PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Coeur d'Alene falls at Big Sky despite Symons’ 44

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Coeur d’Alene Vikings fell behind by 15 points at halftime in a 76-60 loss to Big Sky on Saturday. 

Caden Symons, the Evansville signee, poured in 44 points for Coeur d’Alene (7-13). It was the third 40-plus game for Symons this year, and second in three days. Symons scored 43 in a win over Sandpoint on Thursday. 

Symons, the Vikings’ career leading scorer, is averaging 30.4 points per game this season. 

"We really struggled today defensively,” Coeur d’Alene coach Kent Leiss said. “We aren’t tough enough mentally or physically to handle three games in five days. Most of our guys looked tired. We were a step slow all day.” 

Josiah Boone scored 20 points for Big Sky (6-9). 

Coeur d’Alene returns to action Feb. 17 at home vs. Lakeland in the Vikings’ regular season finale. 

“We have a 10-day window to practice and work on our weaknesses,” Leiss said. 

Coeur d’Alene     12    15    14    19    —    60 

Big Sky     20    22    18    17    —    76 

COEUR d’ALENE — McCall 2, Braga 2, Stern 2, Murrell 0, Wright 0, Whittaker 5, Symons 44, Priebe 5, Stevens 0. 

BIG SKY — Fines 2, Br. Williams 8, Bl. Williams 12, Ramos 3, Schultz 8, Kasberg 8, Silberstein 6, Boone 20, McGowan 6, Batt 4. 

St. Maries 56 

Moscow 41 

ST. MARIES — Senior JJ Yearout scored 20 points and became the seventh Lumberjack boys basketball player to reach 1,000 career points in the nonleague win over the Bears. 

Yearout reached the milestone with a steal and layup late in the third quarter for St. Maries (12-3). He’s now at 1,005 career points. 

“The last two nights, he hasn’t forced the issue at all; he’s gotten assists to go with his points, he’s been playing team basketball,” St. Maries coach Bryan Chase said. “He was engaged in winning, first and foremost.” 

Yearout, who scored a career-high 36 against Priest River on Friday night, also had seven rebounds and five assists.  

Ed Haskins, who played on St. Maries’ 1960 state championship team, is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,717. 

Landon Riberich had 14 points and four rebounds for St. Maries. Jack Barta had four assists. Brock Barta had 10 points, three assists and three steals off the bench, including back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to quell a Moscow rally. 

Marcus Speakman had seven rebounds off the bench.  

Abram Godfrey scored 19 points for Moscow (3-15). 

St. Maries travels to Timberlake on Tuesday. 

Moscow     9    14    7    11    —    41 

St. Maries     18    14    14    10    —    56 

MOSCOW — Lethinger 0, Godfrey 19, Frei 10, Couch 0, Brown 2, Pike 2, Carr 0, Maxzer 1, Gordon 1, Mordhorst 6. 

ST. MARIES — Harold 0, Dickison 0, Pugh 0, J. Barta 1, Yearout 20, B. Barta 10, Riberich 14, Chatigny 0, Speakman 4, Sloper 7, Blackwell 0. 

Christian Center 56 

N.I. Christian 54 

SPOKANE VALLEY — Junior Cyrus Coppinger hit three 3-pointers and tossed in 26 points as the top-seeded Lions from Hayden beat the second-seeded Royals from Hayden to win their second Mountain Christian League tournament championship in three years at The Oaks. 

Sophomore Colt Quimby added 14 points for Christian Center School (17-3), which this year won the gold ball for the regular-season championship for the first time. 

Junior James Morast scored 20 points, senior Jack Johnston 19 for North Idaho Christian School (16-7). 

N.I. Christian     15    11    18    10    —    54 

Christian Cen.     12    15    21    8    —    56 

NORTH IDAHO CHRISTIAN — Holte 4, Trevena 4, Morast 20, Johnston 19, Swartz 3, Malinauskas 0, Sakae 0, Finney 0, Ruis 4. 

CHRISTIAN CENTER SCHOOL — Miller 4, Secrest 4, Kellmer 0, Vara 9, Coppinger 26, McWhorter 3, Cotten 6, Quimby 14. 

    Photo by ANTHONY MAMETIEFF @amflickz (instagram) The Christian Center School boys basketball team won the Mountain Christian League tournament championship Saturday night at The Oaks in Spokane Valley. From left are Cyrus Coppinger, Luke McWhorter, Jaden Alexander, Ezra Secrest, Kambric Cotten, Elijah Kellmer, Kado Miller, JJ Vara, Ezra Milbourne, Colt Quimby, coach Caleb Gerig, coach Justin Coppinger and coach Jorge Vara II.