Fruitland boys basketball team keeps winning despite longtime coach’s absence
There is a buzzword that coaches often overuse, covering pretty much anything that takes focus off the sport itself.
Distraction.
It can be even the most minor thing, but in the case of the Fruitland Grizzlies, it’s something very few teams will ever have to face. But then again, few teams are equipped like them to handle such a thing.
A week into practices, boys basketball coach Mike Fitch was placed on administrative leave, and on Feb. 22 he was charged with three misdemeanors for allegedly sexually assaulting and harassing a school employee. Fitch led Fruitland to four state titles in 19 seasons.
On Thursday, there was nothing on Fruitland’s mind but basketball, and the Grizzlies played like it, routing Snake River 64-43 to open the 3A state tournament at Meridian High.
“We could have come into this season dejected, but these coaches, my teammates, we weren’t going to let that happen,” senior forward Drake Stampfli said. “This is the right team to handle the situations we’ve had to face.”
Fruitland (20-4) is looking for a second straight state title, having won it last March in Fitch’s last game on the sideline.
The Grizzlies don’t have an official head coach, instead listing the coach as “staff” on the roster. Assistants Mark VanWeerdhuizen, Troy O’Dell and Willie Lake have kept the ship afloat, doing it with relentless positivity. On Thursday, they hardly had to raise their voices, and when they did, it was yelling some sort of praise.
“They’ve always been there for us, on or off the court. It’s been really important to have a great chemistry not just with the players, but feeling comfortable with those coaches, too,” senior guard Jake O’Neil said.
[Related: Borah the lone local survivor in 5A]
The staff declined comment after the win, wanting the players to get the attention. They certainly earned it, as the Grizzlies led by as much as 29 points, using a 14-0 run in the second quarter to blow the game open.
O’Neil had a game-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Stampfli added 13 points and seven rebounds. Fruitland shot 45.2 percent (24-of-53), while Snake River shot 30 percent (15-of-50).
Sophomore guard Mitch Lindsay had 16 points to pace the Panthers (15-9), while senior post Benson Isom had eight points and 10 rebounds.
“I think we’re getting into the zone and pushing the tempo,” Stampfli said. “We have a lot of experienced guys. … Everyone on this team can score.”
With a roster comprised of only juniors and seniors, Fruitland has been through the ringer. O’Neil, who has signed to play golf at Boise State, broke a tibia in October and was initially told he wasn’t going to play this season. But with a chance for another state title, and in a tumultuous time for the team, there was no way he wasn’t suiting up again.
“We just focus on everything on the court, that’s all we can do, so that’s all we’re worried about,” O’Neil said.
[Scroll down for more 3A coverage]
4A: Century tops Columbia
It already had been a charmed season for the Columbia Wildcats, two years removed from a 54-game losing streak — the first winning season in the 13-year history of the school, first District Three title and first state tournament appearance.
A win Thursday over Century in the opening round of the 4A boys basketball tournament at Borah High would have been just the latest moment in the seemingly never-ending dream season, but the matchup was a nightmare.
Century, the No. 1 defensive team in 4A, flexed its strength and held Columbia to just 10 first-half points as the Diamondbacks headed into the semifinals with a 56-41 win.
“It was a lot of their defense — they play fantastic, physical defense and they’re probably the best defensive team in the tournament,” Columbia senior guard Jake Poulton said.
Poulton, who came into the game averaging 19.3 points per game, was held to just four points on 2-of-11 shooting. The Wildcats (18-7) shot 28.9 percent (13-of-45) for the game. Senior forward Tripp Pugmire had 10 points and seven rebounds to pace Columbia.
“They basically out-physicaled us, that was the bottom line,” Columbia coach Tennison Tripple said. “… It’s our first time here, unfortunately the game was a little big for them, they looked tentative.”
The Diamondbacks (21-5) held the Wildcats to just three points in the second quarter, and had seven field goals to two in the fourth quarter. Columbia had one big salvo, cutting a 14-point halftime deficit to five with a frantic 5-minute spurt, including three 3-pointers from sophomore guard Joe Schulkins.
But after Columbia got within 30-25, Century put down the clamps.
“Hudson (Williams) did a great job on their star man,” said Century senior guard Deshun Harwell, who had a game-high 22 points. “We knew if we could shut down Jake, we’d have a great chance. They got close, but a lot of us are seniors and we weren’t going out with a first-round loss.”
Preston 53, Middleton 42
As the third quarter wound down, the Middleton Vikings were trucking along, on track to upset the three-time defending 4A state champions.
Then the wheels came flying off.
Middleton led by 11 with 1:42 left in the third quarter, the crowd at a deafening level, but slowly, Preston chipped away at the lead. The Vikings made just one field goal the rest of the way as the Indians won the first-round state matchup by dominating down the stretch. Preston will meet Century in the semifinals.
“We had that one,” Middleton junior forward Gaard Memmelaar said. “They hit some big 3s, we had some lapses on defense, and it got pretty rough for us on offense.”
Preston (23-2) showed why it has dominated the 4A boys basketball ranks in how it responded to the deficit, as junior guard Cooper Hobson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to end the third quarter, then hit another 2 minutes into the fourth. That gave the Indians a 39-36 lead, one it never relinquished.
