‘We had to earn it:’ Rigby holds off Madison to claim a fourth-straight district title and remain unbeaten

RIGBY – The Rigby girls basketball team will head to next week’s 6A state tournament unblemished, unbeaten, and undaunted.

The Trojans held of rival Madison 52-39 in Tuesday’s District 4-5-6 championship game to improve to 23-0 and claim their fourth straight district tournament title.

It was a similar outcome to when the two teams met last month in the regular season.

In that game, Rigby led early, but Madison kept it close and was within striking distance before the Trojans closed it out strong for the double-digit win.

“We just have to keep playing like we’re playing,” Rigby coach Todd Barber said following the postgame celebration that included cutting down the net and plenty of pictures. “We’ll be ready to play next week at state.”

Madison will play at Thunder Ridge on Thursday with the winner earning the district’s second berth to the state tournament. The Titans beat Highland 38-35 on Tuesday.

Just as in the previous game between the Trojans and the Bobcats, Barber noted that Madison always presents a challenge and it’s a good playoff-level test every time they meet up.

“We were forced to get a stop and we were forced to go get a bucket, so that was good for us,” he said. “I like to see that … the girls showed some composure in that fourth quarter … We had to earn it.”

Madison (15-9) had just three points in the first quarter and trailed 27-15 at the half.

The Bobcats pulled within 36-28 in the third and cut a double-digit deficit down to 43-35 on a 3-pointer by Jaylyn Shaw midway through the fourth, but the Trojans hit their free throws down the stretch to eventually pull away and secure the victory.

“We do it for our teammates and stay in the game for each other,” senior Lauren Burnside said of the team’s momentum and unbeaten streak heading into the state tournament. “We’re not doing it for ourselves, we’re doing it for our teammates.”

Burnside, the East Idaho Sports Player of the Game, finished with six points, but was a force inside with her rebounding and defensive prowess.

“My role is defense and rebounds,” she said. “That’s always been what I’m good at and always been what I’ve done. I think we all do our roles well and that’s how we get wins.”

“She’s relentless,” Barber added.

Brinley Larsen finished with a team-high 16 points and Kinzley Larsen had 12 points. Bailey Barber added 11 points.

Aspen Boice topped Madison with 13 points.

“It’s been an unbelievable season,” Barber said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these girls. I’m just so lucky to be able to coach them this year. We’re not done yet. We’re going to go and finish our second goal and that’s to get a state championship.”