Top ranked St. Maries too much for Spartans

PRIEST RIVER – The Priest River Spartans boys basketball team had its hands full with St. Maries at home Thursday, Jan. 15, with the Lumberjacks taking an 80-24 win.

“They came out fast in the first quarter, and we kept turning the ball over to them,” Priest River coach Brian Hall says. That resulted in the Spartans trailing 36-4 at the end of the quarter.

St. Maries is the top ranked 3A team in the state, according to Max Preps and are undefeated in the Central Idaho League. They’ve only lost once this year, to Sandpoint. Priest River didn’t have an answer to the Lumberjacks top player JJ Yearout, who scored 21 points, 16 of them in that first quarter. Three other St. Maries players scored in double figures.

“Yearout had a great game and has a great supporting cast,” Hall says. “We still haven’t gelled as a team yet.”

Ian Lamanna scored 11 for the Spartans. Redinger scored seven and Lucas Matthews had six.

Priest River played a non-league game against Coeur du Christ at home Tuesday, then are off until Thursday, Jan. 29 when they have a Central Idaho League game at Kellogg.