Winners of the Treasure Valley athlete of the week contests (Feb. 15 to 21)
Voting has closed in the latest Treasure Valley Athletes of the Week contest sponsored by Edmark Toyota.
Here are the winners. You can read about all the candidates and their accomplishments below.
- Girls basketball: Sami Jewett, Rimrock
- Wrestling: Carson Exferd, Nampa
- Boys basketball: Blake Thurston, Cascade
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Sami Jewett, Rimrock: The Pirates’ four-year starting point guard led Rimrock to the 1A Division I consolation title, its first state tournament trophy since 2006. She scored a career-high 24 points against Lakeside and finished the tournament averaging 11.7 points, five assists and 2.7 steals per game.
Josey Jones, Tri-Valley: The senior led the Titans to their first state title, scoring a game-high 19 points and adding six steals in the 1A Division II championship. She averaged 15.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and three steals at state.
Naya Ojukwu, Mountain View: The junior broke Destiny Slocum’s 5A state tournament scoring record while leading the Mavs to back-to-back titles. She recorded three straight double-doubles, averaging 29 points and 13.3 rebounds while shooting 33-for-52 (63%) from the floor.
Kate Clark, Melba: The senior scored 19 points in the 2A semifinals, then added 17 points and six steals in the finals to carry the Mustangs to the first state title in program history.
Ashley Banks, Boise: The junior averaged 13 points, 8.3 rebounds and three blocks per game to lead the Brave to their second straight consolation trophy at the 5A state tournament.
Eboni Shaw, New Plymouth: The junior posted a double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds in a first-round win at the 2A state tournament. She finished averaging 11.3 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Pilgrims to a third-place finish, their best showing in 11 years.
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WRESTLING
Josh Mendoza, Timberline: The junior won his third straight district title, capturing the 5A 113-pound crown. He’ll enter state undefeated at 11-0 and as the top seed.
Preston Owens, Kuna: The senior pinned his way to a 5A district championship at 152 pounds. No match lasted longer than 1 minutes, 13 seconds.
Kaleb Smith, Meridian: The senior racked up three first-round pins for the 5A 182-pound district title, helping the Warriors win the team trophy. It’s his third straight district title.
Charley Hastriter, Capital: The Oregon State-bound senior pinned his way to his second straight 5A district championship. The heavyweight improved to 14-0.
Carson Exferd, Nampa: The freshman continued his undefeated (32-0) season with the 4A District 3 title at 106 pounds. He pinned all four opponents he faced to help Nampa win the team title.
Christopher Martino, Bishop Kelly: The junior earned his third straight district championship, winning the 4A 126-pound bracket.
MaHonri Rushton, McCall-Donnelly: The senior stretched his perfect record to 37-0 by pinning his way to the 3A 195-pound district title. No match reached the second round.
Joel Campbell, New Plymouth: The junior pinned two opponents to remain perfect (46-0) and win the 2A 145-pound district title.
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BOYS BASKETBALL
Noah White, Mountain View: The senior had a hand in everything in the Mavericks first-round win over Boise in the 5A district tournament, finishing with 26 points, four assists, four steals and two charges taken.
Cace Lewis, Payette: The junior racked up 30 points, 16 rebounds and six assists as the Pirates upset Weiser 68-51 in the first round of the 3A district tournament.
Charlie DeBoer, Riverstone: The senior drained 10 3-pointers and poured in 43 points to lead the Otters to an 82-56 win over North Star Charter in the semifinals of the 1A Division I district tournament. The win clinched Riverstone a berth at state.
Jack Payne, Boise: The junior posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Brave to a 67-51 win over Kuna in an elimination game at the 5A district tournament.
Mason Strong, Homedale: The sophomore scored 25 points while adding four rebounds and four steals in the Trojans’ 52-37 win over Parma to open the 3A district tournament.
Cache Beus, Melba: The freshman racked up 16 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and three steals to lead the Mustangs to an 80-69 win at Nampa Christian. The victory clinched Melba a spot at the 2A state tournament.
Blake Thurston, Cascade: The senior averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Ramblers to the 1A Division II district championship game. He also had six steals in a district semifinal win over Salmon River.
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This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 6:27 PM.
