Underdog Council made it back to the state finals. It brought home the title this time
The Council High girls basketball players watched their state championship hopes slip away in the finals last season. But the Lumberjacks got redemption Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
McKayla Hart led Council on a fourth-quarter run that secured a 52-42 victory over Dietrich in the 1A Division II girls basketball state championship, easing the memories of last year’s second-place finish and capturing the Lumberjacks (17-5) the first boys or girls basketball state title in school history.
“We had something to prove this time,” Council coach Paula Tucker said. “It was a little rough, but they pulled it off.”
This trip back to the Idaho Center wasn’t as heralded as last year’s, when Council took a perfect record into the finals. The Lumberjacks finished the regular season this year unranked in the final state media poll, and they drew the No. 6 seed at state despite repeating as District Three champs and going undefeated against 1A Division II competition.
But this season was nearly as dominant and provided an even better ending. The Lumberjacks entered the state tournament with the top offense in the classification (57.6 ppg), and they had a 1A Division II-best margin of victory at 21 points per game.
That carried over into state, where Council knocked off No. 3 Kendrick before getting revenge against No. 2 Rockland to return to the Idaho Center.
“It’s a really special group of ladies,” Tucker said. “They weren’t mentally tough, they didn’t have confidence and they didn’t believe in themselves when I started out with them. And I’m so pleased that they made it to this point, where they actually believed that they could win.”
Neither the Lumberjacks nor the No. 4 Blue Devils (22-4) led by more than two before halftime. Council junior Rhianna Iveson gave the Lumberjacks a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter, but Hailey Astle (19 points) sparked an 8-1 Dietrich run to tie the game at 33.
The Lumberjacks entered the fourth quarter with a 38-33 lead. Dietrich answered again to tie the score at 40-40. But Council had one more run up its sleeve.
After a basket by Council’s Porter Hart, senior Isabelle Eppich stole the ball on Dietrich’s next possession, leading to a McKayla Hart 3-pointer and a 45-40 lead. McKayla Hart followed that with a basket inside the paint, and she added two blocks in the final three minutes to put Dietrich away.
McKayla Hart finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks.
“I’m very pleased with (McKayla),” Tucker said. “Those blocks were huge, and then having her to help break the pressure. She played an all-around game for us.
“We composed ourselves when we lost our composure and just fought to stay in our game. We got away from that a few times when (Dietrich) surged, but we were able to pull it out when it mattered.”
The Lumberjacks held Dietrich to 16-for-47 (34%) shooting, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range in the second half.
Isabelle Eppich tallied 12 points for Council, with Iveson and Ava Eppich adding nine points each.
RAFT RIVER RALLIES FOR TITLE
The Trojans started the fourth-quarter trailing by four before rallying for a 38-34 win over rival Oakley for the 1A Division I championship, the first state title in program history.
Senior Caroline Schumann led Raft River (24-3) with 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting. She added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. And junior point guard Reagan Jones finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
LIBERTY CHARTER FALLS
Grace (21-5) senior Tenleigh Walker drained five 3-pointers to score 27 points, helping the Grizzlies defeat Liberty Charter 63-22 in the 1A Division I consolation final. Addison Bayne had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Patriots (15-8).
This story was originally published February 18, 2023 at 1:14 PM.