10 Best: Idaho Falls at Blackfoot
Last night Idaho Falls made the trip down I-15 to take on High Country Conference foe Blackfoot. Idaho Falls came into the season ranked first in their conference. Blackfoot began the season ranked fourth in the conference.
Idaho Falls got off to a quick start by scoring the first 8 points of the game. With 3:14 left in the first quarter Blackfoot scored it’s first points of the game making the score 10-2. By the end of the first quarter Blackfoot had fought back to within 2 points to end the quarter with the score Idaho Falls 15 and Blackfoot 13.
In the second quarter each team made some short runs. Idaho Falls would jump ahead but before they could pull to far away Blackfoot would fight back and pull within a couple points. At halftime it was still a very close game with Idaho Falls leading 34-28.
The second half started out with both teams trading turnovers. Blackfoot showed some signs of starting to get things rolling when Jett Shelley (2020) hit a nice floater to start the scoring. But Idaho Falls point guard Kalvin Bowen (2019) answered by scoring on back to back drives to the basket. Despite a great scoring effort by Blackfoot’s Reece Robinson (2020) with 17 points, and Dexter Hale (2019) with 14 points, Blackfoot just wasn’t able to stop Idaho Falls and Kalvin Bowen (2019) who ended up with 22 points. Idaho Falls won the game 72-59.
Now on to the best…….
MVP- Kalvin Bowen (2019)
Bowen (2019) is a very very quick guard. Multiple times through the game he was able to get to the rim and score the and one. He was the catalyst for Idaho Falls. 14 of his 22 points were scored in the second half of the game. He also sees the court very well and can hit the open man when the defense rotates to help on him. Toward the end of the game Blackfoot tried a full court press. Bowen (2019) was able to dribble through and break the press.
Play of the Game- Kenyion Clark (2020) Dunk
This came early in the first quarter by Idaho Falls. It got started by Idaho Falls getting the defensive rebound and quickly throwing the outlet pass to Bowen (2019). He who took a couple dribbles past half court and threw an alley-oop to Kenyion Clark (2020) for a two handed dunk.
Best Offensive Performance- Robinson (2020) & Hale (2019)
This belongs to Reece Robinson (2020) & Dexter Hale (2019) of Blackfoot. Even though they didn’t win the game, these two were able to help keep Blackfoot close. They consistently hit shots through the game to pull Blackfoot back to within a few points.
Best Defensive Performance- Blackfoot
This goes to the Blackfoot team. They did a good job of neutralizing the size advantage that Idaho Falls had with 6’10” Paul Wilson (2019). Right from the start they were able to body up on him and make him work for everything he got. Wilson (2019) got in foul trouble early and wasn’t able to dominate on the glass. Blackfoot’s tallest player is listed at 6’3″.
Best Guy Off The Bench- Braxton Ball (2019)
This was Braxton Ball (2019) from Idaho Falls. He came in for Wilson (2019) when he got into foul trouble and was able to score and help keep Idaho Falls momentum going.
Best Rebounder- Kenyion Clark (2020)
Kenyion Clark (2020) seemed to always get the rebound when Idaho Falls needed it. In the second half he was able to grab the defensive rebound and cut short Blackfoot’s attempts to score. As we saw in the first quarter with his dunk he has a good vertical and is able to high point the ball to secure the rebound.
Best Underclassman- Jaxon Sorenson (2021)
Jaxon Sorenson (2021) came in multiple times during the game and was able to contribute by scoring points and getting rebounds. He was also a solid defender.
Best Passer- Kalvin Bowen (2019)
Kalvin Bowen (2019) is not only an exceptional ball handler, he is also a great passer. As the game progressed, the defense started to really sag and help on him as he drove to the basket. As they did he was able to identify the open man and get him the ball. Toward the end of the game Blackfoot tried a full court press to try and create some turnovers. Bowen (2019) was able to dribble through and break the press by finding his open teammates.
Best Intangibles- Brayden Wright (2020)
Brayden Wright (2020) came off the bench in the second quarter and gave Blackfoot a boost of energy. He was on the floor after loose balls and worked hard on both ends of the court.
Best Under-The-Radar- Kenyion Clark (2020)
Kenyion Clark (2020) showed a lot of potential with his athleticism and ability to get up and down the court. He scored 11 points against Blackfoot and had some key rebounds. He will be one to watch as the season progresses.