Roundup: State semifinals set as area teams punch their tickets

Ten eastern Idaho teams advanced to the state championship semifinals with victories on Thursday.

Here’s a roundup of some of the action.

6A

Eagle 73, Madison 51
The top-seeded Mustangs pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring No. 8 Madison 23-11 and led by 25 points in the second half.

Brodie Spencer finished with 15 points off the bench, and Mia Walsh added 13 points. Torey Parker led the Bobcats (16-10) with eight rebounds.

Berkley Jones led Eagle (23-2) with 24 points and eight rebounds.

4A

Sugar-Salem 60, Kimberly 44
Make that 50 consecutive wins for the Diggers.

Sugar-Salem (24-0) led from the start, scoring 23 points off of 19 turnovers and outrebounding the Bulldogs 44-30.

Tasha Larsen led Sugar-Salem with 21 points and Kalena Dayley added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Andee Petterson nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine assists.

Marsh Valley 53, Fruitland 50
The Eagles held off a late charge by the Grizzlies to advance to Friday’s semifinals, where they play top-seeded Sugar-Salem.

Zayli Merzlock finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, and also added three blocks.

Tayzlee Belnap scored 11 points for the Eagles, who put up a winning record for the first time in five years.

The 21-6 record is the best for Marsh Valley since 2016 when they played for the state title.

Bear Lake 43, Filer 29
The Bears took another step toward their third straight title-game appearance.

Bear Lake (21-4) held Filer to just nine field goals and 22% shooting, and gave up just 10 points in the second half.

Halle Wells finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Bear Lake, which will take on No. 3 Timberlake in Friday’s semifinals.

2A

Butte County 71, Vision Charter 38
Top-seeded Butte County put up 31 points in the first quarter and dispatched of the Eagles.

The Pirates (18-5) shot 61% in the first half, including hitting 6 of 10 3-pointers.

Hazel Gamett and Brynn Andersen each finished with 12 points. Jessie Ashton led with 10 rebounds.

1A

Deary 49, Rockland 49
Neither team shot well, but the Mustangs pulled away in the second half, sparked by a 16-2 run.

Mahana Hatch led the Bulldogs with eight points off the bench and also grabbed 13 rebounds.

Mackay 59, Dietrich 51
The Miners trailed by a basket at the half, but survived a tight game to move onto the semifinals.

Four players scored in double figures, led by Jaida Rodriquez with 18 points. Makelle Holt and Alyssa Pehrson each scored 13 points and Danika Seefried added 11 points and 17 rebounds.

It’s the first state tournament win for Mackay in its past three appearances.

No. 2 seed Mackay (20-2) will play No. 6 seed Nezperce on Friday.