Boise State commit carries Pocatello; Skyview wins defensive battle in 4A quarterfinals
The Bishop Kelly High student section began to chant “o-ver-ra-ted” midway through the second quarter after Julian Bowie committed a rare turnover.
It’s never a good idea to poke the bear.
Seconds later, the Boise State men’s basketball commit knocked down a 3-pointer. It was one of six the Pocatello High junior sank to lead the Thunder to a 63-41 victory over the Knights on Thursday in the first round of the 4A boys basketball state tournament at Rocky Mountain High.
“It just gives me more fire,” Bowie said. “The student section chants ‘overrated’ and I’m like, ‘All right, I’ve got to go that much harder’. It just fuels my fire.”
Bowie, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, finished 10-for-20 from the floor, including 6-for-12 from 3-point range, for a game-leading 27 points to go with nine rebounds, one assist and one steal.
As a sophomore, Bowie averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game and was voted to the Idaho Statesman’s 4A All-Idaho First Team. He was a second-team pick as a freshman.
Before committing to Boise State, he also had offers from Utah State and Idaho State, and interest from Portland and Utah, according to 247sports.com.
Boise State head coach Leon Rice and assistant coach Roberto Bergersen were in the stands to watch Bowie, who verbally committed to the Broncos in August and still has another year of high school to develop.
“He has the ability to make the right play. He can shoot, he can pass and he defends, so he does whatever is needed of him,” Pocatello coach Joe Green said. “He has a really uncanny ability to shoot the ball and score the ball, and he’s got good range. He always makes the right play and makes his teammates better, which is nice for a coach.”
Pocatello (24-2) advanced to the state semifinals and will play Blackfoot (16-8) — a 54-46 winner over Minico — at 5 p.m. Friday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. The Thunder are looking for a return trip to the title game after finishing as runner-up in 2022.
“I like where the kids are,” Green said. “They’re playing hard and enjoying the game, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Bowie made his presence known early as the Thunder led from start to finish against the Knights, a team they beat once already this season — 73-49 on Dec. 3.
Bowie scored 18 of his 27 points in the first half, knocking down three triples in the second quarter for a 32-18 Pocatello lead at the half.
Bishop Kelly hit back-to-back 3-pointers and added a layup from Joseph Behrend for a 7-0 run that trimmed Pocatello’s lead to 37-26 with 4:45 to play in the third, but the Knights never could get within single digits.
Gage Ontiveros, a 6-10 junior, chipped in 12 points and six rebounds for the Thunder, and fellow junior Kesler Vaughan added seven points, six boards and four assists.
“We had great ball movement. Everyone touched it every possession,” Bowie said. “We had great shooters everywhere.”
Bishop Kelly (14-10), which will face Minico (15-10) in an elimination game at noon Friday at Rocky Mountain in the consolation bracket, was led by junior forward Rakeem Johnson with 12 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Mason Suboh-Meuret contributed seven points before fouling out.
Skyview 48, Twin Falls 28
Having played the Bruins once before, Skyview coach Aaron Sanders was expecting a defensive battle.
Boy, was it ever.
The Hawks held Twin Falls to a single field goal in both the first and fourth quarters, and limited Twin to just 23.3% shooting from the floor to punch their ticket to the state semifinals.
Skyview (19-7) will play Hillcrest (23-1) — a 78-38 winner over Lakeland — with a state championship spot on the line at 7 p.m. Friday at the Ford Idaho Center. The Hawks, who spent the past four seasons in the 5A classification, last played in a state title game in 2011 and have championship banners from 2005, 2006 and 2009.
“It feels great. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid,” Skyview senior guard Eloy Chaparro said. “It feels amazing to finally be here.”
After both teams struggled to shoot the ball in the first quarter — it was 3-3 with 1 minute left — Skyview scored its second field goal of the game on a layup by Jonah Wockenfuss, and Chaparro added a pair of free throws for a 7-3 lead.
The Bruins clawed their way back in the second quarter, taking a 16-14 lead on a 3-pointer from Will Preucil. Skyview then closed the second quarter on a 6-1 run for a 20-17 halftime lead.
With a five-point lead after three quarters, Skyview went to work on the defensive end, sparking a 13-0 run that turned a 29-26 lead into a 42-26 advantage with 4:04 remaining.
Chaparro led all scorers with 19 points while adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Wockenfuss matched him in double figures with 12 points to lead the Hawks.
Twin Falls (15-10), which was playing without head coach James Glenn after he was placed on administrative leave, according to KMVT 11, was led by junior Logan Pittard with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Bruins will play Lakeland in an elimination game at 2 p.m. Friday at Rocky Mountain.
Hillcrest 78, Lakeland 38
Senior guard Kobe Kesler scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter as the defending state champions built an insurmountable lead.
Kesler finished with a game-leading 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-6 from deep, as the Knights’ starters sat much of the second half.
Reigning 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year Isaac Davis made a limited appearance in the second half — throwing down a thunderous, two-handed dunk on a fast break — and still totaled 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal.
Lakeland (6-17) was led by Scotty Hocking with 13 points, and Kenton Ferguson added nine points and five boards.
Blackfoot 54, Minico 46
Montana State football signee Javonte King can dominate on the hardwood, too.
King scored a game-high 25 points with 13 rebounds and four assists to carry the Broncos into the state semifinals.
Blackfoot trailed 13-7 after the first quarter, but it was all Broncos the rest of the way as they outscored the Spartans in each of the final three quarters.
Ryker Stimpson was one of three Spartans to finish in double figures with 11 points, while Carson Wayment and Brevin Trenkle had 10 points apiece.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 4:26 PM.
