Think spring, but don't forget hoops quite yet

Winning a trophy at a state tournament is tough work.

Playing three games in three days is something that most teams don’t do normally unless they play in tournaments over the holidays.

Otherwise, it’s a bit out of the ordinary to ask a group of high school players play on consecutive days.

CREDIT TO the girls basketball teams at Lake City, Timberlake and Genesis Prep for bringing home trophies from the state tournament.

Sure, they might not have been what you went for, but the end result was better than nothing.

In the case of Lake City, the Timberwolves just ran into a tough matchup in the opening round, falling to eventual champion Eagle.

Who knows, had Lake City found a way to state in 2018, maybe the result is a little different. Give Eagle credit as well, the Mustangs were pretty good when Post Falls found a way to beat them in the 2018 title game. Eagle had a good game plan against Lake City, then another against previously unbeaten Mountain View of Meridian to win the 5A title.

Playing in an arena setting such as the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, no matter how much experience you have on a basketball court, is just different that first day of the tournament.

For Timberlake, it’s no secret just how good that program has been in recent years.

Sure, it’s been two years of third-place finishes in 3A after championships in 2016 and 2017, but how many seniors can say they never lost in their final basketball game?

Maybe the toughest road to the title was that of Genesis Prep.

The Jaguars finished runner-up in 2018 and came up short in the opening round 46-42 to Nezperce, then had to battle back the next two days — with one game at 7 p.m., then another just a few hours later to bring back the consolation championship against Kendrick.

Teams in District II, whether it be Lewiston, Prairie, Lapwai, Nezperce or Kendrick are always tough.

Genesee — another District II team — advanced to the 1A Division I championship game, and had to beat Wallace just to advance to a state play-in game.

JUST IN case you’ve missed it, a handful of those players from the northern part of the state will take on those from the southern part of the state in the 16th annual Idaho all-star games next Saturday at 1 p.m. at North Idaho College’s Christianson Gymnasium. The boys game will follow at 3:30 p.m.

No, there’s not the same stakes as a month ago, where games were win or go home.

These all-star games — believe it or not — are supposed to be fun and a showcase of just what a player can do.

Spring break or not, the games should be pretty entertaining.

Besides, who can think about spring when there’s still a few feet of snow on the ground.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.