Girls basketball state recap: Treasure Valley teams have rough go on first day
There wasn’t a lot to celebrate for Treasure Valley teams on the first day of the Idaho high school girls basketball state tournament.
In the 5A through 1A classifications, only two local teams made it through to Friday’s semifinals.
Here’s a look at how Boise-area teams fared in the first round.
[Related: Eagle, Coeur d’Alene score early wins at 6A girls basketball state tournament]
IDAHO 5A GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
LAKELAND 72, COLUMBIA 28: Coach Neal Robertson and his staff did a lot of film study in preparation for the Wildcats’ first-round matchup Thursday against the top-seeded Hawks.
But there are just some things that can’t be gleaned from film.
Lakeland proved dangerous both on the perimeter and in the paint, cruising to the victory at Mountain View High School with the help of a monster second quarter in which the Hawks outscored the Wildcats 27-3.
“We had a game plan,” said Robertson, whose team fell behind 42-10 at the half.
“We even told the girls, ‘Hey, we’re pretty confident in this one. We think we can get this one.’ But they came out and played very well. I mean, that’s a championship-caliber team.”
Junior guard Presley Fagan scored a game-leading 21 points on 9-for-17 shooting for Lakeland (19-4), while freshman forward Jaeli Hoffman had a double-double by halftime and finished with 19 points and 11 boards. Junior forward Mariana Bullington (11 points) and senior point guard Karstyn Kiefer (10 points) also reached double figures for the Hawks.
Lakeland will play defending state champion Pocatello (17-7) — a 58-46 winner over Jerome — in the semifinals at noon Friday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Facing such a significant hole at the half and with the Hawks shooting nearly 50% from the floor and 36.8% from 3-point range, the Wildcats could only hope to slowly chip away at the deficit over the final two quarters.
“We had to make sure that they were not blaming each other and pointing fingers,” Robertson said. “We had to make sure that they came together and supported each other. We had nothing to lose at that point.”
Columbia outscored Lakeland 9-3 to start the third quarter, but a 14-2 Hawks run — including a pair of triples from Fagan — quickly squelched any hopes of a crazy Wildcats comeback.
Senior guard Gabby Nabors and sophomore point guard Bailey Robertson paced Columbia with 10 points apiece as the Wildcats were outrebounded 53-20.
Columbia (14-9) will try to extend its season in an elimination game against Jerome (15-9) at 5 p.m. Friday at Mountain View.
SANDPOINT 51, BISHOP KELLY 28: Once Brecken Mire got going, there was simply no stopping the Bulldogs’ lefty junior guard.
Mire slashed and dashed her way to a game-leading 25 points as No. 2 Sandpoint took down No. 7 Bishop Kelly at Mountain View High.
“She’s silky smooth. She’s pretty good,” Bishop Kelly coach Derek McCormick said. “She can handle the ball, and at her size, you don’t see that very often. We knew that was going to be trouble.”
The 5-foot-10 Mire, who is receiving heavy interest from colleges, surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season. Adept at creating her own shot, Mire netted her first field goal of the game with a driving layup with 3:53 left in the first quarter. She then assisted on a 3-pointer by teammate Livia Diggs, instigating a 23-1 Sandpoint run that spurred the way to a 33-13 halftime lead.
Mire had 18 points at the half and finished the game shooting 9-for-15 from the field, with eight rebounds and three assists.
After a back-and-forth battle to start the first quarter, the Bulldogs broke open the game with a full-court press, ultimately forcing 23 BK turnovers that led to 21 Sandpoint points. The Knights were also run off the 3-point line, finishing 0-for-8 from deep and shooting just 26.3% overall.
Bishop Kelly (15-8) can extend its season in an elimination game against Hillcrest (15-11) at 7 p.m. Friday at Mountain View. Hillcrest beat BK 56-38 in mid-December.
“We still have a chance to play three games,” McCormick said. “We don’t care what color the trophy is. We want to fight for a trophy. And at the end of the day, we just want to compete and do it together. If we can get an extra game together, that’s a bonus.”
