Girls roundup: ‘Starting to sink in’ that Cole Valley Christian will play for 2A title
Eight days after Melba upended Cole Valley Christian to win the 2A District 3 championship, the Chargers exacted sweet revenge Friday night in the state semifinals.
Cole Valley, the unanimous No. 1 team in the final state media poll, used strong defense and efficient offense to score a 41-30 victory at Kuna High School. The Chargers (20-5) will face Aberdeen in the 2A state championship game at 1:40 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
“We had to work for everything,” Cole Valley Christian coach Matt Beglinger said. “It’s starting to sink in and it’s really a dream come true. I’m so happy for these girls.”
The Chargers are in the title game for the second time in three years, led by seniors Lyndsie Krogh, Ellie Fraas and Grace Wingard. Both Krogh and Wingard hit early 3-pointers for Cole Valley to break down Melba’s 2-3 zone defense, which had helped the Mustangs rank No. 2 defensively in 2A this season.
On the other end, the Chargers forced 16 turnovers to keep Melba, which entered with four players averaging at least 10 points per game, at bay.
“The defensive performance was unreal compared to what we usually do,” said Krogh, the lone double-digit scorer in the game with 11 points. “We came out with a new set and just got after it.”
Krogh added five rebounds and two steals.
“Lyndsie is a stud,” Beglinger said. “She can do it on defense and offense. Any given night, two or three different kids can be in double digits. Tonight was her night.”
Cole Valley Christian’s suffocating defense shined in the third quarter, holding Melba to just three points. Krogh had blocked shots on back-to-back possessions.
“This was honestly a team win,” Krogh said. “Last time (we played Melba), we came out overconfident because we had two wins on them earlier in the year. This time we knew what we needed to do and we got it.”
Ellie Fraas added nine points in the win, with sister Hadley Fraas contributing six points and eight rebounds.
The Chargers are again one win away from their first state title, having fallen in the 2020 title game at the Idaho Center.
“You play your whole life to play in an arena like that,” Beglinger said. “My hope is that (the team can) relax and enjoy the moment. It’s not about the outcome, but about the process.”
5A STATE TOURNAMENT
Post Falls 66, Rocky Mountain 36: Junior post Capri Sims made 9-of-11 from the field for a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Trojans eliminated the Grizzlies (12-15).
Post Falls (19-8) plays Thunder Ridge at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ridgevue High in the consolation championship.
Senior guard Marli Reed was Rocky Mountain’s top scorer with 13 points, and Sydney Tannaci pulled down a team-best eight boards. Post Falls limited Rocky Mountain to just 25% shooting, including a 2-for-19 performance from 3-point range.
Thunder Ridge 46, Borah 40: Junior point guard Kennedy Stenquist led three Titans in double figures with 17 points, helping Thunder Ridge outlast Borah.
Aspen Caldwell (12 points) and Marley Spencer (13 points) joined Stenquist in double figures.
Sophomore point guard Sydnie Rodriguez knocked down six 3-pointers and totaled 24 points to lead the Lions (18-8).
4A STATE TOURNAMENT
Skyline 50, Blackfoot 48: Senior center Tailer Thomas sank a pair of free throws with 6.2 seconds left to break a tie and score the weekend’s largest upset.
Skyline will face Burley for the 4A state championship at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Reigning state champ Blackfoot (24-1) went wire-to-wire as 4A’s No. 1-ranked team in the state media poll, had won 29 straight games and beat district rival Skyline (15-13) four times earlier this season. But the Grizzlies emerged atop a wild final minute of multiple lead changes to advance to the finals for the first time in program history.
Sienna Taylor and freshman Shay Shippen each scored 14 points for fourth-seeded Skyline. Thomas had 13 points and shot 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point line, but she had to be helped off the court after an injury defending Blackfoot’s last-second shot.
Kianna Wright led top-seeded Blackfoot with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Hadley Humpherys added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Burley 49, Preston 36: Reigning 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year Amari Whiting kept up her dominant play with 29 points, eight steals and seven rebounds in the Bobcats’ victory over Preston.
Whiting, an Oregon commit, has scored a combined 64 points in two games at state, putting her on pace to break her own tournament record of 82 total points scored, which she did last season. Lynzey Searle aided the Bobcats’ effort with six points, and Isabelle Cook and Rowan Ontiveros each had four points.
The Bobcats (23-1) forced 19 turnovers, which they converted into 20 points, and shot 45% from the floor.
Preston (17-8), which draws Blackfoot in Saturday’s third-place game, was led by Amber Anderson with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Bishop Kelly 53, Mountain Home 41: Bishop Kelly bounced back from a first-round loss to top-ranked Blackfoot by eliminating Mountain Home.
