Malad doubles up Kellogg; Firth erupts late against West Side; Ririe falls to Grangeville

KUNA — Malad senior Izzy Haycock did something she doesn’t do often Thursday, launching from beyond the arc on the Dragons’ first possession of the game.

After the game, Haycock joked that her shot felt good during warmups, so she figured she would fire away. But after the shot clanged off the front iron, she realized she was several feet beyond the 3-point line.

“After I shot it, I kinda looked down and thought, ‘Well, I kinda screwed up a little bit,'” she said with a laugh.

Haycock and her team did not screw anything up the rest of the game. Even after Kellogg answered with a made 3 on the other end, the top-seeded Dragons torched the Wildcats, 70-35, in Thursday’s first round of the state basketball championships at Kuna High School.

Kellogg junior co-captain Jordyn Stutzke cashed in from deep to start the afternoon’s scoring, delivering the game’s first jolt of emotion to her bench.

But Malad followed with a 22-to-nothing run, and carried a 26-5 lead into the second quarter.

Malad’s offense came from everywhere, with five players scoring seven or more points. But it was the defense that stole the show, as the Wildcats’ every effort to create scoring chances was denied.

The Dragons combined for more steals and blocks (14) than total field goals allowed (11).

Head coach Trevor Jones, echoing the sentiment put forth by nearly every basketball coach ever, said that he preaches the importance of winning the turnover and rebounding battles. Malad out-rebounded the Wildcats 43-30.

Both Haycock, who played a key role in that defensive effort with three steals, and Jones used the same word when discussing the work Malad has put in on its team defense: “Pride.”

“We know we can score, we know we can put up a lot of numbers. But every night’s different — sometimes it’s not falling, so they’ve worked really hard this year on being defensively sound,” the coach said.

“We work really hard on defense,” Haycock added. “We have five different defenses that we run, and we switch in and out, which makes it really hard for teams. We take a lot of pride in our defense.”

Kellogg found a little more room on offense in the second quarter, but still lost ground as the Dragons continued to burn it up on their offensive end, taking a 40-17 advantage into the half.

Any room the 3A bracket’s 8-seed found in the second quarter was taken away in the third by the bracket’s top seed, as Kellogg scored just three points in the third.

A massive 55-20 lead heading into the fourth allowed Jones to bench his starters for nearly the entirety of the final period. He agreed that he could hardly have scripted a better outcome than what his team turned in.

“It’s always great to come up here and get the jitters out, play a good game where the girls are firing,” Jones told EastIdahoSports.com. “Also, it’s nice to get a little rest out there — it’s a long tournament, we’ve got three days of it, and it adds up every minute you’re out there.”

With a rotation of JV players — mostly freshmen and sophomores — facing Kellogg’s starters, Malad gave a little ground back in the fourth. The Wildcats scored 15 in the fourth, including eight from Stutzke, who finished with a game-high 16.

Haycock finished with a team-leading 12 points, with fellow seniors Brynnlee Jones (11) and Mikell Keetch (10) joining her in double-figures. In all, 10 Dragons scored points, which is something their coach said is a strength.

“The ultimate goal is, every person on the floor is a weapon, and that starts at practice,” Jones said, adding that the coaches, teammates and most importantly the players themselves trust that they can make the shot when the team finds them.

Haycock, who was on the court when the final buzzer sounded in last year’s 3A state championship game, with Malad trailing by three, spoke about the different approach the Dragons brought with them this year.

“Coming off of last year’s loss, we said, ‘We’re not overlooking anyone,'” she said. “Coach Trevor said at practice the other day, ‘I don’t care if we’re up 60, 70, you push the whole time.’ That no-mercy mentality — we want that title.”

Grangeville vs. Ririe

Ririe struggled to get its offense going against Grangeville in the battle of the Bulldogs, losing 47-39.

With the win, Grangeville earned a rematch with Malad after losing 48-36 to the Dragons in the semifinals last year. They were led by sophomore Autumn Long, who finished with a game-high 19 points.

Ririe was paced by senior McKall Marsh, with 10. They will face Kellogg in a noon elimination game on Friday.

Grangeville and Malad will renew hostilities at 5 p.m.

Firth vs. West Side

The Cougars turned a tight contest into a blowout late, outscoring the Pirates 22-6 in the fourth quarter en route to a 53-37 victory.

Firth was led by junior Baylie Mecham and senior Georgianna Jolley, who scored 17 and 14 points, respectively. West Side got a team-high 10 from sophomore Tess Ward.

The Pirates will be back in action at 2 p.m. Friday, facing New Plymouth, who lost to Ambrose in Thursday’s opening round.

Firth will face Ambrose at 7 p.m., with spot in the championship, against the Malad-Grangeville winner, on the line.