THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Going far away to be better here later

In discussing his team for our season preview in November, Lake City High boys basketball coach James Anderson, noting his team’s grueling schedule in December, noted the Timberwolves could have a losing record heading into league play. 

As it turns out, Lake City is 7-6 overall heading into its 6A Inland Empire League opener, at home vs. Coeur d’Alene in the annual Fight for the Fish spirit basketball games. 

In addition to playing four Greater Spokane League teams and a southern Idaho team (Rocky Mountain of Meridian), Lake City played eight other teams from outside the area. 

The T-Wolves faced three of them at a tournament at Owyhee High in Meridian — including Damien of La Verne, Calif., and JSerra Catholic of San Juan Capistrano, Calif. 

They played Annie Wright of Tacoma at the Moda Center in Portland, then faced four other squads — including O’Dea of Seattle and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Calif. — at a tournament in San Diego. 

All but one of Lake City’s opponents have winning records — and several of them have scheduled tough foes in nonleague. Notre Dame is ranked fifth in California by MaxPreps, Damien 20th, JSerra Catholic 30th. 

Annie Wright’s lone loss was to Lake City. 

Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene also played ambitious pre-conference schedules. 

Post Falls (9-3) opened with a loss at Chiawana of Pasco, ranked fourth in Washington by MaxPreps. 

The Trojans beat Rocky, a team that won at Lake City the next night. 

Post Falls also played Kuna, Centennial and Timberline on a three-game trip to southern Idaho, and beat Madison, Thunder Ridge and Highland last week in Idaho Falls. 

Only three of Post Falls’ opponents have losing records — and the Trojans handed Centennial its lone loss, on its home floor. 

EVEN AFTER losses, Anderson, Jayson Ulrich (Post Falls) and Kent Leiss (Coeur d’Alene) have spoken of how just playing those teams were going to make their teams better in the long run. 

Coeur d’Alene (6-4), despite being the least experienced of the three teams, also tested itself in December. 

The Vikings played Star Valley of Afton, Wyo., which beat the Vikings as well as Sandpoint to open the season, but has lost five straight since. 

Coeur d’Alene also played four games at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, among them tilts vs. storied Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif., and Alta of Sandy, Utah (James Anderson’s alma mater). Overall, four of the Vikings’ opponents have winning records. 

Lake City began the week ranked third in 6A in MaxPreps. Post Falls was ranked fourth.  

Coeur d’Alene was ranked 18th, but its wins over Casteel (Ariz.) and James Madison (Texas) are not entered on MaxPreps. 

The only downside is, as fans, you wish some of those games were played a little closer to home, so you could see those teams in person.  

FINALLY, ON Tuesday, we got to see what our local teams could do against each other, when Post Falls defeated visiting Coeur d’Alene 85-62. 

“We wanted to make sure we secured a win at home, and kinda set the tone going into the next one, and the next time we play them,” Post Falls coach Jayson Ulrich said. “Kent Leiss is a really good coach, he’s been doing it longer than I have, and he’ll have some counters to it (for the next game).” 

Post Falls plays at Lake City next Wednesday, then hosts the Timberwolves on Jan. 30. 

Coeur d’Alene plays host to Lake City on Jan. 22, then is home against Post Falls two days later. 

The 6A District 1 tournament begins Feb. 21 with the 3-2 loser-out game. Sadly, thanks to this year’s math from the Idaho High School Activities Association, only one of the three teams will advance to state. 

You’d think it would come down to Post Falls vs. Lake City, last year’s state runner-up, for that one bid to state. But a team like Coeur d’Alene, inexperienced by comparison but boasting a Division I recruit in Caden Symons, who is almost unstoppable and has already scored 53 points in a game, the Vikings can never be counted out. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.