Players to Watch:
Landree Simon, Lakeland
Kenna Simon, Lakeland
Ziya Munyer, Lakeland
Lola Johns, Moscow
Jackque Williams, Moscow
Kelsey Cessna, Sandpoint
Daylee Driggs, Sandpoint
Aliya Strock, Sandpoint
Written by: Will Hoenike
A glance at the 4A Inland Empire League’s honor roll from last winter shows that the league’s coach of the year returns, the newcomer of the year returns, and three members of the all-league team return.
Six returnees. Five of them are from Sandpoint.
The Bulldogs won 12 games last season and advanced to the 4A state tournament so the group has tasted success. Still, head coach William Love knows the team has some work to do if it intends to repeat as district champions.
“I believe we were the lowest scoring team to advance to the 4A state tournament at 36 points per game, so we definitely need to improve there,” Love said. “We’ve looked good shooting from the outside so far, and that will be a point of emphasis since we are not very tall. We are focusing a lot on tempo and intend to play fast, but we will do what we need to do to compete in our league.”
It helps that he has a pair of seniors who were selected to the All-IEL team in Kelsey Cessna and Daylee Driggs. He also has junior Aliya Strock, who earned Newcomer of the Year accolades. On top of that, the team welcomes back junior Karlie Banks, who did not play as a sophomore after being the league’s Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2021.
“We transitioned last year from playing primarily zone to a man defense, and I was generally pleased with how we adapted. I think another year of playing man will benefit us by the end of the season,” Love said. “If there was an all-state team for defense, I believe Daylee (Driggs) would be on it.”
Lakeland and Moscow posted matching 2-6 league records in IEL play, one game behind Sandpoint. The IEL has one league for basketball, with four teams playing in the 5A classification and the other three – Sandpoint, Lakeland, and Moscow – playing in the 4A classification. There is some crossover scheduling that impacts overall records as the 4A schools are in direct competition with much larger schools. For instance, 5A Lake City and Post Falls each boast enrollments of over 1,600 students while 4A Moscow and Lakeland have approximately 750.
Lakeland and Moscow split during the regular season in 2021-22 with home team winning teach time. The two played a third time in the district tournament with Lakeland eeking out a three-point victory.
Lakeland will be anchored by multi-sport standouts Kenna and Landree Simon for first-year head coach Tyrel Derrick. The pair combined to score 23 points in a tight, season-opening win over 5A Lewiston earlier this month. They were supported strongly in the win by Karstyn and Lila Kiefer as the Hawks adjust to life without 2021 IEL Player of the Year Addie Kiefer, who is now playing basketball at nearby North Idaho College.
Down the road in Moscow, head coach Alexa Hardick has assumed the role of athletic director on an interim basis along with coaching basketball at the school after the unfortunate passing of Lance Abendroth earlier this fall. Her team opened the season with a loss against 5A Post Falls as it continues to re-tool after losing Angela Lassen and Peyton Watson, each of whom earned All-IEL honors as seniors last season. In the loss to Post Falls, Jackque Williams pumped in a team-high 13 points while Lola Johns chipped in seven points of her own.
The battle for the district championship should be a competitive one in the 4A Inland Empire League. Sandpoint, on paper, appears to have a bit of an edge but expect strong challenges once the district tourney rolls around from both Moscow and Lakeland.