PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Brookeslee Colvin, Coeur d’Alene
Karisa Wallis, Coeur d’Alene
Kaelee Kolden, Lake City
Macy Murphey, Lake City
Brooklyn Reese, Post Falls
Kailey Walton, Post Falls
Written by: Brandon Baney
The 6A Inland Empire League has been a rough-and-tumble affair for some time. It’s not uncommon to see all three of its members (Coeur d’Alene, Lake City and Post Falls) all flourish during a particular year.
In fact, since the turn of the millennium in 2000, north Idaho has been responsible for nearly half (12 of 26) of the state championships at Idaho’s largest level.
Coeur d’Alene came within an eyelash of their 12th title in school history in 2025, suffering a 61-58 loss in overtime to eventual state champion Owyhee in the semifinals. The next day, the Vikings again tasted defeat in the third place game, falling to Madison by a single basket, 49-47.
Despite those two losses at state, Coeur d’Alene’s first season under new coach Stacy Boyd was a tremendous success. The Vikings streaked ahead to a 17-9 overall record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in IEL action.
Not to give away the entire plot, but Coeur d’Alene is heavily favored to repeat as IEL champs in 2025-26. And perhaps, this time, a play or two will bounce the Vikings’ way at state.
COEUR D’ALENE
Four starters return for Coeur d’Alene this season, headlined by junior point guard Brookeslee Colvin. The 5-foot-8 Colvin is currently ranked 36th nationally in the Class of 2027 by ESPN, and holds offers from Cal, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, TCU and Utah, among others.
Colvin will be flanked in the backcourt by senior Natalie Semprimoznik and sophomore Lexie Wheeler. Junior stretch forward Karisa Wallis also returns to the starting lineup, giving coach Boyd several offensive weapons to deploy.
“We plan to push the pace and run in transition,” says Boyd. “This team will be fast, well-rounded, and effective in full-court situations. We have strong perimeter shooting and will use motion sets with ball-screen action for our shooters.”
Boyd plans on using screens to create open looks for Colvin and Wallis, while Semprimoznik can shoot off the catch or facilitate for others.
The only starter that departed was center Kelsey Carroll. “She was a strong rebounder, and her physicality will be missed,” says Boyd. “We’ll look to get junior Hannah Shafer (the new starting center) involved playing inside-out.”
Those five, along with junior 6th man Kyndal Bridge, will also form a tight defense. “Our defense will focus on high ball pressure, active hands, and intensity,” says Boyd. “I’m excited for ability to play fast and return to our man-to-man defensive identity after relying heavily on zone last year.”
Ultimately, the ceiling is sky high for Coeur d’Alene in 2025-26. Boyd is hopeful that this year’s season will have a different ending. “We need to play with urgency and focus as we work to get back to the state tournament,” he concludes. “We left last year feeling unsatisfied and are motivated to return and finish on a better note.”
POST FALLS
The Trojans finished a nose ahead of Lake City for second place in the IEL a season ago, finishing 3-5 in league play and 8-17 overall. The Trojans nearly qualified for state via a play-in game, but fell to Capital by ten points, 53-43.
Now, the Trojans are working on their third head coach in as many years after Mike Divilibiss departed for a college job at South Dakota School of Mines after just one season.
Brian Carlson, a Post Falls boys assistant for the past 18 seasons, steps in. “For this year’s seniors, I will be their third head coach in their four-year career,” Carlson says. “I’m also the fourth head coach in the past five years overall.”
Senior guard Kailey Walton, a signee with Jessup University in California, will anchor the Trojans’ offense and defense. Juniors Brooklyn Reese and Jaya Felix, along with senior Olivia Hollenbeck, all show promise in the backcourt alongside Walton.
The real test for coach Carlson will be finding rebounding and interior defense with a relatively undersized roster.
LAKE CITY
David Pratt returns for his third season as Lake City’s head coach. A trip to the state championship game in his first year in 2024-25 was followed by an 8-14 campaign (3-5 in the IEL) a season ago.
Junior guard Macy Murphey, junior forward Ella Pearson, and senior forward Kaelee Kolden all return to the starting lineup this year. Pratt is looking for one of those three to assume the alpha role vacated by graduated forward Sadie Zimmerman. “Sadie was a great all-around player,” says Pratt. “She possessed tremendous leadership and a passion to win.”
A young Lake City team took its lumps in 2024-25, but Pratt is hopeful all of that on-the-job-training will lead to a more cohesive unit this year. “We were super young last year and lacked experience in every category,” Pratt says. “We will improve because these kids have gained some really good experience. Chemistry has been built and that will help us score better as well.”
The biggest transformation could come on the defensive side of the ball. “We are quicker and stronger than a year ago,” Pratt says. “We hope to stay healthier this year, as we lost several players last year to injury, but that said, we will be quicker and better on the glass. We want to get up and in our opponents this year. We have some depth as well that will allow us to have a more physical approach.”