This was the kind of confidence boost the Boise High girls basketball team needed.

Perhaps still stinging from a 25-point loss to Mountain View in early December, the Braves refused to accept their underdog role in the teams’ second meeting of the season.

Instead, Boise grab-bed the lead with 8 seconds remaining in the first quarter and never looked back, defeating Mountain View 67-58 on Friday night at Boise High.

Mountain View (11-4, 10-3) drops out of a tie for first in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference, while Boise (8-7, 7-6) moves into a tie for fifth.

Rocky Mountain — a 43-37 winner over Capital on Friday — takes over sole possession of first in the 5A SIC.

It’s been a long road back into contention for the Braves, who are just a year removed from a 2-18 season in which they failed to make the district tournament for the first time in coach Kim Brydges’ eight-year tenure.

“Having a season like that last year has built a fire up in us,” Boise guard Maddie Skaggs said. “We just wanted to do so much better and compete.”

It was Skaggs’ jump shot with 8 seconds to play in the first quarter that put the Braves out front.

The 5-foot-6 senior had an assist or a basket in six of the Braves’ final seven scoring plays in the opening frame. Skaggs finished with a game-leading 23 points, six assists, four steals and four rebounds and was the only player on either team to play a full 32 minutes.

“I thought Maddie had an excellent game. Obviously she had some great shots, but I was really proud of how she distributed the ball as well,” Brydges said. “... I think everybody else just kind of fed off of her energy.”

Freshman post Isabelle Hadden added 17 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Megan Lee had 10 points.

Boise led by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter before Mountain View attempted a comeback.

Mavericks freshman Destiny Slocum scored six points in the final two minutes and Mckensey Herron and Kayley Hastings each hit 3-pointers.

The Mavericks got as close as 62-56 with less than a minute to play, but the Braves went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to shut the door.