourque kick), :00

Second quarter

Cd'A - Drew Berger 65 run (Jonny Plum pass from Lee), 10:14

LC - Connor Newby 6 run (Bourque kick), 2:09

LC - Louie-McGee 60 punt return (Bourque kick), 1:21

Cd'A - KC Hutchings 48 pass from Lee (Brennen Barber kick), :39.8

Third quarter

Cd'A - Colby Daniels 16 pass from Lee (Barber kick), 6:20

LC - Louie-McGee 92 kickoff return (Bourque kick), 6:03

LC - Kirk McKenzie 12 run (Bourque kick), 4:57

Cd'A - Lee 3 run (Barber kick), 3:12

Cd'A - Lee 1 run (Barber kick), :30.6

Overtime

LC - FG Bourque 27

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - LC, Goggin 6-11, McKenzie 8-37, Louie-McGee 11-57, Newby 15-63, Hunter 1-2. Cd'A, Berger 14-101, Green 13-145, Lee 13-22, Plum 3-40.

PASSING - LC, Goggin 18-24-3-226, Hunter 1-1-0-33. Cd'A, Lee 26-42-1-381.

RECEIVING - LC, Dotson 3-68, McKenzie 4-57, Hunter 3-50, Louie-McGee 5-53, Weadick 4-31. Cd'A, Johnsn 1-19, Plum 12-114, Hutchings 3-106, Skinner 1-37, Schneider 2-15, Walde 1-16, Berger 1-4, Daniels 4-62, Green 1-4.