‘We’re just getting started.’ Bishop Kelly clinches league title as senior catches fire
Bishop Kelly Caroline Knothe couldn’t get much going in the first half Friday. But she dominated the second.
The 5-11 senior forward scored 21 of her game-high 24 points in the second half, spurring No. 1-ranked Bishop Kelly to a 50-30 victory over Columbia that clinched the Knights their first outright 4A Southern Idaho Conference regular-season title in eight years.
“Our hard work is starting to pay off, and we’re just getting started,” Knothe said. “... More than anything, it gives us confidence and lets us know that if we work together and we put everything together, we really can do whatever we set our minds to.”
A defensive battle in the first half spilled over into the third quarter, when neither team scored for the first 3 minutes, 30 seconds. But then Knothe took over.
Her work inside the paint forced Columbia’s Mylie Mills, the reigning conference player of the year, to draw her fourth foul. Knothe pounced at the opportunity with Mills on the bench and continued to dominate even after she returned in the fourth quarter.
She muscled layups through defenders, hit running fadeaways and even drained a 3-pointer when the defense collapsed and left her all alone at the top of the key.
“She had a great night,” Bishop Kelly (17-3, 11-0 4A SIC) coach Derek McCormick said. “She finished. Her teammates found her when she was open, she went up and she made it — a lot of times through contact too.”
She kickstarted a 13-1 run that put Bishop Kelly firmly in control in the third quarter. And she silenced Mills on the defensive end too, holding her scoreless.
The win marks Bishop Kelly’s eighth in a row, and it clinches the Knights the top seed at the 4A District Three Tournament. But McCormick knows none of that will matter when Bishop Kelly tips off the postseason Feb. 6.
“Seeds are just seeds,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter. Once you play the game, you’ve got to play whoever is in front of you.
“The numbers are nice because it makes you feel good. But we’re gonna play whoever we’re gonna play. We’ve just got to be ready to go.”
Lily Farris led Columbia (11-9, 9-2) with 10 points, and Ellie Robertson added eight. The Wildcats will also receive a first-round bye as the league’s second-place team.
FRIDAY’S TOP PERFORMANCES
- Brooke Hardy, Fruitland (girls basketball): Scored 15 points to lead the Grizzlies to a 37-33 upset of Parma, the No. 1-ranked team in 3A.
- McKayla Hart, Council (girls basketball): Poured in 23 points in a 65-43 win vs. Salmon River to keep the Lumberjacks undefeated in the 1A Division II Long Pin Conference.
- Alex Ko, Timberline (boys basketball): Dropped 21 points on Boise to lead the Wolves to a 58-50 victory.
- Tristan Aspiazu, Notus (boys basketball): Sank 7-of-12 field goals to rack up 24 points in a 62-46 win at Riverstone.
This story was originally published January 27, 2023 at 10:37 PM.