“A lack of experience hurt us a little bit,” Middleton coach Andy Harrington said. “… We made a lot of mistakes we generally haven’t made down the stretch. You’ve got to give credit to them, there’s a reason they are who they are.”
Preston led Middleton 20-18 at the half, and the teams traded blows in the third before Middleton (16-11) sophomore guard Cash Crowdery hit a 3-pointer with 3:30 left for a 28-25 lead. That keyed an 11-0 run. But Preston responded to that with a 19-1 run of its own.
Middleton, which got into the state tournament by winning four games in five days, was led by junior forward Tyler Robinett’s 14 points and nine rebounds. Memmelaar had 12 points.
Hobson had a game-high 16 points for Preston, while junior forward Ty Hyde added 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
“(Their run) happened to come at the end of the game,” said Memmelaar, committed to Washington for football. “But that’s why we love basketball, and why it can frustrate you, too.”
Vallivue 63, Moscow 58
The Falcons overcame a 13-point first-half deficit, in part with an 18-6 advantage in the third quarter, to move into the semifinals vs. Idaho Falls. Amoro Lado scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and Gabe Gallegos added 17 on 6-of-11 shooting to lead an efficient Vallivue attack. The Falcons shot 63.2 percent as a team in the second half (12-for-19).
Gabe Quinnett scored 26 points and Ben Postell added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Moscow.
Idaho Falls 49, Twin Falls 44
The Tigers overcame a three-point deficit going into the fourth quarter to upset the Bruins.
Keynion Clark and Paul Wilson scored 12 points each on a combined 9-for-11 shooting for Idaho Falls, while their teammates were 4-for-17. Faust Ystueta scored 17 points for Twin Falls.
Here’s what happened from 3A to 1A:
3A
▪ Sugar-Salem 60, Timberlake 26: The Diggers posted a third-quarter shutout and only allowed four second-half points on their way to the semifinals vs. Kimberly. Crew Clark scored 11 points and Tanner Harris 10 for Sugar-Salem. Chase Gardom contributed 15 for Timberlake.
▪ Kimberly 57, Parma 55: Brant Etherington scored 13 points for Kimberly.
▪ Marsh Valley 64, Kellogg 52: Jacob McNabb (20 points), Payton Campbell (18) and Aaron Marshall (12) led a Marsh Valley offense that hit a staggering 75 percent of its field-goal attempts in each half. The Eagles were 21-for-28 overall. Kellogg had four players score 10 or 11 points. The Wildcats shot a solid 54 percent themselves.
2A
▪ North Fremont 51, Declo 37: Garrett Hawkes scored 32 points, including 15 free throws, to push the Huskies into the semifinals. Hawkes was fouled 12 times and made all but two of his freebies. Bart Gibby scored 11 points for Declo.
▪ Cole Valley Christian 58, Bear Lake 52: Three Chargers scored in double figures to set up the semifinal vs. North Fremont — Ricky Golenor (22 points), Dylan Krogh (13) and Nathan Wetzel (12). Golenor added 11 rebounds. Trey Shaul scored 18 points for Bear Lake.
▪ St. Maries 49, West Side 42: Kaden Hammond led St. Maries with 15 points. Connor Nielsen countered with 12 for West Side.
▪ Ririe 51, Marsing 32: Michael Ure scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who will face St. Maries in the semifinals. Marsing shot just 26 percent with Enrique Quebrado scoring a team-high 15 points.
1A Division I
▪ Valley 70, Riverstone 41: Jason Hardy and Zane Mussmann scored 22 points each to put Valley in the semis vs. Potlatch. Mussmann added 13 rebounds.
▪ Potlatch 53, Liberty Charter 50: Dacota Hadaller scored 12 points for Potlatch. Charlie Deboer led Riverstone with 13 points.
▪ Prairie 45, Challis 38: The Pirates pulled away in the fourth quarter in a game that featured 11 lead changes. Cole Schlader led the way with 14 points. Parker May scored 16 for the Vikings.
▪ Lapwai 65, Ambrose 59: Kendall Leighton scored 23 points and Payton Sabotta added 17 as Lapwai led throughout. The Wildcats will face Prairie in the semifinals. Paul Yenor posted 24 points and 12 rebounds for Ambrose.
1A Division II
▪ Logos 56, Rockland 52: Ben Euhus scored 14 points for Logos.
▪ Garden Valley 60, Carey 54: Covy Kelly scored 34 points to lead Garden Valley into the semifinals against Logos. Kelly was 14-for-26 from the field, including three 3-pointers. Dallin Parke scored 17 points for Carey.
▪ Genesis Prep 47, Salmon River 32: Kon Ajang scored 16 points to lead the Jaguars. Randy McClure contributed 10 for Salmon River.
▪ Lighthouse Christian 63, Mackay 57 (OT): The game was tied after the third and fourth quarters but Lighthouse Christian (24-0) was able to stay undefeated with a strong overtime performance. Peyton Lookingbill (14 points) and Tyler Munsee (13) led four players in double figures for the Lions, who will face Genesis Prep in the semifinals. Kolton Holt scored 18 for Mackay.
This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 4:09 PM.
