Star puts Bishop Kelly ‘on his back’ vs. Vallivue. Result is 4A district basketball title

The third time was just as charming for the Bishop Kelly boys basketball team Thursday night in the 4A District Three boys basketball championship game.

The Knights beat Vallivue to run their record to 3-0 against the Falcons this season, but they needed a comeback, overtime and a big performance from their leader to earn a 51-44 victory at Nampa High School.

Vallivue, which advanced to the championship game after upsetting No. 1 seed Middleton, took control of Thursday’s game with an 11-0 run in the first quarter and held the lead until the final two minutes of regulation.

That’s when Bishop Kelly’s Blake Hawthorne took over. The 6-foot-7 senior scored eight straight points to cut the Falcons’ lead to two late in the fourth quarter, and he scored the first seven points of the overtime period to will the Knights to a win.

Hawthorne, who has committed to the University of Chicago, finished with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. After the final whistle, he joined his teammates at center court to celebrate with the championship plaque. It was a stark contrast to the moments after the Knights’ loss to Middleton in the district championship game last season.

“It really sucked to lose like that, and it just made us hungrier,” Hawthorne said Thursday night. “We did what we had to do tonight, and I think we realized that we just have to keep coming together as a team because nothing is going to come easy from here on out.”

Bishop Kelly (19-5) and Vallivue (14-10) both advance to the 4A state tournament, which begins next Thursday at Rocky Mountain High. The Knights, making their third straight state tournament appearance, likely will be the No. 5 seed, according to head coach Ryan Kerns. The Falcons, who are in the field for the fist time since 2019, should be the No. 8 seed.

Both teams feel battle tested after facing each other in a tight contest for the second time in just over a week. After dominating their first matchup of the season, a 17-point win, Bishop Kelly edged Vallivue 45-42 last Wednesday.

“Sometimes when you get in games like these, you realize all you can do is play hard and play together,” Kerns said. “I thought we did that tonight, especially in the fourth quarter when Vallivue forced our hand to increase the pressure. When we realized that was actually to our advantage, we had guys hit big shots and execute down the stretch.”

The district title game featured two of the top scorers in the 4A Southern Idaho Conference.

Vallivue’s Jacob Martinez went into the game leading the league, at 17.1 points a game. Hawthorne ranked No. 2, at 15.2 per contest. It was only fitting that the championship game came down to which one of them made the key plays.

Martinez was held to just three points in the first half, but the Falcons still went into halftime with a 21-17 lead, thanks in large part to a a litany of early turnovers by Bishop Kelly and clutch baskets by Vallivue guards Andre Gonzalez and Martinez’s younger brother, Jace.

Jacob Martinez — a three-year starter who scored his 1,000th career point less than a week ago — came to life in the second half. He opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and followed it with a textbook fadeaway jumper. The senior opened the fourth quarter with another 3-pointer, giving Vallivue a 39-26 lead.

Martinez, called the heart and soul of his team by Vallivue coach Mario Betancourt, finished with a team-high 16 points.

“He’s the kid that’s getting up at 6 a.m. to work out, and he’s the kid who is staying late after practice,” Betancourt said. “He just flat-out gets after it. He’s a great ballplayer, and our guys do a good job of getting him open and letting him play his game.”

It was Hawthorne who got the last laugh, though. He used his broad frame to bully his way to the basket in the fourth quarter and overtime — converting on back-to-back three-point plays after hitting layups and drawing fouls in the final three minutes of regulation, and roaring a little louder after each basket in overtime.

Hawthorne also went into Thursday’s championship game ranked No. 3 in the 4A SIC with 8.5 rebounds a game, and he led the league with 3.8 blocked shots a game. In the title game, three of his five blocks were recorded in overtime, and all three were on shots from Jacob Martinez.

“That’s who he is, and that’s who he’s been for us all season,” Kerns said of Hawthorne. “When we need points, rebounds or defensive stops, he steps up to the challenge and puts us on his back.”

Middleton 55, Caldwell 28: Six-foot-seven senior Tyler Medaris racked up 16 points, six rebounds and five assists as Middleton knocked off Caldwell to claim third place in 4A District Three. Sawyr Hansen added 10 points and five rebounds, and Talmage Stucki chipped in with nine points. Middleton (22-2) will face Blackfoot (13-12) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Burley High School with a spot in the 4A state tournament on the line.

THURSDAY’S ROUNDUP

Meridian 48, Timberline 45, OT: The defending state champs kept their season alive with a win in the 5A District Three Tournament fifth-place game. Ethan Pearce racked up 19 points and nine rebounds, and Ladu Kaden added eight points for Meridian (16-9), which faces Coeur d’Alene (16-5) at 4 p.m. Mountain time Saturday at Grangeville High in a state play-in game.

McCall-Donnelly 46, Homedale 45: The Vandals (18-2) edged Homedale for the 3A District Three Tournament title. No details were reported. Both McCall and Homedale (14-9) advance to next week’s 3A state tournament.

Fruitland 73, Parma 39: The Grizzlies (17-7) rolled to a win in the 3A District Three Tournament third-place game, sending them to a state play-in game against Kellogg (15-8) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Grangeville High. Tucker Snyder had 13 points and six rebounds for Fruitland, and Nolan Bower added 11 points and eight rebounds.

Melba 72, Ambrose 56: The No. 2-ranked Mustangs topped No. 3 Ambrose in the 2A District Three Tournament championship for the second straight year. Cache Beus stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, and Joe Reiber added 20 points and six rebounds for Melba (21-2). Tyson Hughes led Ambrose (20-4) with 14 points. Both teams advance to next week’s 2A state tournament.

Council 60, Horseshoe Bend 29: The No. 3-ranked Lumberjacks (18-4) clinched a state tournament berth by rolling to their first 1A Division II District Three Tournament title in four years. No details were reported.

This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 12:31 AM.