You again? Undefeated Melba downs Cole Valley in 7th straight district finals matchup
The Melba High girls basketball team was at risk of losing its perfect season Tuesday night, trailing after the first quarter to the defending 2A state champs.
But the Mustangs (23-0) took control the rest of the way, defeating Cole Valley Christian 54-44 in the 2A District Three Tournament championship game at Ridgevue High.
The Mustangs and Chargers met for the seventh straight year in the district championship. Melba has now won back-to-back district titles and five of the past seven.
“The fact that we’ve been able to get the upper hand these past couple of times feels really good, but there’s a lot of respect between the two programs,” Melba senior Kendall Clark said.
Cole Valley Christian (18-5) put an early scare to the 2A’s top-ranked team. A pair of Hadley Fraas assists to Gabby Olmstead put the Chargers up 8-5 midway through the opening quarter. And a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Olmstead put the No. 3-ranked Chargers ahead 13-12.
But 30 seconds into the second quarter, a Brooklynn Dayley 3-pointer put the Mustangs up for good. The junior guard scored 13 of her 16 points in the first half to power Melba into halftime.
“She put in a ton of work in the offseason to get her shot down, and now she’s doing everything that the girls need her to be,” Clark said. “She’s being a floor general, she’s hitting shots and she’s been so good for us.”
Clark carried the surge into the second half. The NNU commit shot 2-for-10 in the first half, but rallied with 11 second-half points for a game-high 18.
“There’s no secret that Kendall is probably the best player in the state in the 2A,” Melba coach David Lenz said. “She just needed to settle down … but we were able to get her shots.”
Cole Valley Christian got as close as eight points on two occasions in the fourth quarter. But the Chargers were held to 7-for-18 shooting in the second half. Freshman Trinity Holsinger led the Chargers with 12 points, with Fraas adding 11.
“Winning a district title means a lot for sure,” Lenz said. “Cole Valley is a great program, and we have to play our best to beat them. But I’m very happy for our kids and the way they are playing going into state.”
Melba and Cole Valley Christian already clinched their spots before Tuesday for the 2A state tournament, which starts Feb. 16 at Bishop Kelly. First-round matchups are not set yet.
AMBROSE 54, NAMPA CHRISTIAN 28: Sophomore guard Ellie Thome led the Archers with 20 points in the 2A District Three Tournament third-place game. Ambrose (16-9) advances to a state play-in game at 2 p.m. Mountain Time Saturday at Grangeville High.
TUESDAY’S STANDOUTS
- Josie Davis, Owyhee (girls basketball): Racked up 11 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists as the second-year program clinched a 5A state tournament berth in a 56-40 win vs. Eagle.
- Emmi Swillie, Timberline (girls basketball): Fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds in a 48-41 win over Mountain View that sent the defending champs back to the 5A state tournament.
- Jane Gibson, Fruitland (girls basketball): Scored 20 points to extend the Grizzlies’ season in a 63-36 win vs. Homedale in the 3A District Three Tournament.
- Landon White, Eagle (boys basketball): Recorded a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds to snap Mountain View’s 14-game winning streak in a 64-50 upset.
- Jakob Thompson, Boise (boys basketball): Finished with 16 points, four assists and two steals as the Brave routed Timberline 51-29.
- Kade Johnson, Liberty Charter (boys basketball): Scored 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting, including a 3-for-3 performance at the 3-point line, in a 64-41 win at Greenleaf.
This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 11:51 PM.