To win one championship is hard enough, but winning two championships in a row is rare. However, on Feb. 17, the Coeur d’Alene Vikings accomplished just that. They defeated the second-seeded Lake City Timberwolves 59-48 to capture their second consecutive 5A state championship and the 11th overall championship in school history.
After their victory, senior leader and point guard Teagan Colvin caught up with Jason Elliott of the Coeur d’Alene Press to discuss winning the championship. “Everyone doubted us and didn’t think we could do it,” Colvin said. “Back-to-back, nobody thought we could get it done;, to go out and show them what we could do, that’s my favorite part of this.”
The anticipation was huge for the 2024 girls’ state tournament, especially in the 5A division. The tournament could not come fast enough with players like Boise guard Avery Howell, Colvin, Lake City guard Sophie Zufelt, and much more.
Matchups got underway Thursday, and four teams pulled away as the favorites from the start. The Vikings, being defending champs, were in that conversation but came into the tournament with the fourth seed. The favorites, the Boise Brave, led by Howell, were sure to make a deep run in the tournament.
Lake City, led by Zufelt and Montana signee Avery Waddington, looked to make some noise. The third-seeded Rigby Trojans came in off the back of an amazing regular season and looked to prove people wrong. The Trojans were led by BYU signee Kambree Barber.
The four favorites pulled through in the first round, setting up great-looking semifinals. The game between Lake City and Rigby, plus Coeur d’Alene and Boise playing in a 2023 semifinal rematch, were set to provide some fireworks.
The Brave wanted to get some revenge after falling to the Vikings 51-50 in overtime in last year’s semifinal. However, the Vikings had other plans. The two stars, USC signee Howell and UNLV signee Colvin, put on a show. Howell scored 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to try and help Boise win, including a three pointer to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
Colvin added 33 of her own, along with 18 points from her sister, freshman Brookslee Colvin. The Vikings prevailed over the Brave 58-55 to get them to their second consecutive championship.
The first semifinal was an incredible back-and-forth game, the same was expected with the second semifinal. The game certainly lived up to the hype. The Timberwolves and Trojans fought for 32 minutes. However, behind 22 points from Zufelt and a crucial defensive stop in the final seconds, the Timberwolves advanced to take on the Vikings, defeating the Trojans 56-53, setting up the team’s fourth matchup this season.
Saturday 8 p.m. came and it was time to crown a champion. With the Vikings leading 26-23 in the dying seconds of the first half, Waddington launched a three-pointer from way beyond the arc and swished it to tie the game for the Timberwolves.
The Vikings took a late lead in the third quarter and kept the 42-41 heading into the fourth quarter. In the biggest quarter of her career, Teagan Colvin took the game over, scoring 13 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter and leading the Vikings to a 58-49 victory over the Timberwolves and their second straight championship.
The Vikings, after winning 65-27 over Rocky Mountain in the championship last season, knew this one was going to be different, fifth-year Head Coach Nicole Symons told Elliott postgame. “I knew it was going to be back and forth and different from our game last year,” she said. “It was a fun game for our community and all the north up there; it was a pretty cool experience.”
Besides Colvin, senior Maddie Mitchell was also huge in the game, helping the Vikings with 10 points. Mitchell recapped the season with Elliott, saying, “This season was really special because it showed our entire team’s grind and work to get here. It shows the North girls can play, I’m glad I can end on a high note.”
Lake City’s first-year Head Coach David Pratt spoke about his thoughts on the game. “The whole game was a roller coaster,” Pratt said. “We knew it was going to be a brawl. Two rivals getting after it on that stage was great.” After the tough loss, Waddington reflected on the season and her career with Elliott at Lake City.
“It’s been a great season, and to finish this off with these girls was great. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s kind of cool to have that experience,” she said.
With the Vikings capturing their second straight, all eyes will be on getting their third in a row. For Lake City, ending the season 25-3, they will look to build off that and come back stronger in 2025.
The state tournament is always a great spectacle, teams and players give their best and let their games do the talking. Forget numbers and forget statistics, the 2024 state tournament was one to remember.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10