Lake City girls basketball takes stellar record, high ranking into district tournament

The word “dominant” is tossed around a lot in sports.

Fans and pundits are always looking for the next dynasty. The most recent dominant basketball teams in North Idaho have resided at Lake City.

The boys team won the state title last year in undefeated fashion. This year, the girls team is trying to create a reasonable facsimile of the same.

The Timberwolves, led by first-year coach David Pratt, are 20-1 overall entering the District 1-2 tournament starting Friday, when they face fourth-seeded Lewiston at 7:30 p.m. They are ranked No. 1 in the state media poll and No. 2 by the coaches – narrowly beaten out by Boise (19-1), which Lake City defeated 49-43 on the road in its first game of the season on Nov. 16.

“The culture for winning here is outstanding,” Pratt said. “The previous coaching staff has done such a great job building a winning culture – starting with building that culture in the youth coming up. I have been able to come into a program that has been so well established, where winning is the purpose, and add my style and philosophy into things.”

Pratt, in his 15th season as a head coach, was the longtime girls coach at Mt. Spokane – with multiple Greater Spokane League titles and state tourney appearances – but his contract at the school was not renewed following last season.

The Lake City girls program, previously led by current boys coach James Anderson, has been nothing shy of excellent for the past decade. But Pratt has elevated even those lofty standards and has led the team to more wins this season than they earned last – when they were eventual state champion Coeur d’Alene’s biggest threat.

Pratt has high praise for this year’s team and believes they have the talent to win the state championship.

“They want to be coached. They want to do well,” Pratt said. “So many factors have played into this season. We are senior-laden, we have great chemistry and scoring, and turn the ball over very little.”

The Timberwolves cruised through the Inland Empire League this season, led by McDonald’s All-American nominee and future Montana Grizzly Avery Waddington.

Waddington has been a first-team All-IEL 5A player for three consecutive seasons and is considered a top-three player in the state. She averaged nearly 15 points with six rebounds and four assists per game as a junior.

Waddington, 6-foot-3, whose primary position is guard, is not the only senior who leads one of the best 5A teams in the state. Sophia Zufelt (uncommitted) and Kamryn Pickford have both been crucial components of Lake City’s 15-game winning streak. Waddington and Zufelt have both scored more than 1,000 points in their careers, and along with Pickford have played AAU basketball together for 10 years.

Senior KaLiah Frazey (Langston (Oklahoma) University) and junior Sadie Zimmerman have been consistent contributors to the Timberwolves’ success. Freshman Macy Murphey comes off the bench to provide a threat from beyond the arc.

Pratt said his seniors play with a great flow and they love succeeding as a group.

“This group of seniors are smart, hard-working, have great leadership, can push one another to be better, and work so well together,” Pratt said. “That is chemistry at its finest.”

Waddington and Zufelt, as multiyear starters, are the undisputed leaders.

“It is unbelievable when you have the experience level, the skill set, the deep passion to be coached and the leadership these two provide,” Pratt said. “Players make plays, and these two make a lot of them. They do what they need to do for our team to win.”

Lake City has played the toughest schedule possible, taking down nearly every elite 5A program at the start of the year and continuing their success for the duration of the season despite a 45-44 hiccup in its sole loss against Rocky Mountain (15-5) at home on Dec. 1.

In addition to its win over Boise, other notable nonleague wins include Owyhee (14-7), Eagle (15-7), Emerald Ridge (15-5), University (8-10) and Nooksack Valley (19-1), the No. 1 1A team in Washington. Most important for their district seeding, the Timberwolves have defeated defending state champion Coeur d’Alene twice – a 54-45 decision on Jan. 12 and 59-47 at CdA on Jan. 22.

The Vikings have missed senior guard Teagan Colvin, a UNLV commit, with a hand injury for most of the league schedule – although she did return briefly in the two schools’ rivalry game Jan. 12 before sitting out again.

Lake City is perhaps having the best season in school history, and the players won’t deny that this team has something special.

“This year has differed from others because you can tell the difference in energy levels and maturity. We all want it more than ever this year,” Zufelt said. “We have gained maturity through facing adversity throughout the years, and we are a very smart and composed team.”

Should the Timberwolves escape with a district tournament title, they should earn the No. 1 or No. 2 seed to the 5A State tournament at the Ford Idaho Center and Timberline High School in Nampa, starting Feb. 15.

“This is the best team I have been on. We have so many threats and pieces on the team that make us play at a high level,” Zufelt said. “Our high IQ, mindset and chemistry make this team so good.”

Along with the players, Pratt has fully bought into his team’s potential.

“Winning a state title would be the most special gift for this amazing group of people. To win at that level, a lot of things have to go your way,” Pratt said. “We need to continue to stay hungry, be humble and work harder than ever to keep improving on the little things.”