Basketball Whip-Around: Highland, Preston, Snake River, Teton, Ririe, Watersprings all fall in semis
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TREASURE VALLEY — At halftime, Ririe had turned the ball over 18 times and made just two field goals. Yet, they were somehow still in the game against No. 1 seed St. Maries.
The Bulldogs cleaned up the turnover problem in the second half, losing possession just four times after the break. They also found some offensive rhythm behind senior Kody Landon, and were in position to pull off the upset, but the Lumberjacks did just enough to clinch a 42-37 victory and spot in the 3A championship game.
Head coach Jordan Hamilton talked after the game about the fight his team showed, especially the six seniors, who are responsible for creating a culture of success at Ririe.
“The thing I’m most proud about is the resilience of those six seniors,” Hamilton said. “They went out in the second half and played an excellent game of basketball. That’s kinda how they’ve been all year: they get knocked down, and they get right back up and go fight. It was too little, too late, but I’m still really proud of them.”
Junior Camden Stosich drilled a corner 3, cutting the St. Maries lead to two, 31-29, with 3:40 left in the game. The Lumberjacks, though, showed the tenacity of a 1-seed battling through the challenge.
Landon finished the game with six rebounds and a game-high 21 points.
The Bulldogs will face New Plymouth Saturday in the 3A third-place game, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Meridian High School.
6A
Rigby was eliminated from the tournament, losing 49-46 to Kuna at Rocky Mountain High School.
The Trojans led by as many as 19 in the game, and went into the fourth quarter holding an 15-point lead. But they scored just five points in the final period as the Kavemen stormed all the way back.
Rigby was led by senior Weston Walker, who finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Highland gave the reigning champion Storm a fight. But in the end, Owyhee was too much for the Rams, winning 66-45.
The Rams were led by juniors Colton Stucki and Stockton Moore, who scored 16 and 14 points, respectively. They will face Centennial in the 6A third-place game at Centennial High School, with tip set for noon.
5A
Preston saw its chance for back-to-back championship come to an end in a 63-60 overtime loss against Bishop Kelly, after rallying back from a seven-point deficit in the fourth.
Parker Galloway led the way for Preston, scoring 21 points.
They will face Columbia in the 5A third-place game at Rocky Mountain High School, with tip scheduled for noon.
Bonneville’s season came to an end in 77-61 defeat at the hands of the Twin Falls Bruins.
Tyler Jordan led with Bees with 16 points, but needed 26 shots.
4A
Both Snake River and Teton lost in the semifinal round and will face each other for the third-place trophy Saturday at Eagle High School.
Juniors Owen Jones (13) and Bridjer Howard (11) scored in double figures for the Panthers, who struggled offensively, shooting just 33% from the field in a 51-41 loss to Cole Valley.
The Timberwolves got 28 points from Luke Nelson, but were never able to climb out of an early 20-6 hole against reigning champion Bonners Ferry.
Tip in the 4A third-place game is set for noon.
Marsh Valley bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Snake River, beating Homedale 62-47 to secure a spot in the consolation championship, where they will face Filer at 10 a.m.
The Eagles were led, as usual, by the trio of Jaxson Smith, Tate Whitworth and Nash Guthrie. Smith finished with a game-high 23 points.
3A
Firth and Soda Springs will battle it out for the consolation trophy at Meridian High School after winning their games on Friday.
The Cougars were led by Wyatt Killpack, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Cardinals got 32 points and seven rebounds from Gavin Hansen.
2A
After falling to top-seeded Kendrick on Thursday, Grace recovered with a 56-43 victory over Valley and will play Murtaugh for the 2A consolation trophy at Vallivue High School.
Gavin Draper finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to lead the way for the Grizzlies.
1A
The Rockland Bulldogs will be District 5-6’s only chance at a blue trophy, after steamrolling Carey in the semis.
Rockland got 27 points from senior Woodrow Lowder in the 68-29 victory.
They will be the early game at the Ford Idaho Center, tipping off at 9:30 a.m.
Watersprings fell into the third-place game, following a 60-56 loss to Garden Valley.
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Seniors Korban Nelson and Ryan Demkowicz led the way for Wattersprings. Nelson finished with 27 points, while Demkowicz was the only other Warrior to finish in double figures, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Watersprings will face Carey Saturday at noon at Caldwell High School.
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