After tight first half, Lewiston boys bounced by Lake City

Feb. 8—On Tuesday at Lewiston High School, no one was sitting higher than Lewiston boys basketball coach Brooks Malm.

Malm, as he's done all season, was sitting on a wooden stool that had him perched higher than anyone on the Bengals' bench.

Unfortunately for Lewiston, no one currently sits higher on the Class 5A boys basketball perch in the state of Idaho than opponent and Inland Empire League rival Lake City.

The Timberwolves showed why that is after a 73-49 victory against the Bengals.

"I felt like we came out and competed," Malm said. "I don't believe in moral victories, but they can hang their hats on this one."

Here's what we learned:

History doesn't repeat itself

Almost a year ago to the day, Lake City (19-0, 7-0) came here, also undefeated, but left with a blemish after Lewiston (12-6, 4-4) notched a 62-57 win.

Deja vu might have settled in early for those in attendance in this one after the Bengals' Jordan Bramlet scored the opening bucket in the first 30 seconds.

Lake City responded with a traditional three-point play from Colton Mitchell.

Bramlet then had a layup as Lewiston went back in front. He had six points, an assist and a steal in the first quarter and he had a team-high 13 points overall.

"He was able to light a spark for us," Malm said. "He's had some rough games lately, so it's nice to see him go out and get his. He's a confident kid so seeing him have a night like tonight was great to see."

In the first half, Lewiston ran its offense according to Hoyle by not rushing possessions and taking advantage of Lake City's zone defense. The Bengals were 12-for-28 (43%) from the field in the first 16 minutes.

Lewiston's efficiency also was aided by its effort on the offensive glass. Bengals 6-foot-6 post Austin Lawerence was the biggest contributor on the boards, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight points, six on putbacks.

Lawrence had a conversation with Malm earlier in the week about his role going forward with the Bengals, with Malm telling the player to go out and get every rebound possible.

"This was probably the best game that he's played all season," Malm said. "He took it upon himself to ask what he has to do to help us win. He's a senior and he wants to make it to state this year."

They were who we thought they were

Lewiston trailed Lake City 28-26 after the first 16 minutes, giving the fans some hope.

But the Timberwolves ran away with the game in the second half. They outscored the Bengals 23-9 in the third quarter and 55-23 in the final two periods.

"They came out and played like their true self," Lake City coach Jim Winger said. "They didn't let the first half bother them. Different guys came out and stepped up in every quarter."

The Timberwolves upped the pressure in the second half, which resulted in the Bengals going 7-for-29 (24%) shooting. Lake City also got star player and Virginia commit Blake Buchanan more involved. He had 12 of his game-high 21 points in the final two quarters.

"He's going to be in the NBA someday," Malm said. "He's the best player we've played all year and it's not necessarily close."

What else does Lewiston have to do?

The first half arguably was one of Lewiston's best showings all year, but it didn't matter because of the final result.

The Bengals have just four league wins, two against Class 4A opponents Sandpoint and Moscow, and two against Post Falls.

Against Coeur d'Alene and Lake City, each in the top five of the latest state media poll, the Bengals are 0-4. So when the district tournament rolls around, what does Lewiston have to do in order to make the state tournament?

For Malm, it's simple: Play defense and rebound the ball, but do it for 32 minutes.

"We've been right there in a lot of games this year," Malm said. "I'm really confident in these guys and they still have room to grow. We're taking it one day at a time and just trying to get better every day."

LAKE CITY-COEUR D'ALENE (19-0, 7-0)

Blake Buchanan 8 5-6 21, Reese Strawn 1 0-0 3, Justin Hill 0 0-0 0, Cason Miller 0 0-0 0, Deakon Kiesbuy 6 0-0 15, Zach Johnson 2 0-0 4, Kolton Mitchell 5 2-3 13, Nathan Hocking 8 1-1 17. Totals 30 8-10 73.

LEWISTON (12-6, 4-4)

Carson Way 4 2-2 12, Teigen Knewbow 0 0-0 0, Jordan Bramlet 5 1-2 13, Karson Mader 2 0-0 6, James White 1 2-2 4, Brice Bensching 0 0-2 0, Drew Hottinger 3 0-0 6, Austin Lawrence 4 0-0 8. Totals 19 5-8 49.

Lake City 17 11 23 22—73

Lewiston 18 8 9 14—49

3-point goals — Kiesbuy 3, Mitchell, Strawn, Way 2, Bramlet 2, Mader 2.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.