Rigby rallies past Madison with a strong second half to keep its perfect season alive

REXBURG – It’s going to take something special to knock the Rigby girls basketball team off its quest for a perfect season.

Rival Madison almost had that magic on Friday night.

A swarming defensive effort and a hot hand from 3-point range had the host Bobcats leading in the first half, but Rigby is the No. 1 team in the state for a reason, and that showed in the second half as the Trojans pulled away for a 60-38 win.

Rigby (19-0, 8-0) outscored Madison 36-11 in the second half, turning a close game into another double-digit win.

“For us, the mentality is next game,” Rigby coach Todd Barber said of the team’s perfect record, noting that despite the unbeaten streak, the Trojans have been challenged at times, including during Friday’s game, and have risen to that challenge.

“They’re competitive … I love how they’re ready for the next game,” he said.

“I feel like we just came out and it was a little rough the first half, but we knew we needed to pick it up,” Rigby junior Brinley Larsen said, adding the Trojans do have a chip on their shoulder when they play at rival Madison.

Regarding the unbeaten streak, Larsen said the team is definitely aware of it, but echoed her coach about focusing on each game.

For Friday’s game, that meant some adjustments at halftime.

“We just went in and said ‘We’re better than this’ and we know we can play better that this,” she said.

With the win, Rigby finished its conference season and has two games remaining against defending 5A state champion Pocatello and at Hillcrest, which is currently second in the 5A High Country Conference.

Madison (12-7, 3-4) has lost three of its past four games and sits in third place behind Rigby and Thunder Ridge.

The Bobcats play at Highland on Tuesday in a game that will determine third place in the conference

Brinley Larsen and Kinzley Larsen each finished with 21 points for Rigby.
Mia Walsh topped Madison with nine points.