Local teams take 1, 3, 5 seeds in 5A state tourney

EASTERN IDAHO — Three District 5-6 teams remain alive for 2025 state basketball championships, including bracket-favorite and top-seeded Preston.

One-loss Preston will begin their tournament against Jerome. Hillcrest, the three-seed, will face Columbia Thursday, while Bonneville gets Middleton.

The state tournament begins Thursday, with games at six different venues scheduled to start at noon, 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Winners will advance into the semifinal round, while losers will continue to play in hopes of claiming a consolation finish.

Here is a preview of the entire eight-team 5A bracket:

BONNEVILLE BEES
Record: 15-10
State seed: #5; District 6 runner-up
Coach: Cortland Hengel, first season
Players to watch: G Ryan Egbert, sr.; F Kayden Carson, sr.
Notes: First state appearance since winning the consolation trophy in 2017 in what’s now the 6A classification. … First winning record since the 2016-17 season. … Beat Blackfoot 80-58 in the District 6 Tournament second-place game to earn the state bid. … Season-best five-game winning streak in December and January included an East Idaho Holiday Shootout tournament championship. … Unranked in the final state media poll. … Won its only state title in 2003 and last reached the finals in 2008. … Last reached the semifinals in 2014.

COLUMBIA WILDCATS
Record: 14-12
State seed: #6; District 3 runner-up
Coach: Blaine Wright, first season
Players to watch: F Blake Hansen, sr.; G Max Keller, so.; F Marcus Deleon, fr.; G Tavin Jones, so.
Notes: At state for first time since 2019 and the second time in program history. … Finished fifth out of eight teams in the SIC regular-season standings before upsetting second-seeded Bishop Kelly and third-seeded Skyview to qualify for state. … Four of its top five leading scorers are underclassmen. … 1-3 vs. 5A state qualifiers, including a win at Twin Falls in December. … Started the season 2-7 before finishing 12-5. … Hansen leads the team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.8) and has recorded a double-double in eight straight games. … Keller (11.5 ppg), Deleon (9.0 ppg) and Jones (8.4 ppg, 3.3 assists) are other key contributors. … Never won a state title, a state trophy or a first-round game. … Unranked in the final state media poll.

HILLCREST KNIGHTS
Record: 18-5
State seed: #3; District 6 champ
Coach: Mat Barber, first season
Players to watch: F Titan Larsen, sr.; G Gage Blakeslee, sr.
Notes: Fifth straight state appearance. … Reached three straight state championship games, finishing second last season following titles in 2023 and 2022. … Riding a 12-game winning streak against 5A opponents. … Team’s leading scorer is Larsen (17.6 ppg). … Ranked second in the final state media poll.

JEROME TIGERS
Record: 11-13
State seed: #8; District 4 runners-up
Coach: Joe Messick, 18th season
Players to watch: G Anders Sheffield, sr.; G Xaiden Van Tassel, jr.; G AJ Johnson, sr.
Notes: First state tournament appearance since 2022. … Seeks first state trophy since 2021 (consolation). … Finished fourth in Great Basin Conference regular season but sneaked into the state tournament with a 63-61 win over Minico in the GBC’s true second-place game. … Sheffield hit the game-winning free throws with 1.8 seconds left. … Unranked in the final state media poll. … Won its only title in 1987. … Seeks first opening-round win since 2022. … 0-3 against the field. … Experienced team with six seniors. … Lost all-conference senior Trey Burk in December with a torn ACL. … Season-high win streak of three. … Season-high losing streak of four.

LEWISTON BENGALS
Record: 20-4
State seed: #2; District 1-2 champ
Coach: Brooks Malm, third season
Players to watch: G Royce Fisher, jr.; G Jordan Walker, jr.; F Parker Bogar, sr.
Notes: At state for first time since 2017, when it finished third in the state’s largest classification. … Moved down a classification this season due to new IHSAA rules. … Won five state titles, the last in 2009. … Ranked third in the final state media poll. … Did not play any other 5A state qualifiers. … Won eight straight games to start the season. … Second-highest scoring offense in 5A (64.3 ppg). … Third-best scoring defense in 5A (49.21).

MIDDLETON VIKINGS
Record: 17-7
State seed: #4; District 3 champ
Coach: Josh Downey, second season
Players to watch: F Blake Bishop, sr.; G Tye Cornwall, jr.; G Derrick Walker, sr.
Notes: Moved down to a classification this season after going 0-2 in Idaho’s top state tournament last year. … Defeated Skyview 59-39 in the district championship. … Started the season 1-5, playing mostly teams from the 6A SIC in nonconference. … Hasn’t played an Idaho school from outside the Treasure Valley this season. … 2-1 against the only 5A state qualifier it faced, Columbia. … Finished 12-2 in conference play. … Cornwall (15.4 ppg, 4.7 rebounds) leads the team in scoring. … Bishop (12.8 ppg, 6.3 rebounds) and Walker (6.7 ppg) are other key players. … Last won a state title and reached the finals in 2021 under current Owyhee head coach Andy Harrington. … Ranked fourth in the final state media poll. … Ninth trip to state in the past 11 years.

PRESTON INDIANS
Record: 22-1
State seed: #1; District 5 champ
Coach: Tyler Jones, 15th season
Players to watch: G/F Reggie Larsen, sr.; F Cruz Harris, sr.; G Jake Schumann, sr.
Notes: Back at state for the first time since 2021. It was still a top-5 ranked team in the state during that timespan, but its district only gets one state berth. … Wire-to-wire top-ranked team in the state media poll this season. … Enter state on a 14-game winning streak. … Only loss this season was a one-point overtime loss to 6A state qualifier Timberline in December. … Boasts both the top offense (64.7 ppg) and defense (43.8 ppg) in the classification. … Won all but three games by double figures with an average margin of victory of 20.5 points. … Jones is 285-86 (.768) and has won four of the program’s 10 championships during his tenure, the last in 2020. … Larsen (18.2 ppg, 5.2 rebounds) and Harris (17.1 ppg), 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists) are both returning all-state players. Schumann (8.3 ppg, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists) is the team’s best defender.

TWIN FALLS BRUINS
Record: 14-9
State seed: #7; District 4 champions
Coach: Mac Stannard, second season
Players to watch: F Trey Billings, so.; G Ty Hess, jr.; G Ryker Rex, sr.
Notes: Third straight state tournament appearance. … Seeking third straight state trophy (won past two consolation trophies). … Looks for first state title since 2014 and fifth overall title. … Seeks first opening-round win since 2015. … Great Basin Conference champions for the first time since 2015. … Frontloaded its schedule with nonconference and interstate opponents,
starting 0-4. … Went 9-1 in conference. … Unranked in the final state media poll. … Billings, a varsity newcomer, scored 25 points in the district championship. … Billings is the son of assistant coach Tyler Billings. … Hess is a returning starting point guard and quarterback for the football team. … Only two seniors with Rex and College of Southern Idaho baseball commit
Cooper Thompson. … Second-best in 5A defense (47.5 ppg). … 3-3 against the field.