Bishop Kelly was in a slugfest. So they used their ‘spark plug’ to knock out Pocatello
A collision in front of the Bishop Kelly girls basketball bench left Knights junior Keira Lizama in pain, and her substitution out of the game brought more questions than answers.
She returned just minutes later to spark a third-quarter rally, pushing No. 5 Bishop Kelly (21-3) to a 51-33 victory over No. 4 Pocatello (15-7) on Thursday in the 4A girls basketball state tournament quarterfinals at Timberline High.
“She got hit pretty hard on the ground because she was hustling for the ball and (Pocatello’s) girl was hustling for the ball,” Bishop Kelly coach Derek McCormick said. “But she bounced back and she’s alright.”
The Thunder used free throws from sophomores Kennasyn Garza and Alivia Marshall to take a 13-10 lead midway through the second quarter. Pocatello looked to extend the lead on the ensuing possession, but a deflected pass toward the sideline caused a Pocatello player to collide with Lizama as she dove for the ball.
“I think I just got the wind knocked out of me for a second,” Lizama said.
She returned to the court before halftime, with the Knights hanging on to a 17-16 lead.
Despite the one-point lead, no Bishop Kelly player had scored more than four points. The Knights shot 5-for-25 from the field, with Lizama shooting 0-for-3.
“At halftime, we talked about how we’re a second-half team, and we never let a team finish us off,” Lizama said. “We were going to come back and win this. We wanted it more than them.”
That put the 5-foot-3 guard in the driver’s seat, sinking a free throw and deep 3-pointer before finding Addy Laible for an easy basket. And a drive to the paint forced Lizama to squeeze through two Pocatello defenders for a layup, putting Bishop Kelly ahead 31-16 with 1:44 left in the third quarter.
Lizama finished with six points, two assists and two steals.
“Keira is a spark plug for us,” McCormick said. “She plays hard, she’s quick, she’s scrappy and she can score in different ways.”
Bishop Kelly’s defense, which has held opponents to a 4A-best 30.2 points per game, surrendered just five points in the third quarter. Garza, the Thunder’s leading scorer with 12.5 points per game, was held to 1-for-7 shooting and six points.
Bishop Kelly’s Caroline Knothe scored a game-high nine points, with Brooke Hutchinson adding eight. Liv Marshall led Pocatello with seven points.
“(Tonight’s) game was one step closer to our goal,” Lizama said. “We’ve watched a lot of these teams play, and we’re focusing on who’s our biggest threat and how to stop them. It’s about really using strategy for our next games, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The Knights will take on No. 1 Shelley (21-3) in Friday’s semifinal matchup at the Ford Idaho Center at 7 p.m. Pocatello will return to Timberline to take on No. 8 Twin Falls (12-13) in an elimination game at 2 p.m.
COLUMBIA 51, BLACKFOOT 45: Senior post Mylie Mills scored 26 points for the No. 7 Wildcats (15-10), upsetting No. 2 Blackfoot (13-10) and securing Columbia’s first state tournament win in program history.
The reigning 4A Southern Idaho Conference Player of the Year added eight rebounds and a steal, while Jada Myers notched 16 points, four rebounds and a block. The Wildcats shot 22-for-42 (52.4%) from the floor, but went 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
Columbia will face No. 3 Sandpoint (18-5) in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Marlee Pieper had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the Broncos, who will face No. 6 Minico (16-8) in the consolation bracket Friday at noon.
SANDPOINT 54, MINICO 49: The Bulldogs never trailed and led by as much as 19 in the victory. Aliya Strock had 20 points and seven steals, with Karlie Banks adding 14 points and eight rebounds.
Carlie Latta led Minico with 34 points.
SHELLEY 59, TWIN FALLS 35: The Russets jumped out to a 25-3 lead and never looked back, winning their first state tournament game since the 3A state quarterfinals in 2016.
Nine different players scored for Shelley, including a game-high 11 points from Hallie Behunin.