5A

Jim Winger will coach in his 554th high school basketball game tonight.

But the team he coaches this year has him feeling more like someone just getting into the profession, rather than someone in his 23rd season as a head coach.

“I feel pretty young again, to bring this young team back to state,” said Winger, whose Lake City Timberwolves (16-8) face the defending champion Borah Lions (19-5) of Boise at 7 p.m. at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa in the final game of the first day of the state 5A boys basketball tournament.

With three freshmen starting, and some of the returning players now playing key roles off the bench, Lake City bounced back from last year’s 3-win season and earned a berth to state for the first time since 2014.

“I think it’s absolutely huge,” said Winger, who has only had one freshman start for him in all his previous years as head coach. “If I had a dime for everytime I heard, ‘You only won three games last year, and you’re playing three freshmen all the time. What’s going on?’

“And we won 16 games — that says a whole heckuva lot. It shows how much improvement the juniors and seniors have made, and the impact of our freshmen.”

Point guard Kolton Mitchell (10.8 points, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game, with 38 3-pointers on the season) and wings Zach Johnson (9.3 ppg) and Varick Meredith have started nearly every game this season for Lake City.

But the Timberwolves wouldn’t be where they are without the returning players, including much-improved senior guard Seth Hanson (9.7 ppg). Junior Jack Kiesbuy (12.6 ppg), who started briefly two seasons ago, was the go-to player with the season on the line last Saturday, and responded with the game-winning basket to lift Lake City past Lewiston at Booth Hall for a berth to state.

And junior wing Chris Irvin and junior guard Ben Janke, both starters last year, have been vital off the bench this year — though Irvin has started in recent games after Johnson suffered a knee injury late in the season and missed the T-Wolves’ postseason opener.

“I think what’s helped us a lot is the chemistry,” said Winger, 310-192 in his 21st season at Lake City — which covers two stints at the school. He was 33-18 in two seasons at Coeur d’Alene, his alma mater, before moving two miles to the west when Lake City opened in 1994. “The juniors and seniors have have accepted (the freshmen). They’ve all bought in.

“The hardest thing is to get everybody to buy into their roles, and do it for four months,” Winger said. “It’s a challenge, but these kids have bought in and accepted their roles.”

NOTES: Borah is led by Austin Bolt, headed to Boise State on a football scholarship ... Rocky Mountain guard Briggs Ranstrom has signed with Idaho State. ... Timberline, led by junior guard Cooper Lumsden (11.8 ppg, 2.3 apg) is at state for the first time since 2015.

2A

St. Maries returned just two players from last year’s team that lost in overtime to North Fremont in the state championship game.

But, under sixth-year coach Bryan Chase, the Lumberjacks train keeps rollin’.

“I think last year’s loss motivated our players coming back,” said Chase, who has taken St. Maries to state every year he’s been head coach. “Eli Gibson (a junior the lone returning starter) and Tristan Gentry (a sophomore and the seventh man last year) have shown great leadership and maturity. I think the kids that got an opportunity to move up for state got to see firsthand what the journey is about. Eli, Tristan, and (sophomore point guard) Coleman Ross got on a travel team last spring, and (freshman) Greyson Sands was on a traveling team as well. We got in over 20 games last summer and really grew as humans and as a team.”

Gibson leads a balanced scoring lineup at 10.3 points per game, followed by junior Randie Becktel (9.6), junior Brett Stancil (9.5), Ross (8.6) and Gentry (7.0).

All told, St. Maries’ roster has one senior, six juniors, four sophomores and a freshman.

Chase said North Fremont — despite the graduation of star Garrett Hawkes — remains one of the teams to beat, along with West Side, whom St. Maries beat in the first round last year.

“The field this year looks like a lot of good teams, but not as dominant as years past,” Chase said.

NOTES: New Plymouth was picked to finish sixth in the 2A Western Idaho Conference, but ended up as the runner-up in the District 3 tournament. The Pilgrims are led by senior guard Derek Hampton (10.2 ppg) and junior G Tony Ray (10.1). ... Bridger Lenz, who scored four points against St. Maries in last year’s state title game, leads North Fremont in scoring (14.4), rebounds and assists this season.

1A Division II

Lakeside (21-0) is the only undefeated team in Idaho. The Knights are averaging 75.0 points per game, the most of any team in any classification. ... Lighthouse Christian, which upended Genesis Prep in the semifinals last year and went on to win the state title, did not qualify this year, knocked out by perennial power Dietrich after losing to Carey in the District 4 title game. ... Garden Valley (16-3), Lakeside’s first-round foe tonight at 5:15 p.m. PST at Caldwell High, returns all five starters from last year’s state runner-up, led by junior guard Covy Kelly (24.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.1 spg, 3.0 apg, 1.1 bpg), the reigning 1A Division II All-Idaho Player of the Year.

3A

Kellogg (16-6), which faces defending champion Sugar-Salem (17-5) in the first round tonight at 5:15 p.m. at Meridian High, is at state for the seventh straight year, and eighth time in nine seasons. Kellogg’s best finish during that stretch was third in 2017. ... Senior forward Gavin Luna (11.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg), whose last-second basket led the Wildcats to state last year, is joined on this year’s team by his freshman twin brothers, Riply and Kolby ... senior guard Graden Nearing (14.2 ppg), the son of fourth-year head coach Jeff Nearing, shared league MVP honors this season with Jacob James of Timberlake. ... Kellogg has won four state titles, the last in 1964.

4A

Defending champion Idaho Falls (19-6) opens against Preston (24-1) in a rematch of last year’s state title game. ... Moscow survived a meatgrinder of a 4A Region 1 championship series with Lakeland, winning two games to one to advance to state for the fourth straight year.

1A Division I

Defending champion Prairie did not qualify, knocked out in the District 2 tournament by Kamiah, which beat Wallace and Butte County in play-in games to advance to state. Potlatch defeated Lapwai for the District 2 title. ... Lakeside and Genesis Prep will move up to 1A Division I next year.