Sandpoint 53, Lakeland 51

SANDPOINT — When the No. 2 Bulldogs needed to best the No. 3 Hawks for the third time this season, Logan Roos got straight to business.

The Sandpoint High junior was up to his usual self Friday night, producing a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots as Sandpoint escaped with a win over Lakeland in a 5A Inland Empire League district tournament loser-out game held at Les Rogers Court.

"Boy did we need it," Sandpoint High head coach Brian Childs said of Roos' contributions. "Our guards got in foul trouble to start the game and we needed Logan to handle the ball and be a playmaker. He did a really good job, especially in the second quarter, picking his spots to score and getting others involved."

Sophomore Knox Williams added nine points, all from downtown, and two steals for the Bulldogs, which used a 12-3 run in the first quarter to create some separation, eventually leading 37-25 by the time intermission rolled around.

To start the third, Roos hit a turnaround hook shot near the left block after an offensive rebound and Williams hit one of his three 3-pointers to extend the lead to 42-27, Sandpoint's largest lead of the game. The Bulldogs tied that margin with a 48-33 advantage late in the third, but the Hawks went on 9-0 run after a 5 1/2 minute Sandpoint scoring drought to get within six.

"We drove the ball to the basket tonight and dished off to the side — that's our strength and I thought we got away from that a bit in the second half," Childs said. "We shot a lot of 3s to start to second half, and they weren't necessarily bad shots, but when we're able to utilize Derrick (Chamberlain) and Kingston (Corbett) inside like we did in the first half ... we have to stick with that."

Lakeland cut the deficit to 53-50 with 11.8 seconds remaining. With .9 seconds left in the contest, the Hawks were granted three free throws after a foul, but were only able to convert one of the three.

"You have to give them credit; they could have quit, and there was no quit in them," Childs said. "They fought back and gave themselves an opportunity. You have to recognize how well they played, especially in the third and fourth quarters."

Lakeland High senior Mason Hensley had 30 points, 15 in each half, and was 9-for-9 from the free throw line in the contest; he was largely responsible for leading the Hawks' comeback.

"I thought we did a pretty good job on him (Mason Hensley) the first two games, but playing someone three times, it's hard — it's hard to beat somebody three times," Childs said. "He got free tonight and we tried to keep it out of his right hand, but he did a good job mixing up his drives. He's a good ball player."

Junior Kingston Corbett added eight points and seven rebounds, senior Emerik Jones six points and seven rebounds, sophomore Derrick Chamberlain six points and four rebounds for Sandpoint, which outrebounded Lakeland 32-23. The trio's work down low was a certainly a difference maker in the win.

Lakeland finishes the season with an overall record of 9-12.

No. 2 Sandpoint (11-10) will face No. 1 Lewiston (18-4), which beat No. 4 Moscow 62-47 Friday, in the 5A IEL district tournament best-of-three championship series. Game one is Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Lewiston High.

Lakeland 13 12 13 13 — 51

Sandpoint 18 19 11 5 — 53

PTS: SPT — Roos 19, Williams 9, Corbett 8, Jones 6, Chamberlain 6, Gion 2, Yarbrough 2, Iverson 1. LL — Hensley 30, Harris 5, Carrel 5, Taylor 4, Larcher 3, Cook 2, Weil 2.

REB: SPT — Roos 10, Jones 7, Corbett 7, Chamberlain 4, Leisy 2, Williams 1, Yarbrough 1. LL — Harris 6, Carrel 6, Cook 5, Taylor 2, Yager 2, Weil 1, Hillman 1.

AST: SPT — Chamberlain 2, Jones 2, Gion 2, Yarbrough 2, Iverson 1, Williams 1. LL — Harris 2, Hensley 2, Weil 1, Taylor 1, Hillman 1.

STL: SPT — Williams 2, Roos 1, Gion 1, Corbett 1, Leisy 1. LL — Hensley 2, Harris 2, Hillman 1, Roth 1, Taylor 1, Weil 1.

BLK: SPT — Roos 3, Corbett 1. LL — Cook 2.