Two Treasure Valley teams see their state championship hopes end on the final shot
Treasure Valley teams were shut out of the 4A boys basketball state championship game after Middleton and Kuna lost in Friday night’s semifinal round — barely.
District champion Middleton (22-4) lost to Preston when a potential game-winning shot fell just short at the buzzer. Kuna (18-8) trailed by as many as 24 points before mounting an epic fourth-quarter comeback against Moscow. Somehow, the Kavemen had two chances to tie the game in the final moments, but the shots didn’t fall.
Preston (25-1) and Moscow (17-9) square off for the 4A title at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center. Middleton and Kuna play for third place at 11 a.m. Saturday at Borah High in a rematch of the District Three championship game.
[Related: Brackets, results for all six tournaments; Borah reaches 5A final]
PRESTON 51, MIDDLETON 50
Middleton’s quest for its first 4A state championship ended as the Vikings dropped a heartbreaker to Preston.
Senior standout Tyler Robinett stole an inbounds pass with 5 seconds left, giving Middleton the game’s final shot. The Vikings drew up a play for the College of Idaho signee, but Robinett’s short jumper bounced off the front rim as Preston escaped with the win.
“We wanted to get our best player the ball,” Middleton coach Andy Harrington said. “We’re going to give him the ball every time in that situation. It was a great game and two great teams, and we just had a few costly turnovers down the stretch that helped them claw back on top.”
Robinett scored 12 points and Cash Cowdery was big off the bench for the second consecutive game, leading Middleton with 15 points. Sy Eaton chipped in nine points for the Vikings.
Senior big man Ty Hyde paced Preston with 21 points and eight rebounds. Point guard Luke Smellie also had a huge night with 16 points and nine assists. Smellie’s short jumper with 24 seconds left proved to be the game-winner as the Indians advanced to their fifth consecutive 4A state final.
Fans were treated to a classic in a matchup of the state’s top-ranked teams. So many fans, in fact, that dozens had to wait outside after the Borah High gym reached maximum capacity.
Neither team led by more than six in a game that featured eight ties and eight lead changes. Preston only committed five turnovers and Middleton had seven — although both teams coughed it up in the tense final moments. Robinett’s clutch steal gave Middleton an opportunity.
“It was a good shot, but I missed it,” Robinett said. “This was a great game. The gym was packed, two of the best teams in the state going at it — you really couldn’t ask for more.”
Foul trouble plagued Middleton in the loss. Robinett and Tyler Medaris each had four fouls as Preston enjoyed a 19-5 advantage in free-throw attempts. Preston also won the rebounding battle, 31-23.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Harrington said. “They had a phenomenal season. We had a chance to win state, and even though we didn’t, they’ve really advanced where Middleton is as a program.”
MOSCOW 63, KUNA 60
One of the most unlikely comebacks ever witnessed at a state tournament came up just short for Kuna. After shooting 4-for-22 in the first half and trailing by as many as 24 points late in the third quarter, the Kavemen roared to life and came within a bounce of an inconceivable overtime.
“I’m exceptionally proud,” said Kuna coach Pete Longgood, whose team trailed 27-14 at half and 47-28 through three quarters before erupting for 32 points in the fourth. “They played so hard, even though shots weren’t falling for so long. Their fight was impressive.”
Junior guard Sean Austin spearheaded the comeback with driving layups and two NBA-range 3-pointers. He scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, but his tying 3 was off the mark in the closing seconds. Following a loose-ball scrum for the rebound and a lengthy discussion by the officials, 0.3 seconds was put back on the clock, but Kuna’s desperation tip-heave from the corner never had a chance.
“We just found a groove and kept going with it,” Austin said. “Even down 20, we knew we were going to come back. We pushed hard, but it didn’t end up working out.”
Cade Randall scored 10 points and Zach Williams chipped in nine for Kuna, which forced 28 Moscow turnovers, including five steals apiece by Austin and Lance Ray. The Kavemen committed 18 turnovers of their own in a wild game that at times had more back-and-forth action than a tennis match.
Brayden Decker led Moscow with 17 points and 6-foot-8 freshman Blake Buchanan added 15 points and 12 rebounds, including two thunderous dunks during Moscow’s 14-1 run that temporarily put the Bears in command.
