Boise bounces back from upset to clinch 5A SIC title. ‘I think there was some anger’
A different Boise High girls basketball team arrived at practice Monday. And that new mindset led the Brave to the 5A Southern Idaho Conference regular-season title Tuesday.
Boise bounced back from an upset loss Saturday to score a 48-45 win at Timberline on Tuesday, clinching the Brave the top seed at next week’s 5A District Three Tournament and proving they can win a hard-fought battle.
“I think there was some anger,” Boise coach Kim Brydges said with a laugh. “But one of my assistants, Ron Marthe, did a wonderful job clipping out some stuff that we needed to work on. I got busy with the Timberline scout, and the girls came to practice on Monday and had already watched all that film and processed it.
“... That hurt in the moment, especially to spoil our Pink Zone Night (fundraiser). That was kind of a bummer. But we’re going to be better for it.”
No. 3-ranked Boise (17-2, 10-1 5A SIC) showcased that better side Tuesday. The Brave had cruised to a 17-game winning streak, beating opponents by an average of 30.3 points per game. Then Rocky Mountain pushed the Brave to the brink Saturday, and they broke in their first close game since the season opener at Lake City.
But Boise rose to the challenge this time. No. 5 Timberline (16-4, 8-3) trailed by as many 16 points before mounting a fourth-quarter rally. Lauren McCall drained a stepback 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one with 15.1 seconds left and shift all the momentum to the defending state champs’ bench.
But Boise successfully inbounded the ball twice, broke the Timberline press and junior Avery Howell sank a pair of one-and-one free throws to clinch the conference crown.
“Obviously, that wasn’t the way we wanted to finish against Rocky on Saturday,” Howell said. “But I think it was honestly good for it to happen because we haven’t had many close games.”
Howell carried Boise again, racking up 23 points and 20 rebounds for her 12th double-double despite her worst shooting night of the season. Howell finished 6-for-20 from the floor but made up for it by attacking the basket, drawing contact and sinking 11-of-12 free throw.
“I always have this thing where I analyze and forget,” Howell said. “I analyze what happened for the shot not to go in, and then I forget about it because if I start dwelling on it, it’s not going to help my next shot.
“So as soon as my 3s weren’t really working, I analyzed those for a bit. And then I dropped them, and I tried to do something that was working for me.”
Brydges admitted she often finds herself shaking her head at all the 6-foot junior does for Boise.
“Sometimes I find myself not coaching, just being a spectator and just appreciating what she’s doing on the floor,” Brydges said. “That kid is tough as nails. She has really grown in terms of her leadership, and she’s just a heck of a lot of fun to watch.”
McCall led Timberline with 17 points and four steals, and Emma Heninger added 15 points and a pair of clutch 3-pointers to spur the Wolves’ fourth-quarter rally. But a slow third quarter that saw Timberline sink just one field goal ultimately doomed the Wolves.
“You just can’t get down by 16 or whatever it was,” Timberline coach Andy Jones said. “I’m proud of the girls. But we can’t come into the third quarter down by four and score six.
“... Defensively, we played hard. But offensively, we played tentatively. And you can’t beat a team like that playing tentative. You’ve got to play fearless.”
TUESDAY’S STANDOUTS
Jack Keller, Columbia (boys basketball): Dropped a game-high 33 points as the Wildcats edged Ridgevue 52-41.
Luke Starner, Liberty Charter (boys basketball): Scored 11 points and added 17 rebounds in a 43-32 win over Riverstone.
Josie Davis, Owyhee (girls basketball): Led the Storm with 15 points, five assists and five steals in a 47-25 win over Capital.
Taylor Kaiser and Kaidance Kaiser, Parma (girls basketball): Combined for 37 points, 11 steals and nine rebounds to lead the Panthers over Homedale 62-22.
Addy Bayne, Liberty Charter (girls basketball): Racked up 12 points, nine rebounds and five steals to defeat Riverstone 58-11 and move to 8-0 in the 1A Division I WIC.
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 11:11 PM.