The Knights (19-7) play Middleton in Saturday’s consolation championship between Treasure Valley rivals, tipping off at 10 a.m. at Mountain View High.
Caroline Knothe led a well-rounded effort with 11 points and six rebounds, while Jordyn Carnell and Logan McCarthy chipped in nine points each for the Knights.
Maddie Keener and Emily Harper paced the Tigers (18-8) with 12 points apiece.
Middleton 50, Sandpoint 45: Middleton rode a dominant first quarter to an elimination win over Sandpoint.
The Vikings, playing at state for the sixth straight season, outscored the Bulldogs 20-10 in the opening frame to lead from the start.
Senior Reesa Whitworth posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Vikings, and fellow senior Payton Hymas led all scorers with 14 points.
3A STATE TOURNAMENT
Sugar-Salem 43, Parma 32: Sugar-Salem got the better of Parma for the second time this season, this time with a state championship berth on the line.
Sugar-Salem (21-2) will face Teton (19-10) in the title game at 3:50 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
The top-ranked Diggers dominated the Panthers on the glass, 29-12, and shot a blazing 51.6% from the floor. Senior forward Hailey Harris notched a game-best 12 points for Sugar-Salem, and Meg Fillmore totaled 10 points and three assists.
Parma (14-11), which takes on Snake River (21-6) for the third-place trophy at noon Saturday at Eagle High, was led by freshman Rylie Calkins with 11 points.
Weiser 54, Filer 48: The Wolverines will have a chance to bring home some hardware after claiming their first state tournament win since 2012.
Weiser (20-8) will face 3A SRV foe Fruitland in the consolation game at 10 a.m. Saturday at Eagle High.
Junior guard Tobie Noyer guided Weiser to the win with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds while adding six steals, five assists and four blocked shots. Brady Reed contributed 10 points and five rebounds, and Jasi Yraguen, Mattie Shirts and Macy Maloney chipped in six points apiece.
Fruitland 72, Kellogg 63: Abbi Roubidoux came three points shy of tying the 3A state tournament’s single-game scoring record, pouring in 35 points in a victory over Kellogg.
Sugar Salem’s Sofia Hepworth holds the record for most points in a game, with 38 in 2010.
When she wasn’t scoring, Roubidoux dished out a game-leading eight assists and grabbed seven of the Grizzlies’ 13 steals. Graycie Huff and Payton Fritts added 11 points each.
Hailey Cheney racked up 28 points to lead three Kellogg players in double figures.
Saturday’s consolation game will be the third meeting of the season between the Grizzlies (18-6) and Wolverines. Fruitland won both games, by scores of 41-32 and 56-43.
1A DIVISION I STATE TOURNAMENT
Oakley 43, Liberty Charter 23: Oakley turned 18 turnovers into 23 points and limited Liberty Charter to 23.3% shooting to advance to the 1A D1 consolation game.
Addie Mitton had 12 points to lead a balanced attack that saw eight Hornets score with 12 points, while Ainsley Johnson accounted for 16 of Liberty Charter’s 23 points.
Notus 64, Wallace 48: District Three champion Notus kept its season alive with a victory over Wallace.
The Pirates advance to the consolation championship, where they will play Oakley at 10 a.m. Saturday at Columbia High.
The Notus duo of Victoria Ortega (18 points) and Ciera Peugh (17 points) helped counter a big night from Scenic Idaho Conference MVP Jaden House, who totaled 25 points and seven rebounds in the losing effort.
1A DIVISION II STATE TOURNAMENT
Council 46, Richfield 33: The Lumberjacks made history Thursday by winning a first-round game for the first time since 1991, and there’s more history on the way.
Unbeaten Council (18-0) will play in just the second state championship game in program history after knocking off Richfield in the semifinals. Council’s only other title game appearance came in 1988, and the Lumberjacks have never won a state title.
The 1A D2 championship game between second-seeded Council and No. 1 Rockland (23-1) tips off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
Sydney Nichols led Council to the semifinal win with 16 points, six rebounds and three steals. Isabelle Eppich added 10 points, and McKayla Hart had a game-leading 11 rebounds.
Leadore 50, Tri-Valley 48 (OT): Leadore won its first state tournament game since 2001 by eliminating the defending state champion Titans (15-9).
Junior Sadie Bird posted a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead Leadore (20-6), which plays Kendrick at 10 a.m. Saturday at Nampa High in the consolation game.
Stella Warren paced Tri-Valley with 16 points, and Emma McKee-Barton had 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.
This story was originally published February 19, 2022 at 12:03 AM.