State championship rematch: Hillcrest holds off Pocatello’s late charge

POCATELLO – Week 1 of the boys basketball season isn’t supposed to look like state championship weekend.

Teams are still finding their rotations, former JV players are learning their roles, and in the case of Hillcrest vs. Pocatello, two new head coaches are tasked with leading programs where the only goal is playing for that blue trophy.

So it wasn’t surprising that Tuesday’s matchup between Hillcrest and Pocatello was kind of ugly for three quarters. There were a lot of missed shots, a lot of free throws, a lot of missed free throws, and not much flow or rhythm to the game.

That was in stark contrast to the last three years when Hillcrest and Pocatello met in the 4A state championship game, with both teams sporting superstar players and trying to make program history.

Pocatello won the state title last season, ending Hillcrest’s two-year reign as champion, with both of those wins coming against Pocatello.

None of that mattered Tuesday as Hillcrest held off a fourth-quarter surge by Pocatello for a 50-47 win.

Hillcrest coach Mat Barber, who is in his 13th year with the program, noted the Knights got a late start on practice because some players were on the state championship football team that played into late November.

“We’ve basically had eight practices with all of our guys right now,” Barber said. “It’s showing. No excuses because these guys are juniors and seniors, so we should be a little more crisp at this point in time.”

It was just the second game of the year for Pocatello, and both teams struggled to hit shots early on.

The Knights (2-1) led 21-11 midway through the second quarter and 28-18 at half.

The Thunder (1-1) scored the first eight points of the third quarter, forcing a Hillcrest timeout after Hunter Cordell converted a dunk with 5:35 left in the quarter.

Hillcrest went on a run of its own and led in the fourth quarter before the drama heated up.

Hunter May’s jumper with 2:07 left pulled the Thunder within 47-45. The senior had a shot to put Pocatello up on the next possession, but the ball bounced off the rim and was corralled by Hillcrest.

Hillcrest called a timeout with 1:20 left, but Pocatello’s Tavin Williams stole the ball and the Thunder called a timeout.

Pocatello couldn’t capitalize as Hillcrest hit a couple of free throws in the closing seconds and avoided some pressure defense by Pocatello to hold on for the win.

“Our team, we’ve been playing together all my life and we know how to trust each other,” said senior Titan Larsen, the Knights’ lone returning starter from a year ago. “Following each other and knowing what to do in those situations helps.”

Larsen was on the Hillcrest team that beat Pocatello in the state final in 2021 and 2022. He also agonized last year as the Thunder prevailed to earn the championship.

“We had some fire going into the game today,” Larsen said. “I know most of the team didn’t play last year or the year before, but I’ve played through those losses and wins, I just made sure the team was fired up and ready to go.”

Larsen finished with a team-high 12 points and Gage Blakeslee added 10.

Hunter Cordell topped the Thunder with 14 points and Williams scored 10.

“As you could tell out there, the flow wasn’t great at times,” Barber said. “We’re working through those things and finding and working on our chemistry on the floor and moving the basketball … We weren’t always crisp during those adverse moments, but in the end they pulled it out.”