In high school sports, it is extremely rare to beat the same team three times in one season.
Though league opponents play each other no more than twice per season, they often meet in districts, making that the third season meeting between the teams.
When two teams have played each other multiple times, they are less likely to be caught off guard by a team’s game plan by the time districts roll around. For this reason, season sweeps are far less likely when teams meet a handful of times in the same season.
Despite beating the Moscow Bears (7-12, 0-5) by double-digit margins twice in the regular season, the Lakeland Hawks (11-8, 3-2) completed the season sweep in the district play-in game with a 55-42 victory on Feb. 5 at Hawk Court.
Landree Simon led both teams with 20 points, including four three-point shots. Payton Sterling also made four threes and finished with 12 points.
The Hawk’s defense was impenetrable for the first three quarters as Moscow struggled to find comfort on offense. The Bears scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, but their efforts were hardly enough to surpass 40 points.
Maya Anderson scored 13 points, and Lola Johns added 10 for the Bears.
The Hawk’s defense has become increasingly dominant as the season moves along, and the team is firing on all cylinders prior to the district championship series against the Sandpoint Bulldogs (18-3, 4-0). This matchup will be the fifth consecutive district championship between the Hawks and the Bulldogs.
The Hawks have been eyeing a rematch with the Bulldogs after getting swept in the regular season once again. Head coach Tyrel Derrick’s team believes it can compete with the defending state champs and win the league. The Hawks came into the Moscow game looking to take care of business but also looking ahead to a potential revenge series in Sandpoint.
The Hawks and Bulldogs will face off at 6 p.m. at Les Rogers Court in Sandpoint in the first game of a best-of-three series with a state bid on the line.
Simon says they went into the game trying to play at a high level because they know that’s what it will take to beat Sandpoint. The team is focused on the bigger picture: returning to the state tournament.
“Coming into the game knowing it was the only thing standing between us at Sandpoint helped us play better as a team and keep pressure on them,” Simon said. “We tried not to play to their level and get ready to play at a high level to beat Sandpoint.”
