The past few weeks have been intense for Lakeland basketball, as both teams played their last games before the district tournament. Currently, the boys have a record of (9-7, 1-3), and the girls hold a record of (9-8, 4-5).
The boys’ team played Moscow (7-11, 0-7) on Jan. 26, but unfortunately lost 69-50. The Bears were very successful in their three-point shooting, causing the Hawks to fall behind by 22 points in the first half, a deficit that was extremely difficult to return from. Senior Kenton Ferguson led the Hawks with 17 points.
A day later, the girls slipped past the Bears by only five points. After three quarters, the girls were down by 8 points but were able to rally a win in overtime. The fourth quarter consisted of three-pointers from Karstyn Keifer and Payton Sterling as the Hawks outscored Moscow 12-4.
On Jan. 30, the boys and girls teams faced Bonner’s Ferry (12-7, 0-2).
The boys were defeated 86-53, showing room for improvement before the vital district games. Despite the loss, junior Mason Hensley led the Hawks with 10 points.
“We need to forget and realize the only thing that matters now is these few games against Sandpoint and Moscow,” Hensley said.
With this being their last league game and numerous road games ahead of them, the team will practice extra hard and obtain extreme focus.
Conversely, the girls pulled off an impressive 75-60 win against Bonner’s Ferry. Landree Simon and Lila Kiefer led Lakeland with 26 and 25 points, respectively. The girls put 26 points on the board in the fourth quarter alone, marking a team-high. Ten of the points from the final quarter were contributed by Simon and 12 by Kiefer.
On Feb. 1, the girls faced Timberlake (14-4, 2-0) in their last game before the highly anticipated tournament. Lakeland defeated the Tigers 47-42 for the first time in 11 seasons, the last time being on Nov. 29, 2012.
Simon scored 15 points for the Hawks, along with a vital layup in the last minutes of the game, pushing the lead even further. Keifer once again greatly assisted the team also by adding 14 points.
“It was a good win before our district game as we move into Moscow on Monday. Our defensive intensity led to a good offense,” Simon said.
Despite this, the girls are aware they must continue to come out strong and ensure readiness. Being able to do so will bring on a consistent game that is ridded of lows where energy and confidence are depleted.
The boys will face the Post Falls Trojans (11-6, 3-3) away in their final game before districts on Saturday, Feb. 3.
“Unfortunately, I cannot play on Saturday, but I am feeling optimistic, and I believe in the team and their abilities,” Hensley said.
The next few weeks will be mandatory for Lakeland basketball, as winning districts will be both teams’ tickets to the state tournament. One loss will be the end of the season, as it is single elimination.