Junior forward Reagan Williams was Bishop Kelly’s top scorer with eight points. Sophomore forward Lauren Park chipped in seven points and four rebounds, and junior guard Julia Baerlocher had five points and two assists.
IDAHO 4A GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
MARSH VALLEY 53, FRUITLAND 50: The Grizzlies dropped into the elimination bracket after a first-round loss to the No. 4 Eagles at Skyview High School in Nampa.
Fruitland (17-7) faces No. 8 Kimberly (12-12) at noon Friday.
Sophomore forward Kennedy Fitch led Fruitland with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore guard Payson Bratcher (11 points) and junior guard Mollie Colkins (12 points) also reached double figures.
TIMBERLAKE 64, WEISER 36: The Tigers rolled out to a 26-4 lead after one quarter to put away the Wolverines in a first-round game at Skyview High School in Nampa.
The Wolverines (14-7) will attempt to stave off elimination in a 2 p.m. contest Friday against Filer (17-5).
Seniors Evie Dolton and Porter Hart each had 10 points for Weiser, and Hart made it a double-double with 12 boards.
IDAHO 3A GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
AMBROSE 77, NEW PLYMOUTH 66: Playing against each other for the fourth time this season, the Archers improved to 3-1 against their 3A Western Idaho Conference rivals, notching their first state tournament victory in program history Thursday at Kuna High School.
Sophomore guard Amelia Alexander took over the game, sinking 10-of-17 from the field, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range, for 36 points. Junior point guard Annelise Curran added 21 points, six rebounds and six steals as Ambrose overcame a 35-29 halftime deficit.
Ambrose (19-5) draws Firth (22-5) — a 53-37 winner over West Side, in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday.
New Plymouth, which was led by senior guard Kadence Withers with 26 points and seven rebounds, plays West Side in a loser-out matchup at 2 p.m. Friday.
IDAHO 2A GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
BUTTE COUNTY 71, VISION CHARTER 38: The top-seeded Pirates stunned the Golden Eagles in the opening quarter, taking a 31-1 lead and never relenting.
Seniors Hazel Gemett and Brynn Andersen each scored 12 points to lead Butte County (18-5), which takes on Prairie (21-5) in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday at Columbia High School in Nampa.
Senior guard Raelynn Nickel led Vision Charter (16-7) in its first state tournament appearance with 27 points, including a 6-for-12 performance from 3-point range.
The Golden Eagles draw Lakeside (11-12) in an elimination game Friday.
LAPWAI 88, VICTORY CHARTER 16: Four Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Skyline Picard with 27 points, in a blowout win over the Vipers.
Victory Charter, which was held to just 18.2% shooting and six total field goals, was led by senior Mikayla Zink with nine points.
The Vipers (16-7) face 2A WIC rival Liberty Charter in an elimination game at 2 p.m. Friday.
OAKLEY 52, LIBERTY CHARTER 12: The defending state champion Hornets limited the Patriots to just four total field goals in a first-round win at Columbia High in Nampa.
Oakley rattled off a 31-1 run in the first half as senior Addy Maseda notched a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Hornets also forced 34 turnovers.
Junior Aveyah Flores and senior Sophie Criddle each had four points for Liberty Charter (16-9), which faces Victory Charter in a loser-out game Friday.
IDAHO 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
SALMON RIVER 86, KOOTENAI 20: The Savages set a 1A tournament record for points in a game in a dominant victory over the Warriors on Thursday at Owyhee High School in Meridian. The previous record was 73 points, held by both Summit Academy (2012) and Butte County (2017).
Salmon River (24-0) will play Deary (21-2) in the semifinals at noon Friday.
Senior guard Rylee Walters led all scorers with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the field, highlighted by four triples along with six assists, five rebounds and four steals. Freshman Poppy Harper (15 points), sophomore Kennedy Wilson (14 points) and junior Taylor Ewing (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Savages, which held Kootenai to just 16.3% from the floor and forced 29 turnovers.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 4:20 PM.
