Parma senior predicted a state title. The Panthers proved her right with a championship
Rylie Calkins called her shot last week. On Saturday, her team backed her up.
Parma withstood a furious comeback from Malad to hang on for a 58-55 victory in the 3A girls basketball state championship, capturing the program’s first state title and backing up its four-year starter’s prediction.
Calkins said the Panthers “were ready to go win a state championship” after last week’s district title. Parma suffered years of heartbreaks and hard-earned lessons at the state tournament. But after serving as a water girl on the Panthers’ only other trip to the finals, in 2019, she knew this was their year.
“I had so much faith in our team,” Calkins said. “I don’t know. I just love these girls.”
Calkins could only watch the final minutes after fouling out with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter, just as No. 1 Malad (24-2) rose from the dead. The No. 2 Panthers (23-2) built a 20-point lead in the first half and entered the fourth quarter leading by 16, looking to score a blowout. But Malad refused to lie down.
The Dragons mounted a 17-0 run, and Izzy Haycock hit Malad’s fourth straight 3-pointer to give it a 53-52 lead with 1:54 left.
But the Panthers didn’t back down either.
“We all just looked at each other and we were like, ‘We’re good, calm down,’” Parma junior forward Aarey Harris said. “‘ … Stay strong. We’ll be OK.’”
An unlikely hero rose to the occasion. With the shot clock winding down, Haylee Gentry drove into the lane and found a wide-open Daisy Hardcastle on the baseline. The senior sank a 5-foot jumper with 32 seconds left to finally wrest back the lead.
It was her only shot of the night and her second attempt of the tournament.
“You never know when your time is going to come,” Parma coach Michael Calkins said. “Last night, it was a young kid. Today, it was a kid who made one shot all night. And it was the biggest shot of her life and the biggest shot of our season.”
Hardcastle and Gentry then combined to force a turnover on the other end of the floor, and senior Kaidance Kaiser sank two free throws with 8.1 seconds left.
Harris led Parma with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Calkins and Kaiser each added 14 points, and Gentry chipped in nine points and four steals.
Brynlee Jones paced Malad with 24 points, including 14 in the second half. But 3A’s top defense held the Dragons scoreless for the final 1:22, snapping Malad’s 24-game winning streak and avenging a 16-point loss in November.
The dramatic fourth quarter may have added a few more gray hairs on Michael Calkins’ head. But the Panthers’ 13-year coach could only smile and shake his head when asked about his oldest daughter’s state title prediction.
“We’ve been feeding it to her since she was 5 years old that you’re gonna be a state champion some day,” Michael Calkins said. “So she’s just had that in her mind. Coming into this season, knowing Kaidance Kaiser was back healthy, she just had a mindset that this is the best team that she’s ever played on, and she’s going to will this team to victory.
“She didn’t do it by herself. Everybody stepped up and did it. But she knew from the get go that we’re going to win a state championship.”
MELBA 53, GRANGEVILLE 47: Idaho State commit Tariah Carter drew 10 fouls — causing two Bulldogs starters to foul out — to guide the Mustangs to a third-place finish at Bishop Kelly High School.
Carter contributed a team-leading 15 points with three rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots, and junior forward Darby Lowber (13 points) and senior Kali Jo Adams (12 points) also reached double figures for Melba (19-6).
Grangeville (18-8), which led by as many as 11 points, got a double-double of 18 points and 12 boards from junior Addisyn Vanderwall.
NEW PLYMOUTH 74, NORTH FREMONT 70: The Pilgrims shot lights out to outlast the Huskies for the consolation title at Bishop Kelly High School.
New Plymouth (20-8) shot 57 percent (27-for-47) from the floor and 54 percent from 3-point range (7-for-13). Four of those triples came from junior Mycee Christenson, who racked up a team-leading 23 points with four rebounds and two steals.
Seniors Laci Eagy and Sam Withers scored 10 points apiece, and juniors Kadence Withers and Emery Frates had nine points each for the Pilgrims.
Junior Peyton Lenz totaled a game-best 24 points for North Fremont (14-15).
4A STATE TOURNAMENT
SUGAR-SALEM 47, BEAR LAKE 41: The Diggers’ juggernaut capped an undefeated season to capture their second title in the past four years and fourth in the past seven.
Tasha Larsen led a balanced lineup with 15 points and seven rebounds. Ashlyn Harris added 10 points and eight rebounds for Sugar-Salem (26-0). Monkia Nead had nine points and eight rebounds, and Andee Petterson finished with six points and eight assists.
Emyri Walker led Bear Lake (22-4) with nine points as the Bears finished 14-for-51 (28%) from the floor.
MCCALL-DONNELLY 46, KIMBERLY 41: A day after winning their first state tournament game since 1979, the Vandals made more history Saturday morning at Middleton High School by winning the consolation trophy — their first state hardware since winning it all in 1979.
Senior wing Lexie Arnold (14 points, eight rebounds) and junior center Emma Ormsby (10 points, seven rebounds) led the way for the Vandals (15-12).
Sophomore guard Taya Plew led all scorers with 15 points for the Bulldogs (17-9).
2A STATE TOURNAMENT
OAKLEY 62, PRAIRIE 51: Senior Dakota Wadsworth erupted 31 points and seven rebounds, hitting 10-of-17 shots and 6-of-6 free throws to lead the Hornets (24-1) to the second state title in program history.
Junior forward Adelyn Maseda added 13 points and 16 rebounds for top-seeded Oakley, which out rebounded the Pirates 37-24. Lexi Schumacher led Prairie (22-3) with 22 points.
1A STATE TOURNAMENT
CAREY 42, SALMON RIVER 38: The Savages came up short in their bid for the third-place trophy, missing their chance at a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds left at Nampa High School.
Junior guard Rylee Walters came through with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds for Salmon River (17-8), and sophomore guard Taylor Ewing totaled 18 points and five boards.
Despite shooting just 21 percent from the floor, Carey (18-8) survived with clutch free throws down the stretch. Sophomore guard Andie Simpson was the only Panther in double figures, scoring 16 points with eight rebounds and three assists while playing all 32 minutes.
This story was originally published February 22, 2025 at 5:31 PM.