Moscow — which enjoyed a huge size advantage — outrebounded Kuna 36-21 and altered countless shots with its length.
“It took us a long time to get used to that,” Longgood said. “They really bothered us around the rim, and we just didn’t make enough shots to pull them away from the basket.”
Despite Moscow’s imposing front line and huge lead, turnovers and 10 missed fourth-quarter free throws allowed Kuna to climb within inches of completing the comeback. In fact, there appeared to be two missed goaltending calls that could have helped Kuna’s cause late, but the Kavemen didn’t get the final bounce they needed.
3A
▪ Kimberly 55, Fruitland 37: Kimberly upset No. 1 Fruitland. Dawson Cummins scored 30 points for Kimberly and passed the 1,000-point milestone in his career. Fruitland went 3-for-21 from 3-point range and couldn’t make a comeback after getting outscored 35-18 in the first half.
▪ Sugar-Salem 48, Filer 36: Sugar-Salem is now one game away from repeating as state champion after handling Filer. Sugar-Salem outrebounded Filer 44-26 and won the points in the paint battle 12-2. Tanner Harris led Sugar-Salem with 10 points and 12 rebounds. On the other side, Austin Jarolimek had 14 points and Miguel Perez scored 10 points and added eight rebounds.
The 3A championship will be Kimberly against Sugar-Salem at 3:50 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
2A
▪ West Side 62, St. Maries 41: West Side outplayed St. Maries on both sides of the ball. West Side shot 60% from the floor and held its opponent to only 29% for the game, while scoring 26 points off of St. Maries’ 15 turnovers. Bryler Shurtliff led West Side with 17 points, while Isaac Frankman and Blaze Brown both scored 10. Brett Stancil led St. Maries with nine points.
▪ North Fremont 69, Cole Valley Christian 64 (OT): North Fremont returns to the state championship game and will try to win a second straight title after defeating Cole Valley Christian in overtime. North Fremont was led in scoring by Jordan Lenz (23 points) and Jordan Hess (22 points). It also went to the free-throw line 36 times, compared to Cole Valley’s eight attempts. Cole Valley outscored North Fremont 26-18 in the fourth quarter but could only score eight points in overtime. Haydon Harmon had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Chargers.
The 2A championship will be West Side against North Fremont at 1:40 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
1A Division I
▪ Grace 57, Lapwai 48: Grace extended its winning streak to 11 games and will have a shot at winning its first state championship since 2003. Grace took a 14-6 lead after the first quarter and never let Lapwai have a lead. Gage Stoddard scored 30 points for Grace, while teammate Ivor Gibbs had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lapwai was led by Titus Yearout, who scored 22 points. Grace won the rebounding battle 40-23.
▪ Ambrose 39, Potlatch 37 (OT): Ambrose scored the only two points in overtime in a low-scoring game, giving it a chance to win a state championship after winning the consolation title last year. Paul Yenor paced Ambrose with 14 points on only seven shots. Josh Johnson also scored in double figures with 10. Brayden Hadaller was Potlatch’s scoring leader with 13 points. He also had four rebounds and five assists.
The 1A Division I championship will be Grace against Ambrose at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
1A Division II
▪ Cascade 73, North Gem 68: Cascade advances to its first state championship game since 2001 and will have the opportunity to win the first state title in school history. Blake Thurston led Cascade with 36 points, including 11 points from the free-throw line, and five steals. Teammate Michael Onaindia recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. North Gem finished the game with 21 fouls and had two players foul out, including James Bodily, who had 23 points and 14 rebounds by the time he left the game.
▪ Lakeside 76, Dietrich 59: Talon Twoteeth led Lakeside in its second straight double-digit win of the tournament. Twoteeth scored 24 points, while Kenyon Spotted Horse and Day Day Higgins each scored 15 points. While both teams shot above 40% from the field, Lakeside took 20 more shots. Dietrich was led in scoring by Brady Power, who scored 26 points. Lakeside last won a state title in 1997.
The 1A Division II championship will be Cascade against Lakeside at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
Gage Hanson of the Idaho Statesman contributed.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 11:02 PM.