Middleton survives another showdown with rival Bishop Kelly to open 4A state tournament
The saying goes it’s hard to beat a good team twice in one season.
Three straight wins is even tougher, as the favored Middleton High boys basketball team learned Thursday at the 4A state tournament opener. But with resilience and some gritty play down the stretch, the Vikings survived conference rival Bishop Kelly’s upset bid, hanging on for a 49-44 win at Borah High.
Senior forward Tyler Robinett led all scorers with 16 points and Cash Cowdery came up huge off the bench with 11 points and seven rebounds for the Vikings (22-3), who advance to play Preston in a Friday night state semifinal.
“Bishop Kelly plays really good defense,” said Middleton coach Andy Harrington, a BK alumnus. “That zone is really tough, and they’re a great team, a great program. We’ve beat them five straight times now, and every time is really difficult, so it’s a credit to our guys for finding a way.”
Middleton started hot, with Taede Stucki hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and Robinett scoring nine first-quarter points to grab a 15-10 lead. But things bogged down in the second quarter, when Bishop Kelly’s swarming zone caused major problems. The Knights dominated the quarter and forced 13 first-half turnovers to take a 24-22 lead into the break.
“When you get out there, it’s definitely different,” said Cowdery, who didn’t score in the opening half. “There’s a lot of pressure on you and (Bishop Kelly) runs a really complicated zone, so we had to slow down our stuff and execute better.”
Bishop Kelly (18-9) continued to make the Vikings work in the second half, collapsing around Robinett and closing out on Middleton’s 3-point shooters. To make matters worse for Middleton, starting center Tyler Medaris picked up his fourth foul with 1:40 left in the third quarter and never returned.
“They’re a super tough team,” said Robinett, a College of Idaho signee. “We just had to be tougher as a group, and do all the little things to get it done.”
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That’s exactly what happened in the fourth quarter, when Cowdery led an early surge to give the Vikings a six-point cushion. Middleton’s defense turned up the pressure, and Bishop Kelly never got closer than three down the stretch.
“We were trying to throw the first punch there to start the fourth, but we just didn’t make it,” Bishop Kelly coach Ryan Kerns said. “We played as hard as we could, but that run probably ended up being the difference.”
Nick Wolter led Bishop Kelly with 14 points, five rebounds and four steals. Johvan Dillon added 10 points and six rebounds for the Knights, who were outrebounded 36-25 and shot just 31% but stuck around by playing tough defense and winning the turnover battle, 16-8.
Robinett, the leading scorer in the 4A SIC, was scoreless in the second half until hitting four clinching free throws late. But his teammates took advantage of the focus he attracted — particularly Cowdery, who did his damage on backdoor cuts and weaving drives to the hoop.
“He’s the best player, and when it draws that much attention, it opens up shots and lanes for other guys,” Cowdery said. “It makes our team so much better.”
4A
▪ Preston 58, Idaho Falls 47: Preston beat Idaho Falls in a rematch of last year’s state championship game, a game that Idaho Falls took 66-57. This time around, Preston took a 21-point lead by the third quarter and kept Idaho Falls from repeating as state champions. Preston’s Ty Hyde led the game with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Luke Smellie was also close to a double-double with seven points and 11 rebounds. Preston outrebounded Idaho Falls 38-26, including a 10-0 offensive rebound advantage. Idaho Falls was led by Keynion Clark, who had 14 points and six rebounds.
▪ Moscow 56, Minico 47: Defense was Moscow’s calling card all season, holding opponents to only 52 points per game, and that defense came to play in the second half. Moscow only allowed Minico to shoot 16% in the second half and held its opponent to only four points in the third quarter. Benny Kitchel led Moscow with 22 points, while freshman Blake Buchanan added 14 points and eight rebounds. Minico was led by Phillip Boettcher with 11 points, and Kasen Carpenter with 10.
▪ Kuna 57, Blackfoot 50: Kuna is taking advantage of its first trip to the state tournament since 2012 by defeating Blackfoot and moving on to face Moscow. Kuna was led in scoring by Sean Austin, who also led the Kavemen to an undefeated football season, with 21 points. Austin also led the team in rebounds with six, and steals with five. Blackfoot was led in scoring by Reece Robinson, who also had 21 points.
3A
▪ Fruitland 71, Snake River 59: The state’s top-ranked team started off the tournament on a high note. Fruitland outscored Snake River 22-13 in the second quarter to take a 40-26 halftime lead on its way to avenging last year’s championship game loss. Fruitland was led by junior forward Hyrum Lindsey with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Josh Henggeler, Joe Henggeler and Nolan Bower each added 13 points for the Grizzlies. Snake River’s Noah Watt led the game in scoring with 21 points.
▪ Kimberly 77, Marsh Valley 64: Kimberly’s star players came to play and helped put away Marsh Valley. Peyton Bair (22 points), Brant Etherington (18 points) and Dawson Cummins (17 points) led Kimberly in scoring after a regular season in which all three averaged double figures. Kimberly shot 48% from the floor and will try to continue its hot shooting against Fruitland on Friday.
▪ Sugar-Salem 63, Kellogg 48: Sugar-Salem began its title defense in earnest after cruising to a win Thursday. Kellogg won the first quarter 13-8, but Sugar-Salem outscored the Wildcats 33-15 in the second and third quarters, including a 20-3 run. Senior forward Tanner Harris led Sugar-Salem with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Crew Clark and Hadley Miller also scored in double figures, with 11 points each. Kellogg was led by Gavin Luna with 12 points, while Graden Nearing had 11 points and eight rebounds.
