Girls state roundup: Cole Valley, Melba among 8 Treasure Valley schools in semifinals
The first round of the Idaho high school girls basketball state tournaments tipped off Thursday all across the Treasure Valley, and eight Boise-area teams advanced to the semifinals. Read on for the key highlights and a recap of how local teams fared.
You can see all the latest scores and updated brackets here.
5A STATE TOURNAMENT
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4A STATE TOURNAMENT
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3A STATE TOURNAMENT
Teton 62, Parma 40: Four Timberwolves scored in double figures to take down the Panthers in the first round of action at Skyview High in Nampa.
Sophomore Abi Barkdull led all scorers with 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting for Teton (18-9), while Morgan Johnson, Grace Hogan and Porter Wood added 12 points apiece. The Timberwolves collectively shot 48.1% from the floor, including 53.6% in the first half, as they raced out to a 37-16 halftime lead.
Teton will face Timberlake (21-2) — a 61-42 winner over Filer — in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday.
Parma (19-5) was led by junior guard Sidney Jackson, who tallied 13 points. The Panthers will face Filer (15-10) in an elimination game at noon Friday.
Sugar-Salem 52, Weiser 39: Senior forward Kennedy Gillette accounted for nearly half of the Diggers’ points in a first-round victory over Weiser at Skyview High.
Gillette had 24 points and eight rebounds and was joined in double figures by Ashlyn Harris (11 points, 8 rebounds).
The defending state champion Diggers (16-6) take on Snake River/Buhl in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday.
Senior guard Brady Reed had 11 points for Weiser (21-4), and senior post Mattie Shirts finished a rebound short of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Weiser plays Snake River/Buhl in an elimination game at 2 p.m. Friday.
2A STATE TOURNAMENT
Cole Valley Christian 54, Grangeville 50: Freshman guard Trinity Holsinger scored a game-leading 19 points to guide the Chargers to a first-round win over the Bulldogs at Bishop Kelly High.
Cole Valley Christian (19-5), the defending state champion, draws Soda Springs in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday.
Holsinger, who knocked down 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, was joined in double figures by junior forward Hadley Fraas with 12 points.
Sophomore forward Madalyn Green led the way for Grangeville with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Melba 58, Declo 31: The unbeaten Mustangs forced 24 turnovers on their way to a first-round win over the Hornets at Bishop Kelly High.
Senior forward Kendall Clark led three Mustangs in double figures with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Brooklyn Dayley added 16 points, six boards and five assists, and Hallie Arnold had 12 points and three assists.
Melba (24-0) will face West Side (17-8) — a 48-44 overtime winner against Ririe — in a 7 p.m. semifinal Friday.
Declo was paced by Brynn Silcock with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Soda Springs 67, Ambrose 27: The Cardinals did not miss a single shot in the first half on their way to a commanding win over the Archers at Bishop Kelly High.
Four Cardinals (21-4) scored in double figures, paced by senior center Zipaya Somsen, who knocked down 7-of-8 from the field for 14 points.
Ambrose (17-10), which plays Grangeville in an elimination game at noon Friday, got a team-leading 13 points from sophomore Ellie Thome.
1A DIVISION I STATE TOURNAMENT
Raft River 70, Liberty Charter 38: A well-rounded team effort that included 19 assists on 25 made field goals assured the Trojans a first-round victory over the Patriots at Columbia High.
Raft River (22-3) advances to the semifinals, where it will play Prairie (20-5) — a 67-23 winner over Greenleaf — at 5 p.m. Friday.
Four Trojans scored in double figures led by senior Jessi Knudsen and junior Reagan Jones with 15 points each.
Sophomore forward Addison Bayne poured in a game-leading 18 points for Liberty Charter (14-7), which draws District Three foe Greenleaf in an elimination game at noon Friday.
Prairie 67, Greenleaf 23: Senior post Tara Schlader recorded a double-double of 22 points and 17 rebounds to carry the Pirates into the state semifinals.
Schlader shot 9-for-14 from the floor and grabbed nine offensive rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
Greenleaf, which was playing at state for the first time since 2011, was led by senior Shae Olsen with eight points and four rebounds, while Anna Dixon added six points and nine boards.
Related: A Greenleaf basketball coach died while driving to the game. Her team still mourns
1A DIVISION II STATE TOURNAMENT
Council 56, Kendrick 41: The defending state runner-up Lumberjacks held the Tigers to 26.6% shooting for a first-round win at Nampa High.
Council (15-5) will face Rockland (21-3) in the semifinals at noon Friday with a return trip to the state championship on the line.
Junior Rhianna Iveson and sophomore Ava Eppich each scored 15 points to lead the Lumberjacks, who shot 44.2% from the floor and won the rebound battle 45-37.
Senior forward Rose Stewart was the top scorer for Kendrick (16-5) with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Rockland 57, Garden Valley 31: The Bulldogs overcame a slow start for a victory over the Wolverines in the first round at Nampa High.
Rockland (21-3) trailed by four points after the first quarter but outscored Garden Valley 20-2 in the second quarter to pull ahead for good. Taylie Boyer was the Bulldogs’ top scorer with 15 points, while Taylor Wilson and Autumn Farr had 10 points each.
Garden Valley (10-8), which was led by Gracie Castillo’s 20 points and seven rebounds, will play Kendrick (16-5) in an elimination game at 5 p.m. Friday.