Middleton basketball waited 56 years for a state title. This formula ended the drought.
Climbing the mountain isn’t supposed to be easy. And after years of postseason heartbreak, Middleton faced 4A powerhouse Preston as its state championship test.
Thanks to a suffocating defensive effort, the Vikings reached the summit Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center. Junior forward Tyler Medaris led a balanced attack with 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks as Middleton earned a gritty, 47-45 victory — and its first state title since 1965.
“We’ve been dreaming about this since we were kids,” Medaris said. “We came out gritty and we played tough. The toughest team wins at the state tournament, and we came through.”
Middleton (23-4) faced a tall task. Preston (19-8) was playing in its sixth consecutive state final, having won four of the past five 4A titles. And the Indians knocked Middleton out of championship contention each of the past two years.
Preston led 23-20 at halftime and kept the pressure on until the final horn, but Middleton’s depth and mettle were the difference in a game that featured six ties and seven lead changes.
It wasn’t always pretty, but the outcome couldn’t have been sweeter.
“This group has worked so hard for these past three years,” Middleton coach Andy Harrington said. “They were about toughness, not taking shortcuts, playing hard all the time, playing good defense, loving each other. … This was a special group, and I’m really proud they brought this community a state championship.”
Every time Preston threatened down the stretch, Middleton had an answer — usually in the form of a nose-to-the-grindstone defensive stand. One sequence that stood out was Middleton solving the press, leading to a fast-break basket and a 43-36 lead with under 2 minutes to play. Preston raced down the floor looking to answer — only to have Medaris swat the layup away with authority.
“Defense has been the name of our game since Coach Harrington has been here,” said senior guard Merit Foote, who had two steals. “We’ve got good defenders on our team and we all bought in.”
Foote scored eight points and was one of nine Vikings to play a significant role. Taede Stucki knocked down two big 3-pointers. Dallin McKnight grabbed five rebounds and helped lock down Preston’s leading scorer, Gabe Hammons, in the second half. Cash Cowdry scored six points in 18 foul-plagued minutes. Casey Wright and Owen Graviet each chipped in five points.
“We’re sending nine or 10 guys into the game and picking up teams 94 feet away from the basket,” Harrington said. “I thought it led to (Preston) having some tired legs in the second half.”
Hammons led Preston with 13 points, but was mostly a non-factor after scoring nine in the opening quarter. Braden Hess added nine points for the Indians, who shot 32% from the floor and just 1-of-9 on 3-pointers against Middleton’s relentless defensive pressure.
“We owed them one,” Medaris said. “Preston is a really good team, super gritty and well-coached. But I’m glad we got them back this year.”
Saturday also marked the finale for Harrington at Middleton. After three seasons with the Vikings, he will take over the boys basketball program at Owyhee High, the newest West Ada high school scheduled to open this fall.
Bishop Kelly finishes third: The Knights led by as many as 13 points and held off a Hillcrest comeback for a 51-49 victory.
Blake Hawthorne scored a game-high 15 points for Bishop Kelly (18-6), and Tommy Hunter added 13.
Jerome wins consolation bracket: Mikey Lloyd poured in 24 points to lead the Tigers (22-3) to a 52-48 win over Lakeland in the consolation final.
This story was originally published March 6, 2021 at 8:14 PM.
