5A SIC remains Idaho’s toughest league. Boise proved it by slaying No. 1 Lake City
The balance of power in Idaho girls basketball appeared to shift to North Idaho this season.
But Boise put that notion to rest Friday.
The Brave dominated No. 1 seed Lake City in every aspect, cruising to a 45-25 win in the 5A state tournament semifinals and advancing to the finals for the first time since 2015.
The win puts Boise (21-3) in an all-Southern Idaho Conference championship game against Timberline (24-2) at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center. It will be an all-Treasure Valley 5A state title matchup for the sixth time in the past eight years.
“To be able to be playing in the state championship is just such a dream for me,” said Boise senior guard Ella Nelson, who scored a game-high 16 points. “I’m just so excited for our team and ... our coaches. I’m just so excited for everyone.”
Boise took the game’s first lead Friday and never looked back, suffocating the Timberwolves at every turn.
The Brave held high-flying Lake City to a season-low 25 points (32.5 points under its average), 7-for-45 (15.6%) shooting from the floor and a 2-for-22 (9.1%) performance behind the 3-point line.
And the noose only tightened as the night wore on. Boise limited Lake City to just three field goals in the final three quarters.
“We knew that Lake City didn’t have the game that they wanted to in that first game. So we were expecting a lot of firepower from them,” Boise coach Kim Brydges said. “I thought the girls really locked in and paid attention to the scout(ing report). We talked a ton about personnel and their actions, and they just did a tremendous job defensively.”
Boise didn’t just dominate on defense. The Brave owned the glass, outrebounding Lake City 37-23. And they finished 18-for-35 (51.4%) from the floor to erase any hope of a Timberwolves comeback.
“We really earned this one,” said Boise sophomore Avery Howell, who racked up six points, 19 rebounds and four assists. “I think we came out for today’s game and played like we had nothing to lose, kind of like the district championship against Timberline.”
Boise upset Timberline for the district title a week ago, holding the Wolves scoreless for roughly the final 9 minutes of regulation and overtime. Now the two SIC powers will meet for a fourth and final time to determine the state championship.
“We know we play some of the toughest teams in the state in the SIC,” Nelson said. “Lake City is definitely an amazing squad. But I think we were just ready to come out. And defensively, we were just ready to get stops.
“In the SIC, defense is big. It’s a big issue for some of our northern teams.”
Ava Oakland added nine points for Boise, and Ashley Banks finished with eight points and six rebounds.
Kamryn Pickford scored 10 points to lead Lake City, which faces Rigby (19-6) for the third-place trophy at noon Saturday at Ridgevue.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 7:41 PM.
