Girls basketball state roundup: BK, Columbia fall in 4A. Parma (3A), Cole Valley (2A) win
Outside of 5A competition, three Treasure Valley girls basketball teams moved into the semifinals of their respective state tournaments on Thursday.
Parma (3A), Cole Valley Christian (2A) and Council (1A Division II) each won first-round games.
Meanwhile, Bishop Kelly and Columbia both lost in 4A competition, eliminating the Valley in that classification. Melba, the defending 2A champion, lost its opener, and Rimrock and Liberty Charter both fell in 1A Division I action.
4A
LAKELAND 48, BISHOP KELLY 45
Bishop Kelly trailed Lakeland by 10 points with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Knights didn’t go down without a fight.
BK pulled within a possession on two occasions down the stretch, getting as close as 47-45 with 26 seconds to play, but couldn’t quite complete the comeback in a first-round game at Timberline High.
“We got a little complacent in the fourth quarter when they started making a little bit of a run,” Bishop Kelly coach Derek McCormick said. “... But the girls bounced back from that, which I think is a great sign of their character.
“They could have easily just hung their heads and got beat by 15, but we had a chance to tie it or win it at the end. That’s all you can ask for.”
The Knights (18-5) got a look at a potential game-tying basket after forcing a Lakeland turnover with 15 seconds left. Senior center Addy Laible got the ball inside and split two defenders on a scoop shot that didn’t quite fall. The Knights immediately fouled — with the Hawks in the bonus — sending Lakeland senior Lila Kiefer to the line with 3 seconds remaining. Kiefer made 1-of-2 free throws, and BK’s halfcourt heave was off the mark.
Behrend finished with a team-best 15 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Keira Lizama contributed 11 points, five rebounds and two assists, and Laible was a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
Lakeland (14-9) was led by junior guard Landree Simon with 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists. The Hawks forced 30 BK turnovers to overcome a 28% shooting performance.
Bishop Kelly will face 4A SIC foe Columbia for the fourth time this season in a loser-out contest at 5 p.m. Friday at Timberline. The Knights have won the previous three meetings.
Lakeland, which won its first state game since 2009, will play No. 1 Shelley in a semifinal game at noon Friday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
SHELLEY 71, COLUMBIA 33
The Russets won the opening tip and immediately scored on an easy layup. The Wildcats would be playing from behind — well behind — the rest of the afternoon.
Top-ranked and unbeaten Shelley (23-0) held Columbia (13-13) to a single field goal in the first quarter and just 24.5% shooting for the game on its way to a dominating first-round victory at Timberline.
BYU signee and reigning 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year Brinley Cannon scored 10 of her 21 points in the first quarter to help the Russets build an insurmountable lead, and they were ahead 42-13 at the half. Cannon was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor and did all her damage in just under 17 minutes of action.
“She created and got anything she wanted against us,” Columbia coach Neal Robertson said of Cannon. “When she caught it, we wanted to double- or even triple-team and make her pass it back out. But she was able to get through our double teams, through our triple teams, and then they’d kick it back out.”
Leading by as many as 44 points, the Russets went deep into their bench. Fifteen different players saw game action, and nine players scored three or more points. Shelley turned 17 Columbia turnovers into 31 points while shooting 49.2%.
“I don’t see them losing, to be honest with you,” Robertson said of Shelley.
Junior post Addysyn Bayne paced Columbia with 10 points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot, and sophomore Gabby Nabors added seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
3A
PARMA 61, FRUITLAND 50
In the fourth meeting of the season between 3A Snake River Valley rivals, the Panthers led from start to finish for a first-round win at Middleton High.
Parma (19-6) will play No. 1 Teton (23-1) — a 69-28 winner over Kimberly — for a spot in the championship game at 5 p.m. Friday at Middleton. Fruitland (12-10) faces Kimberly (14-13) in a loser-out contest at noon.
Three Panthers scored in double figures, led by junior guard Rylie Calkins with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Aarey Harris chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists, and senior Sidney Jackson had 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Parma and Fruitland each had double-digit turnovers, but the Panthers turned the Grizzlies’ 19 giveaways into 26 points to build as much as a 20-point lead.
Senior forward Briyer Howell notched a double-double for Fruitland, with 10 points and 10 rebounds, despite fouling out.
2A
COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN 47, SODA SPRINGS 38
The Chargers trailed by three points at halftime before staging a comeback for a first-round victory at Kuna High.
Cole Valley Christian (18-6), which won it all in 2022, continues its title hopes with a semifinal game against Bear Lake (21-3) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Both teams shot just 29.2% from the field, but sophomore guard Trinity Holsinger helped push the Chargers ahead by going 12-for-14 from the free-throw line as she totaled a game-best 19 points with 10 rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Hadley Fraas chipped in 13 points and six rebounds, and sophomore guard Tessa Orcutt had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
Cole Valley did not commit a single turnover and outrebounded the Cardinals 43-31.
NORTH FREMONT 64, MELBA 48
The Huskies pushed their win streak to 14 in a row courtesy of a first-round win over defending champion Melba at Kuna High.
It was North Fremont’s first victory at the state tournament since 2013, which also coincides with the program’s only championship.
Junior center Josie Richardson led a balanced attack for the Huskies (19-6) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Peyton Lenz (17 points), Taylor Sessions (11 points) and Alyssa Hill (10 points) also reached double figures for North Fremont, which will play No. 1 Grangeville in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday.
Senior guard Brooklyn Dayley scored a game-high 21 points for the Mustangs (16-7), who led 20-17 at halftime before getting outscored 47-28 in the second half. Melba will try to keep its season alive against Kellogg (15-10) in a consolation game at noon Friday.
1A DIVISION I
GRACE 60, RIMROCK 17
Top-ranked Grace had its way with Rimrock, gobbling up 24 turnovers and holding the Raiders to just five total field goals.
The Grizzlies have won 14 straight games entering Friday’s semifinal matchup with Prairie (18-7). It tips off at 5 p.m. at Columbia High in Nampa.
Senior forward Sydnee Smith was the only player to reach double figures, collecting 21 points in a little more than 20 minutes of action for the Grizzlies (20-3).
Sophomore point guard Kloey Borgen was the top performer for Rimrock (14-8) with seven points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. The Raiders take on Murtaugh (18-5) at noon Friday for a spot in the consolation final.
OAKLEY 51, LIBERTY CHARTER 36
The Patriots fell to 0-10 in first-round games following a loss to the Hornets at Columbia High.
Oakley raced out to a 20-2 lead after one quarter and never looked back on its way to an eighth consecutive victory.
The Hornets knocked down 7-of-11 attempts from 3-point range, including three from Taylin Beck, who totaled a team-best 15 points to go with five rebounds and one steal.
Junior guard Jennabelle Reece scored 17 points for Liberty Charter (13-6), which takes on Valley at 2 p.m. Friday at Columbia.
1A DIVISION II
COUNCIL 71, SALMON RIVER 43
The defending state champion Lumberjacks knocked down 10 3-pointers and shot 49.2% overall to upend the Savages in the first round at Nampa High.
Council (13-5) draws Kendrick (21-3) in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Friday, while Salmon River (18-7) will play Leadore (17-5) at 7 p.m. Friday in a win-or-go-home matchup.
Council senior Hope Zollman went 10-for-17 from the floor for a game-high 23 points to go with six assists and four rebounds. Fellow senior Rhianna Iveson totaled 19 points, six assists and five rebounds, and junior Ava Eppich posted a double-double with 13 points and 16 boards.
Sophomore guard Rylee Walters led the way for Salmon River with 18 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 6:39 PM.
