Timberline captures first state win in 12 years. ‘We don’t want this to be the last one’
Modern basketball long ago discarded a methodical, value-every-possession pace. Teams instead race up and down the floor, trying to maximize the number of possessions and points.
Then there’s Timberline, which bucked that trend for its best season in decades.
The Wolves and their old-school, lunch-pail approach routed Eagle 49-32 in the first round of the 5A boys basketball state tournament Thursday at the Ford Idaho Center. The win marked Timberline’s first at state since 2012, and it sent the No. 3 Wolves (21-4) into the semifinals, where they will face No. 2 Coeur d’Alene (21-3) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Timberline’s defense turned in a suffocating performance for both the pre- and post-shot clock eras. Eagle finished the night 10-for-37 (27%) from the floor, scoring its fewest points in five years and 33 points below its season average.
“It’s who we are,” Timberline coach Travis Noble said. “For us to be a great team, we have to defend. These guys have bought into that.
“Heck of a defensive effort tonight against a really good Eagle team, that, if you’re not plugged in on the defensive end, they can dice you up for layups.”
[Related: Owyhee cruises to first-round win | Ridgevue, Bishop Kelly advance in 4A]
Timberline stonewalled Eagle (17-10) possession after possession, holding the Mustangs off the scoreboard for 5 minutes, 10 seconds in the second quarter and for a 4:04 stretch in the third and fourth quarter to pull away. Eagle never found a rhythm and struggled to mount any kind of a fastbreak threat.
“We’re not going to make any excuse. They kicked our butts tonight,” Eagle coach Cody Pickett said.
Timberline’s methodical approach may not fill the highlight reels. But the Wolves cherish each possession, working the ball around until they find the right shot even as the shot clock winds down. That patient pace is also a key part of Timberline’s defense, Noble said.
“A lot of times, the transition game, there’s a lot of bad shots being taken,” Noble said. “We force teams to guard us. Sometimes our offense is our best defense, because we execute stuff and we get great looks.
“Looking back at that game, there’s probably, off the top of my head, four to five shots where I would say, ‘That’s a bad shot.’ That’s pretty good over the course of 32 minutes.”
[Related: State tournament scores, brackets | Championship predictions | Scouting reports on all 48 teams]
The strategy may have fallen out of style, but it’s built a contender in East Boise. The Wolves are just one win shy of the program’s all-time record, set in 2002-03.
“It’s special, for real,” Timberline junior guard Alex Ko said. “We did something different this year.”
Ko remains the Wolves’ only player averaging double figures, and he led the team again with 14 points Thursday. But Reece Elder finished 10 points, Bryce Elder added eight and Ryan Buehler chipped in six points off the bench.
Noble said the Wolves set a goal to not just make it to state, but to make some noise. So one victory won’t satisfy Timberline now.
“We don’t want this to be the last one,” Noble said. “I think this group wants a little bit more than just winning on the first night of the state tournament.”
Senior point guard Russell Gibson led Eagle with eight points on 2-for-12 shooting, and Cal Huish added six points and 10 rebounds as the Mustangs fell in the state quarterfinals for the fourth straight year.
Pickett said the Mustangs still have plenty to play for when they take on Lake City (16-10) at 2 p.m. Friday at Rocky Mountain. Eagle hasn’t won a state tournament trophy since 2010, and Pickett compared the team to his time with the Mustangs’ girls basketball program.
“It’s been a good four years, but we haven’t found our way to Saturday to win a trophy yet,” Pickett said. “So that’s our focus. With the girls, we had a good run and it started with us losing and winning two games to get the consolation (trophy).
“So that’s what I told them. These guys are laying the foundation.”
COEUR D’ALENE 60, LAKE CITY 49
Lake City landed a haymaker early, sinking three straight 3-pointers to start the game on a 9-2 run and erupting for 20 points in the first quarter. But the No. 3 Vikings held Lake City to 29 points the rest of the way, improving to 3-0 against their crosstown rival this season.
“Lake City can shoot the leather off the ball,” Coeur d’Alene senior Logan Orchard said. “We knew that coming in, and they came out shooting hot. I think we underestimated them, honestly, since we beat them twice.
“... Coach called a timeout and got us back together. They’re not going to shoot that well for the whole game. We knew that if we kept our head straight and played the way that we do play, we could take that over a win.”
Coeur d’Alene held Lake City to five points in the second quarter and mounted an 18-3 run to end the first half. The Vikings never trailed again.
Coeur d’Alene sophomore Caden Symons scored a game-high 18 points. Carter Rupp added 16 points, and Orchard finished with 11 points and six rebounds as the Vikings shot 23-for-44 (52%) from the floor.
Reese Strawn highlighted the evening for Lake City with 17 points and five assists. Eleven of his 17 points came in the first quarter.
The Timberwolves sank 6-of-11 3-pointers in the first half but went 2-for-13 behind the arc in the second half.
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 10:07 PM.
