Hillcrest rides Blakeslee’s hot hand, knocks off Twin Falls to earn finals spot

NAMPA — All season long, senior Titan Larsen has been Hillcrest’s go-to guy. Larsen led the Knights in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game — including a 44-point explosion.

He put up just five Friday, as the three-seeded Knights battled the seven-seeded Twin Falls Bruins in the 5A semifinals at the Ford Idaho Center.

Asked after the game, what he would have said his team would need to win a game while getting just five from its star, head coach Mat Barber remarked:

“We’d better get 21 from Gage Blakeslee,” he said with a laugh.

The senior point guard scored his 21 on 7-of-12 shooting from the field — and 7-of-8 from the free throw line — guiding the Knights to a 56-46 wire-to-wire victory.

After his facetious response, Barber offered a more serious one.

“We talk about it all the time — (Larsen’s) been our guy, his numbers are phenomenal,” the coach said. … “Because he’s such a good player, teams are going to focus on him and in these big tournament events, that we’ve been to a bunch, the other guys know that they can’t shy away, they’ve got to step up and make up that difference.”

Blakeslee led that approach, with his game-high point output. But the diminutive guard also matched a game-high with eight rebounds.

“Just (have to) find your guy,” he said about the key to rebounding as the smallest player on the court. “Go crash all the boards and get a body on someone — always box out.”

He said he felt his team’s need for him to score more aggressively in the second quarter, noting that this was his first time playing in the Idaho Center.

“It was a close battle, so I knew I had to lock in and give my team what they need,” Blakeslee said.

Britton Lords also finished in double-figures for the Knights, with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Twin Falls never led, falling behind 7-0 to start the game and spending the rest of the evening chasing..

Bruin head coach Mac Stannard credited Hillcrest’s defense, saying the Knight’s interior length and discipline on the outside “made life difficult for us on offense.”

Stannard also noted that Hillcrest was prepared for their offensive attack, slowing Twin Falls’ primary weapons.

“We definitely talked about their dudes,” Barber said, pointing specifically to Twin’s Ty Hess, Trey Billings and Ryker Rex. “They’re still gonna score some points because they’re really good players, but overall we did a good job.”

Hillcrest’s defense was never tougher on the Bruin trio — and the entire Twin Falls group — than it was in the third quarter, which the Knights won, 16-5.

The key to that dominant eight-minute stretch was team defense and Blakeslee’s continued eruption.

Relentlessly attacking the paint, Blakeslee scored 12 of his 21 points in the third period alone — including two and-1 three-point plays. In fact, contrary to the modern game, the 6-foot guard did all of his scoring inside, and never shot so much as a single 3-pointer.

“I’m a drive-first type of guy, always looking to pass first — find my open teammates,” Blakeslee said. “If I’m open, I’ll shoot it, but I don’t usually force nothing.”

Hillcrest, in search of its third championship in four years, earned a spot in Saturday 5A championship game with the win.

“They battled. This is a group that never backs down from a challenge, they come in with a chip on their shoulder, just like we want them to,” Barber said, adding that his team will not change its approach now. “We’re not going to change now. Focus on the gameplan — not just be satisfied with getting to Saturday night, but make sure that we follow through and leave everything out there.”