▪ Filer 40, Homedale 37: Homedale pulled off a major upset in the district championship game against Fruitland, but couldn’t replicate that success against Filer. Filer will try to ride the success of this game after going 10-14 in the regular season. Miguel Perez led the team with 12 points, while Teagan Anderson had nine. Homedale forced 18 turnovers but couldn’t capitalize on the extra opportunities, shooting only 26% from the field. Filer meets Sugar-Salem in the semifinals.
2A
▪ West Side 55, Melba 45: West Side is trying to win its first state title since 1979 and took care of business in its first game after an initial scare. Entering the fourth quarter, Melba held a 31-29 lead over the state’s No. 1 team. West Side turned the corner and outscored the Mustangs 26-14 in the final frame to advance in the tournament. Bryler Shurtliff led West Side with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Melba was paced by Caleb Fong, who had 18 points and four rebounds.
▪ St. Maries 48, New Plymouth 40: In a close game, St. Maries used a 17-6 second quarter to give itself a big enough cushion to ride to victory. Eli Gibson only went 2-for-11 from the floor, but still led the game in scoring with 13 points for St. Maries. New Plymouth was led by Jesus Valdez, who also shot poorly on a 1-for-9 performance but finished with 10 points. St. Maries plays West Side in the semifinals.
▪ Cole Valley Christian 64, Malad 46: Cole Valley Christian easily handled the No. 4 team in the state and advanced to face North Fremont in the semifinals. Cole Valley shot 53% from the field and outrebounded Malad 41-25. Haydon Harmon led the team in scoring with 17 points and also grabbed eight rebounds and four steals. Malad’s leading scorer was Tom Simpson, who had 16 points while going 2-for-12 on 3-point shots.
▪ North Fremont 45, Grangeville 35: North Fremont finished No. 2 in the state poll behind West Side but is looking to replicate last year’s state championship. North Fremont got off to a good start, not allowing a single point in the first quarter, and eventually put away Grangeville behind a balanced scoring attack. Joaran Laz led the Huskies with 14 points, while Luke Hill added 11. Grangeville’s top scorer was Aiden Anderson with nine points.
1A Division I
▪ Lapwai 52, Oakley 44: Sophomore guard Titus Yearout led Lapwai with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists after averaging 29 points per game in the regular season. Fellow sophomore Alexander Ellenwood had 10 points and six rebounds for the Wildcats, who shot 50 percent from the floor and only missed four shots in the second half. Oakley was led by Robert Wybenga with 10 points and had a 21-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, but was outscored 37-15 in the second half.
▪ Grace 63, Liberty 51: Grace extended its winning streak to 10 games and is in the hunt for its first state title since 2003. Gage Stoddard (17 points) and Ivor Gibbs (14 points) led Grace in scoring. Grace grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and led Liberty 16-4 in second-chance scoring. Grace faces Lapwai in the semifinals.
▪ Potlatch 64, Riverstone 41: No. 2 Potlatch was down 14-13 at halftime but exploded for 36 points in the third quarter to coast to a comfortable win. Potlatch moved the ball well, recording 11 assists compared to Riverstone’s one. Brayden Hadaller recorded 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals, while teammate Tyler Wilcoxson added 18 points on only nine shots. Riverstone’s Ethan Hurt had 13 points.
▪ Ambrose 56, Kamiah 49: Ambrose let up 13 more points than its season average but was still able to secure a win on the back of Paul Yenor’s 29 points. Yenor shot 14-for-16 from the floor and grabbed 12 rebounds. Kamiah was led by Kavan Mercer (12 points) and Sam Brisbois (11 points). Ambrose will face Potlatch in a semifinal matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the state.
1A Division II
▪ Cascade 62, Carey 47: Michael Onaindia dominated the game for Cascade. He scored 28 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked one shot. Carey was led by Hunter Smith with 17 points and nine rebounds, but only shot 28% from the floor as a team. Carey went 1-for-17 on 3-pointers in the second half trying to catch up after Cascade scored 23 points in the third quarter. Cascade is looking for its first state title in school history and will play North Gem in the semifinals.
▪ North Gem 79, Timberline 50: North Gem features the fourth-best offense in 1A Division II and showed its scoring ability Thursday afternoon. Junior James Bodily scored 37 points. Logan Corta had 16 points and four steals for North Gem. The team shot 58 percent from the field and held Timberline to 27% shooting. Timberline was led by Carson Sellers with 14 points and four rebounds.
▪ Lakeside 95, Garden Valley 69: Lakeside continued its undefeated ways, winning its 22nd game of the season. The team’s 95 points were the most by a 1A Division II team in state tournament history. Kenyon Spotted Horse scored 26 points on 11-for-13 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for Lakeside. Day Day Higgins also recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. In total, five Lakeside players scored in double figures. Garden Valley was led by Covy Kelly, who had 29 points. Garden Valley committed 25 turnovers and was outrebounded 40-24. Lakeside will play Dietrich in the semifinals.
▪ Dietrich 78, Mackay 71: Dietrich scored 19 points in overtime to come away with the victory against Mackay and force a matchup against red-hot Lakeside in the semifinals. Dietrich received 51 free-throw attempts, hitting 33 of them, and limited Mackay to 32% shooting. Dietrich was led in points by Jeff Shaw, who scored 34, including 18-for-19 from the free-throw line. Brady Power scored 16, while Rhys Dill (15) and Kyler Robertson (10) grabbed double-digit rebounds for the Blue Devils. Mackay was led by Chase Green, who had 29 points and 11 rebounds.
Gage Hanson of the Idaho Statesman contributed.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 4:38 PM.