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One of the biggest questions I continually receive during our exercise of publishing the Idaho Girls Basketball Top 25 Daily rankings, goes something like this:

How can Post Falls, at 17-0, only be ranked fifth?

The answer is complicated.  As a reminder, this isn't my personal rankings of the 25 best teams in Idaho.  This is what the supercomputers at IdahoSports.com headquarters have determined via the IdahoSports.com Power Rankings.  Factors considered are: margin of victory (with no cap), size of opponent, strength of schedule, and whether the win came on the road or at home.

One piece of the formula that isn't perfect (in my opinion) is assessing games against out-of-state opponents.  Currently, a blanket value is assigned based upon the size of the school.  We don't have a good way to distinguish between a win over a 2-7 squad or a 7-2 team.

And that's where Post Falls gets dinged a bit.  The Trojans have faced six Washington opponents this year.  Another ding on Post Falls' resume is a number of close contests: wins by ten points or less against Rocky Mountain, Eagle, Sandpoint and Mountain View.

But remember: this is just a fun exercise.  It's another way of looking at how teams could be ranked in the state of Idaho.

I will say that Post Falls in general hasn't been receiving enough attention this year.  The Trojans can't even break into the Top 5 of our weekly Coaches Poll, for crying out loud.

So, following a night when no team in our Top 25 played, let's take a moment to give Post Falls their due.

So, how does a team start 17-0 with a difficult overall schedule?  "The key to our success is the great supporting cast surrounding one of the best players in the state," said first-year head coach Brian Hall.

Senior post Capri Sims, a Central Washington University commit, is the player coach Hall alluded to in the above quote.  Sims stands 6-foot-even and is averaging 20.2 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, 2.4 steals per game, and 0.9 blocks per game.

But one player alone can't win 17 games.  "We have outstanding shooters and a helper inside," said Hall. 

Junior Kinlee McLean has been a welcome addition to the varsity team this year, averaging 8.2 points per game this year while shooting 40% from three-point range. 

Fellow junior Brooklynn Brennan averages 12.7 points per game, while sophomore Myckenzee Mitley averages 11.5 points per contest.

Junior Letti Asper is the "helper" inside, as the 6-footer is averaging 8.6 points per game and 5.5 boards per contest.

What makes this coalition even more impressive is that all of those players I just mentioned are relatively new to varsity competition.  "Sims is the the only player who earned significant playing time last year," said Hall.  "The players that watched last year's team have stepped up to the challenges we have faced this season."

Last year's team went 19-9 overall, and earned a bid to state by virtue of a 75-72 upset win over Coeur d'Alene at districts and a 52-39 win over Owyhee in a state tournament play-in game.  The Vikings and Trojans, along with Lake City, are a combined 43-5 this year, which means that once again, a very talented team will be left home, while the second-place finisher will have to take the extra step of winning the play-in game to advance to the state tourney.

Post Falls' journey to return to state starts tonight when the Trojans travel to Lake City.  That's followed by a home game with Coeur d'Alene on Friday, January 20th, a road trip to CDA on Thursday, January 26th, and the regular season finale at home against Lake City on Tuesday, January 31st.

That's right: Post Falls' final four games of the regular season are exclusively against Lake City and Coeur d'Alene.  Buckle up, the final two weeks of January will be a wild ride.

"We still have work to do to get to state," Hall admitted.  "It'll be a tough road but if we can play our game, we have a good chance."

Here's the rest of the Top 25 Daily Girls Basketball Rankings:

CLASS 5A

1. Boise (16-1)
2. Thunder Ridge (17-0)
3. Rigby (15-2)
4. Timberline (15-3)
5. Post Falls (17-0)

CLASS 4A

1. Shelley (15-1)
2. Bishop Kelly (13-3)
3. Mountain Home (14-3)

CLASS 3A

1. Parma (15-2)
2. Weiser (15-2)
3. Snake River (14-3)

CLASS 2A

1. Melba (18-0)
2. North Fremont (13-2)
3. Soda Springs (14-3)
4. Cole Valley Christian (13-4)
5. West Side (11-5)
6. Ambrose (11-6)

CLASS 1AD1

1. Lapwai (15-1)
2. Raft River (13-2)
3. Carey (12-2)
4. Murtaugh (12-4) 

CLASS 1AD2

1. Mackay (15-2)
2. Rockland (15-3)
3. Leadore (13-2)
4. Dietrich (12-3)

IN: None
OUT: None

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