State Tournament Roundup
The State Tournament is in full swing with semifinals and finals taking place the past couple days. Let’s take a look at the latest results. These kids are inching closer to their goal of being State Champs! Marsh Valley Advances…
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Continue ReadingThe State Tournament is in full swing with semifinals and finals taking place the past couple days. Let’s take a look at the latest results. These kids are inching closer to their goal of being State Champs!
Marsh Valley Advances to Title Game
Marsh Valley advanced to the 3A state title game with a 56-47 win over Teton on Friday.
The Eagles are now one victory away from joining the 1988 Marsh Valley team as the only two boys basketball state-championship-winning squads in program history.
And to get there, Marsh Valley hardly had a scare. The Eagles led by eight at halftime and had a double-digit advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Teton couldn’t rally. The squad earned at it the charity stripe shooting 30 free throws and scored a dozen more points than Teton from the line.
Junior guard Payton Howe scored a game-high 17 points and senior Bracken Howell Bracken Howell 6'1" | SG Marsh Valley | 2021 State ID contributed 16 for the Eagles. It was an all-around performance and Marsh Valley has been getting contributions from everyone making them difficult to guard.
Marsh Valley will play in the 3A State Championship Game against McCall-Donnelly at the Ford Idaho Center on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Braden Hess, the Unsung Hero
The final play wasn’t supposed to go to Braden Hess. Preston wanted to get the ball to Gabe Hammons, who was working the baseline of Bishop Kelly’s 2-3 zone defense and using a screen from Hess to get open in the corner.
But the gravity of Preston’s best shooter was such that, as he flashed by, the outside defender in the zone bailed, chasing Hammons to the wing.
Hess didn’t even have to set the screen — all he had to do was take a couple steps inside the paint, seal off the defender there, catch the inbounds pass and lay it up for the winning bucket with 1.3 seconds left in Preston’s 38-36 state semifinal win over Bishop Kelly at Rocky Mountain High School on Friday.
The win gave Preston their sixth straight championship appearance and with a win would be in a tie for second for the most title wins at 11.
Preston plays Middleton for the 4A championship Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center at 4:30 p.m.
The Indians lost a previous matchup to Middleton this season, 61-52.
Other Scores around State
Garden Valley 88, Dietrich 73 (IA DII Championship)
Lapwai 82, Riverstone 60 (IA DI Championship)
The Ambrose School 77, Wendell 35 (2A Semifinal)
St. Maries 45, North Fremont 43 (2A Semifinal)
Mcall-Donnelly 60, Snake River 51 (3A Semifinal)
Middleton 53, Hillcrest 47 (4A Semifinal)
Lake City 65, Boise 50 (5A Semifinal)
Meridian 66, Madison 56 (5A Semifinal)