Owyhee broke the mold with 5A state title. Inside the trash talk the Storm used as fuel
First-year high school sports programs are supposed to struggle.
They’re supposed to take their lumps, wait their turn and build toward the future.
Someone forgot to tell the Owyhee boys basketball team.
The Storm capped a dominant and historic first season with a 50-43 win over Centennial in the 5A state championship Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center, bringing a state title banner back to the brand-new high school in the West Ada School District.
No 5A basketball team had won a state title in its first season since Lake City girls basketball in 1995. But the championship didn’t come as a surprise to anyone paying attention, even if Owyhee sought out the few doubters that existed.
“We just heard a bunch of stuff from SIC teams and just people all around Idaho saying, ‘We’re just a new program and they’re not gonna do much,’” Owyhee sophomore Liam Campbell said. “We took that personally. We wanted to show people what we could do and how we were going to do it. And we did tonight.”
That anyone expressed doubt about Owyhee (24-3) might raise question marks. The Storm entered the season as the favorite in the 5A SIC, never fell lower than third in the state media poll and finished third at a prestigious tournament in California.
But Owyhee coach Andy Harrington saved a few choice tweets and made sure to show them to a young team that went unchallenged at times in Idaho. Owyhee finished the year on a 20-game winning streak, and it often embraced the role of the villain.
“Somebody posted, ‘OK, they’re doing well in California. But are they really doing anything in Idaho?’” Owyhee senior Jack Payne said. “We have that written on our wall right now. That kind of fired us up, and we proved them wrong.”
Owyhee found plenty of challenges at the state tournament, grinding out wins against three conference opponents, each for the third time this season. Centennial (16-11) entered Saturday as the darling, seeded eighth out of eight teams before making a Cinderella run to the finals.
The Patriots pulled a pair of upsets Thursday and Friday largely on their 3-point shooting, going a combined 18-for-39 (46%) through the first two rounds. They hit a few key 3s in the first half to take a 24-20 lead into halftime in Saturday’s title game, but Owyhee rode out the streaks, made their shooters uncomfortable and held them to a 7-for-24 (29%) performance on the night.
Owyhee took control of the game with a 9-0 run in the third quarter that saw Barrett Fernandez and Cameron Downie hit back-to-back 3-pointers. The Storm never trailed again despite Payne, a Colorado State commit, attempting just three shots.
Payne finished with six points and six rebounds, instead focusing his efforts on distributing and setting up role players like Fernandez, Downie and Titus Bailey for key buckets.
“When Jack’s on the floor, it just changes the whole game,” Harrington said. “I think people confuse scoring as being the best player on the floor. But that dude affects the floor more than anyone I’ve ever seen in the state, maybe since (Borah grad) Austin Bolt.
“That dude, he’s a state champion.”
The state title may be the first for Owyhee, but it’s the second in a row for Harrington. The 29-year-old coach led Middleton to the 4A championship last season before joining the Storm this year.
He deflected any credit and pointed to the talent he got.
“I’m thrilled for these guys,” Harrington said. “It’s a legacy that will be remembered forever.”
Payne was the only Owyhee senior to play Saturday. Campbell finished with 16 points and six rebounds, and freshman Jackson Rasmussen added 10 points and six rebounds, showcasing a bright future for the Storm.
“We’re not done,” Campbell said. “I’m going to say it: We’re going back to back next year.”
Senior Weston Johnson had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Centennial. Hayden Fletcher added 11 points, and Kaden Christensen chipped in eight.
Rigby 80, Meridian 69: Three Trojans topped 20 points as Rigby (18-9) shot 50% from the floor to win the third-place trophy. Sam Kunz had 22 points, Jakobe Jones scored 20 and Karson Barber posted a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Ladu Kaden scored 16 points to lead Meridian (18-11), the 2021 state champion.
Madison 55, Lake City 51: The Bobcats used a 21-3 run to rally from an early 14-point deficit to top the top-seeded Timberwolves in the consolation final. Isaac Wilson led Madison (20-5) with 18 points, and Blake Buchanan had 19 points for Lake City (23-3).
4A STATE TOURNAMENT
HILLCREST RUNS AWAY WITH FIRST TITLE: The Knights crushed Pocatello 76-46, clinching the first state title in program history with their 24th win in a row.
Junior Kobe Kesler poured in 20 points, sophomore center Isaac Davis had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and senior Cooper Kesler added 18 points as Hillcrest (25-2) dominated from the opening whistle to the final buzzer.
Sophomore Julian Bowe led Pocatello (22-4) with 19 points.
MIDDLETON FINISHES THIRD: The Vikings took over in the fourth quarter of the third-place game, erupting for 26 points en route to a 61-52 victory over Jerome.
Talmage Stucki paced Middleton (25-3), the defending state champ, with 14 points. Michael Mendiola added 12 points, Michael Day had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Tyler Medaris capped his career with six points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Mikey Lloyd led Jerome (23-4) with 20 points.
BISHOP KELLY WINS CONSOLATION: The Knights jumped out to an early lead and held off Moscow the rest of the way for a 53-51 victory in the consolation final.
Senior power forward Blake Hawthorne led Bishop Kelly (21-6) with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Aidan McGarvin added eight points and three assists, and Tommy Hunter had seven points and four assists.
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 10:15 PM.
