Girls state basketball roundup: Treasure Valley teams shut out for first time since 1995
It’s been nearly 30 years since the Treasure Valley experienced a shutout like this at the state tournament.
District Three girls basketball teams went 0-4 in semifinal games Friday, leaving the Valley without a championship contender for the first time since 1995.
Boise fell to Coeur d’Alene in 5A action, while Parma (3A), Cole Valley Christian (2A) and Council (1A Division II) each saw their championship hopes dashed in the final four.
2A
BEAR LAKE 36, COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN 27
Poor shooting nights happen to even the best of teams. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Chargers.
Cole Valley Christian shot just 17.4 percent from the floor in a state semifinal loss to Bear Lake at Kuna High — and shot worse from inside the 3-point line than outside.
The second-ranked Bears (22-3) will take on No. 4 North Fremont (20-6) for the 2A championship at 1:40 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
“I felt like we matched up pretty good with them size-wise,” Cole Valley Christian coach Matt Beglinger said of Bear Lake. “I knew they were great shooters and quick. I was not expecting (us) to shoot 16 percent in the first half.
“I was impressed with their zone defense. They move around really well and cover gaps really well. I thought we could find holes and exploit some things, but we just really struggled to score, obviously.”
The Bears packed the key with that zone, tempting the Chargers (18-7) to look for open shooters outside. The shots simply wouldn’t fall. Cole Valley finished 5-for-24 from 3-point range (20.8%) and 8-for-46 overall.
“It was hard. When we’re not hitting our 3s, we’re trying to get the ball inside, but they’d just collapse and stop us,” senior Hadley Fraas said. “It was hard to find another solution when we can’t rely on our 3s.”
Bear Lake held Cole Valley without a field goal until there was 3:30 left in the first quarter. Meanwhile, junior point guard Saydee Shaul scored nine of Bear Lake’s 11 points in the opening frame.
Shaul finished with a game-leading 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a 3-for-3 performance from 3-point range.
Sophomore guard Trinity Holsinger paced Cole Valley with 11 points and four rebounds before fouling out with 2:16 remaining. Fraas chipped in seven points and nine rebounds, and sophomore guard Tessa Orcutt had nine points. They were the only players to score for the Chargers.
Cole Valley will play in the third-place game for the second year in a row after winning a state title in 2022. The Chargers will face top-seeded Grangeville (22-3) at noon Saturday at Kuna.
“Last year, we went into the Saturday game thinking, ‘Well, we already lost. We can’t make it to the championship. What’s the point of even playing?’” Fraas said. “But this year, we just want to completely flip the switch and bring it to Grangeville.”
3A
TETON 61, PARMA 21
The Panthers got an up-close look at the best team in 3A on Friday, No. 1 seed Teton, and saw exactly why the Timberwolves are carrying a 24-1 record into a championship game they’ll be expected to win.
Teton started a little slowly but clamped down on Parma the entire game, allowing just six made field goals, five of which were 3-pointers.
Reese Kunz, Morgan Johnson and Abi Barkdull combined for 38 points for the Timberwolves, who got 17 rebounds from Melissa Bagley on their way to a 40-19 advantage on the boards.
Rylie Calkins had eight points and Sidney Jackson six to lead Parma (19-7), which shot 17.6% (6-for-34) from the field and committed 29 turnovers. The Panthers held Teton to nine points in the first quarter but trailed by 20 at halftime and 44-13 after three quarters.
Parma will face Timberlake at noon Saturday at Middleton High School in the third-place game.
1A Division II
KENDRICK 57, COUNCIL 44
Council’s hopes of a second straight state championship came to an end at the hands of Kendrick.
The Tigers forced 25 Lumberjack turnovers and knocked down 10-of-25 3-point attempts for a semifinal victory Friday at Nampa High.
Kendrick senior guard Ruby Stewart connected on 5-of-11 attempts from deep for a game-high 17 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. The Tigers (22-3) will play top-ranked Dietrich (20-3) for the championship at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Council senior Hope Zollman notched a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, senior Rhianna Iveson added 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals, and junior Ava Eppich had 10 points and six rebounds.
The Lumberjacks (13-6) will battle Deary (15-8) for the third-place trophy at noon Saturday at Nampa.
This story was originally published February 16, 2024 at 10:15 PM.
