Regular Season Finale Grace at Challis: 5 Takeaways
One of the most emotional nights of any high school athletes career is senior night. The stands are filled with family and friends there to watch one last time as their athlete competes in the hopes of one final home victory. On Friday February 8th it was senior night for Challis’s 7 seniors. The atmosphere in the gym was electric, and the large home crowd on hand to support their seniors was loud.
Even though Grace had to travel 3.5 hours to get to Challis they were well represented also. The game earlier on January 30th was a very intense and close game. Grace won the game that night 52-46. So it was no surprise this game was close also.
Right from the start you could tell that this would be a very close game. Challis won the tip and wasted not time getting points on the board when Garrett Millick (2019) hit a 3 pointer. He ended up leading all scorers with 21 points for the night. On Grace’s first possession Ivor Gibbs (2020) answered with a 2 point bucket. Neither team was able to get much of a lead in the first half. Both teams committed their share of fouls with both teams getting into the double bonus early into the second quarter. Challis ended the second quarter with Mitchell Cotant (2019) hitting a deep three at the buzzer extending Challis’s lead at halftime to 31-27.
As the second half got under way both teams struggled to score much. A combination of just missing shots and turning the ball over lead to a low scoring 3rd quarter. The quarter ended with Challis up 38-32.
Things didn’t look too good for Grace in the 4th quarter. On Grace’s first possession of the 4th quarter they ran a set play and thought they got what they wanted with a open layup. However, Challis’s William Ashley (2019) showed his spectacular jumping ability by coming across the key and elevating to the rim to block the layup. With 6:13 remaining in the 4th quarter Challis lead Grace 45-34.
But that is when things turned around for Grace. Grace’s Gage Stoddard (2021) scored 4 points in a row and then threw a great pass from the top of the three point line to an open Jacob Reeves (2019) on the block for another score. Challis went without a score until 1:20 left in the 4th quarter. Grace scored 17 points in that stretch making the score Grace 51 Challis 48. Challis rallied back to get within one point but Gage Stoddard (2021) hit another shot to extend Grace’s lead back to 3 with 30 seconds left in the game. Grace was able to hold on to win the game 54-52. Know lets get to the takeaways.
Best Scoring Performance: Garrett Millick (2019) Challis
After winning the opening tip it didn’t take Millick long to hit his first 3 pointer. He continued to hit them through the whole game. He ended up hitting 5 during the game. Along with knocking down threes, he scored inside also. As the 3rd quarter ended he got a great offensive rebound and quickly put it back to score as the buzzer sounded. He ended his senior night leading all scorers with 21 points.
Best Vertical: William Ashley (2019) Challis
No question this is goes to William Ashley. In both games against Grace he has showcased his jumping ability. In the game in Grace he had a very impressive dunk. In the 4th quarter Ross Sheppard drove to the basket with Ashley trailing. Sheppard threw the ball off the backboard and Ashley elevated and threw down a one handed dunk. In this game he came across the key and elevated to the rim to block the layup of a Grace player. His jumping ability allows him to affect how other teams shoot around the basket.
Momentum Shifting Performance: Gage Stoddard (2021) Grace
With 6:13 remaining in the 4th quarter Grace was down 45-34. Stoddard got the defensive rebound and went the full length of the court for a score. Challis missed 2 free throws on the next possession and Stoddard scored again. Challis missed the front end of a 1&1 and Stoddard got the defensive rebound. This time down Stoddard was able to hit Jacob Reeves on the block with a bullet of a pass from the top of the 3 point line for another score. In the next couple possessions Stoddard assisted on 2 more scores and hit another basket of his own. His play in the last 6 minutes of the game helped shift the momentum to Grace.
These Two Will Meet Again
With the District tournament starting this coming week it is a pretty good bet we will see these two square off again. Each team plays a different opponent in the first game of the tournament on Tuesday, but it is likely they will meet on Thursday in West Jefferson for the second round of games. If they do it is sure to be another battle. According to the Idaho State Journal after Grace’s victory Friday night they are on a 21 game winning streak against conference opponents.
Grace Is Young But Resilient
Last year Grace was the team that had a large senior class similar to Challis this year. This year Grace only has one senior on its roster, Jacob Reeves (2019). Last year Reeves came off the bench for Grace. This year he is a starter along with Stockton Lloyd (2020), Ivor Gibbs (2020), Jordan Mansfield (2020), and Gage Stoddard (2021). Grace also gets significant minutes from Theo Wood (2020) and Jacob Smith (2020) . Reeves was the only one with significant varsity minutes when the season started. This hasn’t seemed to hinder Grace this year as they showed Friday they don’t give up. They will find a way to win. With a 15-5 record this year they are ranked #3 in the IdahoSports.com Class 1A Division 1 Coaches Poll.