Basketball Whip-Around: Rockland wins huge 1A showdown; Grace Lutheran bounces back

EASTERN IDAHO — Running short rotations in a game that could decide home-court advantage in the boys’ 1A district tournament, Rockland and Watersprings got all of the night’s scoring from their starting lineups.

When the dust settled on the only meeting between the two teams this season, the Bulldogs owned a victory and an advantage in the race for a conference championship.

The boy-girl Bulldog-Warrior doubleheader started with a one-sided win for Rockland.

Elsewhere in the boys’ 1A Rocky Mountain Conference, Grace Lutheran rebounded from a loss at Challis by beating Sho-Ban on the road.

Watersprings @ Rockland, boys

The Bulldogs (16-2, 8-0) rode a strong start through the finish line, slowing the Warriors (15-2, 7-1) in the first half and holding on for a 55-42 victory. With the win, Rockland is now the only team in the conference with an undefeated conference record.

Senior Korban Nelson was responsible for five of Watersprings’ nine first-quarter points. He finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, supported by fellow senior Ryan Demkowicz, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.

While the Rockland defense made things difficult for the Warriors in the first quarter, senior Woodrow Lowder and junior Xavier Parrish got off to hot starts.

Lowder, who broke out of an extended slump last Saturday at Sho-Ban, connected on a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers. Parrish added seven, including his own triple, onto Lowder’s six in the first period, helping the Bulldogs take an early 17-9 advantage.

Parrish finished the game with 18 points, while Lowder scored a game-high 22. Senior Isaac Held chipped in with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

The Warriors found their groove in the second half and threatened to make things very interesting in the fourth. With Rockland’s lead cut down to just seven and just under two minutes remaining in the game, however, junior Zach Permann, who scored just two points for the Bulldogs, came away with a game-altering steal.

All of Watersprings’ momentum was brought to an abrupt halt.

With two weeks left in the regular season, the conference is far from decided. The Bulldogs will host Challis (8-8, 4-3) on Tuesday. Two days later, they will travel to Mackay to face the Miners (15-3, 7-1).

The Warriors will be at Salmon (5-12, 0-5) with two conference games remaining on their schedule — at Challis and at home against Sho-Ban.

Grace Lutheran @ Sho-Ban, boys

The Royals (11-4, 4-4) recovered quickly from Tuesday’s 54-53 loss at Challis to beat the Chiefs (7-5, 3-4), 45-35.

Sho-Ban has now lost back-to-back games, against Grace Lutheran and Rockland, after beating North Gem (3-12, 1-7) by 73 points.

The Royals were led by senior Garrett Grayson, who scored a game-high 23 points.

Sho-Ban will host Taylor’s Crossing (8-7, 4-3) Friday, and Grace Lutheran will be at North Gem on Wednesday.

Watersprings @ Rockland, girls

The Bulldogs (14-6, 8-1) dominated from start to finish, seeing their eight-point first-quarter lead grow to 15 at halftime. Their advantage blew up in the third, when Rockland outscored the Warriors (3-14, 1-8) 27-2 in the period, before cruising to a 60-15 win.

Rockland arrives at the postseason on a sizzling hot streak. They have won their last six game, by a combined 205 points (34.16 per game). Since their Jan. 8 loss to Butte County, the Bulldogs have scored 323 points (53.83 per game) while allowing 118 (19.66 per game).