STATE 5A GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: Top-seeded Lakeland seeks first title since 2002
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 3 months AGO
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Second-year Lakeland coach Caelyn Caulfield, center, gives instructions during a timeout during the 5A Region 1 girls basketball championship game against Sandpoint on Feb. 10 in Rathdrum. Lakeland opens at state against Columbia High of Nampa on Thursday at Mountain View High in Meridian.
By JASON ELLIOTT
Sports writer
The work started shortly after last season ended.
The reward, we’ll see.
After missing out on the state 5A tournament last season, Lakeland is back this season, sitting on the top of the bracket as the tournament’s top seed.
“It’s just been them trusting each other and believing,” said second-year Lakeland coach Caelyn Caulfield, whose team finished 15-7 last year, but was swept in the best-of-3 championship series by Sandpoint after beating the Bulldogs twice during the regular season. “They’re buying into what we’re trying to do and working hard each and every day. It’s just been them playing for each other.”
Lakeland (18-4) opens at state against eighth-seeded Columbia (14-8) of Nampa on Thursday at 11 p.m. PST at Mountain View High in Meridian.
The Hawks, with only one senior this season, went 1-2 at state in 2024, their first trip since 2019.
“I think we’re a lot stronger this year,” said junior Macy Bretveld, who was a freshman on that team. “We’re so much better on the defensive end and getting in there and getting those boards. On offense, it just works collectively all the time.”
Lakeland is averaging 59.7 points per game this season.
“We’ve really just wanted to push the ball a little more and get the ball out to our 3-point shooters,” Bretveld said. “We’re going into our posts a lot more, and it’s worked out for us.”
Freshman Jaeli Hoffman is averaging 16.7 points per game, and Karstyn Kiefer, the team's lone senior, is averaging 10.5 points and 5.1 assists per game. Bretveld is averaging 10.4 points per game.
“They’re guarding each other in practice, so our defense has been really great,” Caulfield said. “They’re always against that pressure, so they know on offense they’ve got the green light to get it and go. Our best offense is our transition and getting them to go. And we’ve got spot up shooters like Presley (Fagan) and Jaeli that can get going and Karstyn does a good job of taking care of the ball.”
Lakeland has three wins over Sandpoint, the No. 2 seed in the 5A tournament, and another over Pocatello, the fourth seed. Lakeland beat Pocatello 63-47 in the East Idaho Shootout in Idaho Falls on Dec. 31.
Wins by Lakeland and Pocatello would set up a semifinal rematch on Friday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
“We’re a little bit nervous,” Bretveld said. “But we know if we go down there and play the way we’re capable of, we’ll be just fine.”
“It was a really cool atmosphere to play in,” Kiefer said of the Idaho Center, where the Hawks played their semifinal game two years ago. “It would be cool to go down there and do a little better than we did last time.”
Lakeland lost that semifinal game two years ago, 68-42 to Shelley, then fell to Pocatello in the third-place game.
Two of Lakeland’s four losses this season have come to 6A Coeur d’Alene and 4A Timberlake, who also qualified for their respective state tournaments.
“For us, it’s just about the next game,” Caulfield said. “We’ve just told them to keep doing what they’re doing. It’s going to get loud outside of us. The most important thing is just doing what we do and getting to state and showing them what Lakeland basketball is all about.”
Lakeland has won three state titles in program history, the first in 1989 under coach Mike Bayley. The Hawks also won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 under Steve Seymour.
As for any added pressure as the top seed, Caulfield, who was an assistant coach under Tyrel Derrick two years ago, is embracing it.
Especially after being tested three times by Sandpoint (19-5) on three separate occasions this season.
As for a possible fourth meeting with Sandpoint in the title game …
“Having to play another one of our teams, it’s tough,” Caulfield said. “But I’m glad that we get to have two teams down there this year because we represent a good portion of Idaho basketball.”
Bretveld and Kiefer are the only two players still around from that state team from two years ago.
“We’re going to have to show some grit and do all the little things to get there,” Kiefer said. “We need to stay together the entire time and play as a group. Seeing Sandpoint again would be amazing.”