Buying and Selling

It’s buying and selling time again for the local hoops programs. As the season draws near its end for the ladies, and the league schedules get into full swing for the boys the picture is a little more clear than in past “Buying and Selling” articles, but it should give us a more accurate picture for some of our girls teams. As usual the buying and selling criteria is based on team record, current performance, and what lies ahead for them (in regard to their path to the state tournament). Buying means that I think they have a shot at postseason success, while selling means something more toward the opposite. If your squad got a “buying” tag then prove me right, and if I gave them a “selling” tag, please prove me wrong.

A lot of people tend to take this as me being mean, but it is just my honest take. I watch more Silver Valley high school sports than probably 99 percent of locals, so I feel like I'm something of an expert on the matter.

KELLOGG GIRLS Coach Jana Nearing has had her best season of her three year tenure at the helm of the Kellogg program. That being said, it appears as though her team’s hot start has cooled in recent weeks as the Wildcats have gone 1-3 in their last four games. The Wildcats have relied heavily on Hailey Cheney and Jaron Figueroa for much of their success, although they do possess weapons outside of that duo. The only issue is consistency. Both in play and in players. They haven’t been consistently healthy all season long, which has led to some interesting rotations. Kellogg is exceptionally young, with a rotation that includes six sophomores. If Kellogg wants to claim an outright berth to the State Tournament they are now going to have to beat Timberlake AT Timberlake in a district championship, to do that it will require that Figueroa and Cheney have some real backup on the floor and not inconsistency. This grade is probably the most convoluted, because I have absolute faith in this team’s ability to get to the state tournament, but not at the expense of Timberlake. They will finish second at the 3A District 1 Tournament and then they will knock off whoever they run into in the play-in game on February 13. Either way, with all of the youth in the program the future is bright for Coach Nearing and the Lady ‘Cats. Decision… BUYING!

WALLACE GIRLS The Wallace Miners would absolutely be a buying if I was writing this 11 months into the future, no questions asked. Because of their upcoming formation of a league with Lakeside and Genesis Prep, they would have an actual district tournament to play to qualify for the State Tournament and not the situation that they find themselves in this year. Once again it comes down to play-in game against a team out of the Whitepine League. This time it’s just the third place team, which appears to be Genesee, but that all could change during their tournament this week. The winner of that February 13 clash then has to knock off the second place team from the combined District 4, 5, & 6. Only then will the Miners stake their claim to a state berth. With a 13-5 record and dynamic leading scorer in Jaden House, the Miners have a real shot to win that first game, but the waters get murkier from there. Even with the availability of game film, coach Nichole Farkas will be forced to navigate the situation effectively blind, but her team this season has shown to be easily her most adaptable. The trio of House, Sarah Johnson, and Ellie Welch can cause problems for any team at the 1A DI classification, which has me confident in their ability to at least get past their final Whitepine League play-in game. I can’t speak to what happens from there though. Decision… BUYING!!! (I'm holding onto my receipt though)

MULLAN GIRLS It’s unfair, really it is. But unfortunately the North Star League only gets one team to the State Tournament despite having five teams in the league. Mullan hasn’t had a great season, but at the 1A DII level, it really can be the difference of one player and Mullan had their best player out for several games during the first part of the season after Talowa Fallingwater sprained her ankle in late November. There is no real other way to break it down besides simply saying that the North Star League was bad this year. Outside of Lakeside, who will easily walk into the State Tournament, the other four teams in the league have a combined record of 7-34 (with Genesis Prep and Kootenai have no wins). Mullan might have a puncher’s chance of nabbing a second place finish at the District 1 Tournament, but unfortunately that is where the road ends for this year’s Lady Tigers. Decision… SELLING

KELLOGG BOYS The enigma that is the Wildcat boys this year is different than the last few seasons. Some nights they’re outright killers, other nights they’re defensive superstars, some nights they’re an average basketball team. After navigating a three game stretch without leading scorer Graden Nearing where they went 2-1 (the only loss coming to Moscow), the Wildcats cruised past Priest River before losing to Timberlake in a game where they got off to a slow start. That puts them at 9-6 on the season. Now they are staring down the barrel of a schedule that includes the back half of their IML schedule, as well as a rematch with rivals St. Maries and Wallace. In a perfect world, they complete the IML schedule without any more losses and win the right to host their district tournament. But at any rate, the Wildcats haven’t lost a district tournament since 2014, no matter where they are seeded or playing. The key likely lies with senior center Gavin Luna, who has quietly made a case for IML player of the year, and could cement himself for that award should he have an explosive end of the season push for Kellogg. Luna’s scoring, rebounding, and steady leadership propelled Kellogg to state last year, so why not this year. Should the unthinkable happen and they not win a seventh consecutive district championship, they will have a winnable play-in game still available to get into the State Tournament. Decision… BUYING!!!

WALLACE BOYS It’s the long road for the Wallace Miners this year as they face a similar situation as the girls. Once their season wraps up they get the third place team out of the Whitepine League tournament. That’s where the similarities stop. While the Wallace boys feature one of North Idaho’s premier players Carter Bailey, who is capable of scoring almost at will, along with Logan Hull who has four years of varsity experience, the Miners simply don’t possess the depth necessary to compete against a Whitepine League opponent. The WPL currently has four teams either sitting in the media poll rankings or existing just outside of it (Lapwai, Potlatch, Kamiah, and Prairie). Only two teams from that league are guaranteed a spot. Whoever gets left out in the cold is going to be a difficult opponent for anyone, let alone a Wallace team that only goes seven deep (if that). I’m not concerned about the effort, coach Corey Miller has the Wallace boys playing an intense and fast game, but I just can’t see them knocking off any of the teams I listed above, and then winning another game before actually qualifying for the State Tournament. Decision… SELLING

MULLAN BOYS Somehow, it’s like fate is working against the Mullan Tigers. They have one of their better overall teams in years, but they exist in a world where Lakeside and Genesis Prep still hold the keys to the North Star League’s lone berth to the State Tournament. Sophomore Luke Trogden has emerged as the go-to guy for the Tigers, using his blend of size, strength, and skill to play bully ball when he needs to and possesses a finesse game as well. The problem really lies with Lakeside, the number one team in the state. Lakeside is an animal that none have figured out, and when it feels like teams may have thought that they did… they change their tactic. Mullan would have to play a perfect game to have a shot at knocking the Knights off, and even then Lakeside could play imperfectly and it still might not be enough for an upset to occur. The Tigers still have some youth on their side however, and while this season might not end the way they hoped they are in a good position for next year when G-Prep and Lakeside join Wallace in their new league. Decision… SELLING