Hillcrest’s Kaia Kesler helped drive the Knights to their first state appearance since 2019

IDAHO FALLS – Hillcrest is headed back to the girls basketball state tournament for the first time since 2019.

For a team that started the season 0-5, that’s quite a surge with maybe a little late magic sprinkled in as the Knights needed a double-overtime buzzer-beater to down Skyline last week to keep their season alive.

In the middle of the action has been junior guard Kaia Kesler.

Kesler has been a force for the Knights this season and, as coach Ryan Taylor noted, the point guard has been the ‘motor’ that keeps the team moving.

In Saturday’s state play-in win over Mountain Home, it was Kesler setting the pace with 24 points, earning this week’s East Idaho Sports Athlete of the Week and helping send the team on to the state tournament.