THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: Tests taken while on vacation

Coaches know.

They just do.

The games in early to mid-December might mean something as far as wins and losses, but the lessons they learn from these games can and will go a long way when the postseason begins in February.

LAKE CITY took its girls basketball team to the Nike Tournament of Champions in Mesa, Ariz., earlier this week, going 2-2.

“Honestly, we got what we came for,” Lake City girls basketball coach James Anderson said. “We wanted to play at a faster speed and play aggressive teams and faster teams. We wanted to find those tough games, get beaten by 25 to 30 points and get better at the things we need to get better at.”

In 2021, Lake City went 3-1 in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, falling in the championship game of the Diamond Bracket.

“With doing fundraising and that to come play at tournaments like this, you want to get challenged,” Anderson said. “It’s easy to go to a tournament, win some games and not take anything from that. We have a lot of things we can improve on and get better from here.”

While they might have lost 56-24 to Folsom, Calif., in the semifinals of their Joe Smith Bracket, Anderson was pleased with what he saw after reviewing the film later Wednesday.

“This is the first time we’ve played a game where there’s a lot of things we can get better at,” Anderson said. “Going back, we outrebounded them and fought as hard as we could.”

Lake City shot 9 of 47, including 3 of 27 from the 3-point line.

“If we made a few more shots, we could have played with them,” Anderson said. “We need to find a way to get the ball in the basket from the inside when those shots are going down and pave that path going forward.”

ESPECIALLY IN tournaments during the holidays, sometimes things come up that are a little out of a coach's control.

On Wednesday, the depth of the Coeur d’Alene boys basketball team was put to the test in a 68-56 win over Monterey Trail High of Elk Grove, Calif., in the Spalding Bracket of the Tark Classic.

“We were short Gunner Larson due to an injury and Junus McGraw,” Coeur d’Alene boys coach Jon Adams said. “(Post) Alexander (Nipp) didn’t have a great game, but it was cool to see our next guy off the bench step up. We had really good bench play with Canyon Smith and Kai Wheeler stepping up to produce. They hadn’t played a ton of minutes, but stepped in and contributed on the defensive end.”

Coeur d’Alene went 3-1 in its bracket, the third highest level of play at the tournament.

“It was a great experience for our guys and great to create another identity of how to win games,” Adams said. “The guys are adapting and playing really well right now.”

LIKE THE boys, the Coeur d’Alene girls ventured to the Tarkanian Classic to be challenged.

On Wednesday, that challenge was in the form of Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth, Calif.

Fight as they might, the Vikings fell short 73-47 in the semifinals of the Diamond Bracket, then lost again in the third-place game to Mater Dei 66-55 on Thursday to finish 2-2 in the highest level of competition the tournament had.

According to MaxPreps rankings, Sierra Canyon High is the second-ranked team in the nation.

JuJu Watkins, a 6-foot senior guard, has committed to USC. Izela Arenas, a 5-9 junior guard, is the daughter of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.

“We battled Sierra Canyon really hard,” Symons said. “We probably played them the best that any team had down here. Taking our first loss by 25, it was tough on the girls mentally because they’re all competitors and want to win. But you can learn a lot in losses and when you’re winning by 30 or 40 points, you’re not getting a chance to work on stuff. That game exposed us to where we need to work on some things.”

Sierra Canyon beat Putnam City West of Oklahoma City, Okla., 73-33 in the championship game on Thursday.

“To lose by 25 is tough, but that’s the best team we’ve seen and they’re No. 2 in the nation,” Symons said. “It’s probably going to be the best team we’re going to play. We’re not going to shy away from high competition. I’m OK with the losses because we’re playing a different style of game. It was a great experience for us and I’m super pleased with how the trip went and getting pushed around.”

And likely when the time comes, push back just a little harder than their opponents can handle.

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