THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: The level will be up into new year

Over the next 24 hours, you’ll hear a great deal about resolutions and how things can’t get much better in the next year as the calendar changes from 2022 to 2023 at midnight.

Well, given the way things have started, that’s probably more than fair when it comes to area sports.

WITH ANOTHER unbeaten run through Boise area teams this week, the Post Falls girls basketball team is now 14-0 on the season heading into its next game, a nonleague game against Kamiakin at home on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Post Falls beat Mountain View 60-51, then toppled Borah 76-23 before beating Middleton 75-58 on Friday afternoon in the TimberLion Tournament.

Post Falls also notched wins at Rocky Mountain (51-46), Eagle (60-50) and Meridian (65-31) earlier in December.

Lake City and Coeur d’Alene have been impressive as well with big-time wins in big-time tournaments last week.

Unfortunately, with Region 1 (District 1 and 2) getting only its champion, as well as a possible play-in winner to state, someone is going to stay home.

A team that could possibly win games, not just a game at state, come February.

“There’s no guarantees with our conference,” first-year Post Falls coach Brian Hall said. “We’ve got three or four teams that could be state champions. Every game is going to be a challenge.

While it won’t happen anytime soon, this might be a year when expanding the state tournament might not be such a bad idea for those teams in the northern part of the state.

Other classifications, the level of competition might not be the same, but seeing the top three expanded to 12 teams might not be such a bad idea.

The 4A and 3A schools aren’t getting much love either, with only the district champion in those leagues advancing as well.

Meaning that another really, really good team will be staying home.

Then again, with these big-time games will come the growth that some teams might need to push through to make a deep playoff run.

“Now, it’s all about conference play,” Coeur d’Alene coach Jon Adams said. “It’s kind of like, we’re at halftime now and it’s time to make some adjustments. We’re happy with what we’ve accomplished this season and starting to reduce the turnovers. But we’re not executing offensively and need to get better at post entry. But now, we know what we’ve got to work on and get prepared for league play.”

AFTER A few years, it seems that things are on the right track for the North Idaho College wrestling team.

In case you missed it, the Cardinals notched a dual victory over Clackamas, the four-time defending NJCAA champion in Oregon City, Ore., on Dec. 10.

It was the first time that NIC had won over Clackamas since 2015.

The teams will face off again on Friday, Jan. 20 at Christianson Gymnasium.

In its most recent Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball poll, NIC was voted the No. 1 team in the conference in the Dec. 20 Coaches Poll.

Following right behind was Columbia Basin, which is 10-0.

As luck might have it, the Cardinals will face the Hawks to open conference play this Wednesday at Rolly Williams Court starting at 7:30 p.m.

Spokane is sixth in the latest poll and Walla Walla eighth.

Talk about a tough region.

WITH THE game of basketball, nothing is promised when it comes to the outcome.

Sometimes, teams have an off night or bad game. It just happens sometimes.

Considering the level these area teams are playing at, whether off or on, it should be an entertaining few hours in the gym, whatever one you find yourself in.

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.