STATE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS: Lakeside eyes another trip to title game

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

Can a team that has played in the state championship game three times in the last six seasons, winning two of them, actually “sneak” into another title game? 

The team alluded to above, the Lakeside Knights, came home from state last year without a trophy — the first time that’s happened during their recent run of five state trips in six seasons. 

But most of the Knights’ key players are back this year — a year older, and in the case of their four-year standout, healthier too. 

Lakeside (19-2), the second seed, hopes to earn a shot at top-seeded Kendrick (20-3) in the finals. 

“Kendrick’s going to be tough, but I think we’re faster than they are,” ninth-year Lakeside coach James Twoteeth said. 

Lakeside, which lost in the third-place game at state last year, opens state Thursday vs. seventh seed Rimrock (18-5) at 6 p.m. PST at Vallivue High in Caldwell. 

“We’re just a little older, a little more mature,” Twoteeth said. “Some of the reserves are a little older. They’re not like freshmen; they don’t turn the ball over.” 

Senior Tyson Charley, who as a freshman started on the Lakeside team that upset Kase Wynott and Lapwai in the 2023 state title game, ending the Wildcats' 62-game winning streak, suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in December of his junior season, and played through it. 

“I asked the doctor if I could and he said he wouldn’t recommend it,” Charley said. “But us rez boys, we play through injuries.”

“I wasn’t telling nobody,” senior Hallah Peone said, “because we needed him.”  

Charley, who averages 20.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 4.4 steals, said his knee is “all good” now, especially since the holiday break, and said he’s “100 percent” now. 

Peone has been Charley’s scoring sidekick these past two seasons. This year, he’s averaging 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals, and has a team-high 43 3-pointers. 

As a freshman, Peone cheered from the bench as Charley and the older players led Lakeside to that state title. 

“It was the best feeling ever, even though I didn’t get to play,” Peone recalled. 

But Peone, who grew up on the same street as former Lakeside star and current North Idaho College sophomore Vander Brown, and played against him on the hoop in the street in front of Peone’s house, knew his time would come. 

"He’s meant a lot,” Charley said. “He’s always been this type of player, just, we had a lot of players like Brutus (SiJohn), Liam (Hendrickx), Qwincy (Hall) ... but he was always ready.” 

Freshman Teagan Brown is averaging 11.8 points per game. 

“Teagan has been a real blessing,” Twoteeth said. “He’s really quick, really fast. As a freshman he’s got all the confidence in the world. He just came in and uplifted those younger guys. They play better when he’s in there because he’s just going full speed, and he’s not scared. They’re learning that from him.”   

Lakeside has beaten Prairie (17-6) of Cottonwood, the third seed, twice this season, by 15 points at home and by 28 at Cottonwood.  

Prairie has beaten Kendrick once in three meetings. The win came the night after the Pirates lost to the Knights. 

Lakeside and Prairie could meet in the semifinals. Kendrick is on the other side of the bracket. 

The Knights have to get there, of course, but if they meet up with Kendrick in the title game ... 

“I think we match up with them pretty good,” Twoteeth said. “Everybody thinks they’re all big and tall and strong, but our top three players are a little bit better than their top three. I think we match up pretty good that way. They like to try to slow it down, and of course we want to push it, get out and run, and try to wear them out. 

“Playing Prairie was good, because they’re like the mirror of (Kendrick),” Twoteeth added. “They’re way bigger than us, but we kinda outran ‘em. I’m glad we got them on the schedule.”