PREP BASKETBALL: Coeur d'Alene girls win Arizona tourney
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 13 hours, 51 minutes AGO
Courtesy photo The Coeur d'Alene High girls celebrate after winning their bracket at the Nike Tournament of Champions on Monday in Mesa, Ariz. From left are assistant coaches Doug Jaworski and Tre’ Boyd, and girls in back row from left, Payton Brown, Bree Navara, Hannah Shafer, Carlee Bowmer and Lexie Wheeler; and girls in front row from left, Brookeslee Colvin, Karisa Wallis, Natalie Semprimoznik and Kyndal Bridge, head coach Stacy Boyd and assistant coach Luke Lewis.
• GIRLS
MESA, Ariz. — Coeur d’Alene junior Brookeslee Colvin scored 26 points and was named MVP of the bracket, and the Vikings won the Dan Wiley Bracket at the Nike Tournament of Champions with a 60-44 victory over Villa Park (Calif.) in the championship game Monday at the Arizona Athletic Grounds.
“Of course Brookeslee Colvin did Brookeslee Colvin work,” Coeur d’Alene coach Stacy Boyd said of Colvin, who totaled 135 points in four tourney games. “And our players feed off her energy, and intensity.”
Coeur d’Alene senior Karisa Wallis and sophomore Lexie Wheeler were named to the all-tournament team in the bracket.
Coeur d’Alene played in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas last year, reaching the semifinals against Sierra Canyon, and wanted to try a different top high school tourney this year.
“I think our players were hungry for even better competition,” Boyd said. “We are definitely getting better each game, and learning to play together, and collectively as a team. We are a lot faster this year and trying to hang our hat on man-to-man defense, and ball pressure and not having to resort to zone.
“I’m happy we played four good games, all four days. Credit to my coaching staff. They did an excellent job on scouting teams, and watching game film and preparing our players, which was the key to our success and our team execution this weekend.”
On Monday, junior Kyndal Bridge added 11 points, Wheeler nine for Coeur d’Alene (10-2).
Lauren Wolfe, a 5-7 sophomore point guard, scored 17 points for Villa Park (12-2).
“Overall I’m excited the way we stepped up defensively, and this was a good championship bracket win, and we continue to build off this, and and looking forward to coming back home with the same mindset,” Boyd said. “Like I told the players last year, it’s not about your record and it’s not about how you start, it is how you finish. And we’re trying to do everything we can to get back on that stage at state and try to compete for a state title.”
Coeur d’Alene returns to action Jan. 2 at Ferris.
Villa Park 16 10 10 8 — 44
Coeur d’Alene 20 15 18 7 — 60
VILLA PARK — Patel 8, Auerswald 0, Martinez 6, Wolfe 17, Sturdivant 2, Roczey 11, White 0.
COEUR d’ALENE — Wheeler 9, Brown 0, Bridge 11, Wallis 5, Colvin 26, Shafer 0, Semprimoznik 7, Reardon 2, Bowmer 0.
Kellogg 67
St. Maries 25
ST. MARIES — Freshman Gretah Angle scored 19 of her 22 points in the first half as the visiting Wildcats beat the Lumberjacks in Central Idaho League play.
Dani Henrikson added 11 points for Kellogg (6-3, 2-0 CIL), which had four players in double figures.
Daisy Williams scored 12 points for St. Maries (0-6, 0-4), which returns to action Jan. 5 at home against Moscow.
Kellogg is off until playing host to Wallace on Jan. 8.
Kellogg 18 21 19 9 — 67
St. Maries 3 7 9 6 — 25
KELLOGG — Philp 4, Schillereff 0, Yrjana 0, Angle 22, Storey 10, Stutzke 10, Henrikson 11, Sorenson 0, Munoz 4, Gloyn 6.
ST. MARIES — Timken 2, Elliott 3, Martin 4, Caldwell 0, Williams 12, Boyett 2, Million 0, Spooner 2, Harvey 0.
• BOYS
Casteel (Ariz.) 75
Coeur d’Alene 62
LAS VEGAS — After scoring 53 points on Saturday, Viking senior Caden Symons attracted the attention of the Colts of suburban Phoenix on Monday.
Symons, an Evansville signee, still grinded out 30 points for Coeur d’Alene in the loss to the Colts of Queen City, Ariz., in the Spalding Bracket of the Tarkanian Classic at Coronado High.
“From the start, they face guarded and doubled Caden,” Coeur d’Alene coach Kent Leiss said.
Junior Davis Whittaker added 18 points for the Vikings (3-5), who are 0-3 in the tourney.
Sir Miles, a 5-10 senior point guard, scored 18 points for Casteel (8-3), which had four players in double figures.
“These three teams we have played are better than us right now,” Leiss said. “We came to Las Vegas to get our weaknesses exposed. We know where we need to improve. My team is playing hard and learning.”
Coeur d’Alene will conclude tourney play today vs. James Madison of Dallas, Texas, at 9 a.m. PST at Coronado High.
Casteel 38 37 — 75
Coeur d’Alene 23 39 — 62
CASTEEL — Martineau 11, Crowder 6, Miles 18, Lazor 13, Gruver 8, Sharp 16, Casper 3, McLain 0, Koehler 0.
COEUR d’ALENE — McCall 2, Braga 0, Stern 6, Wright 1, Whittaker 18, Symons 30, Priebe 5.