‘Just an unreal game.’ With clutch shots, Timberline wins in OT for shot at rare title
Alex Ko couldn’t remember what play Timberline ran on its final possession in overtime.
But no one will forget how it ended.
Ko swished a 3-pointer with about 6 seconds left to send the Wolves to a 60-58 victory over Coeur d’Alene in the 5A state tournament semifinals Friday night at the Ford Idaho Center.
“It’s just an unreal game,” Timberline coach Travis Noble said. “Mentally, physically, emotionally, it just drains you. I think we’re all still trying to figure out what all went down out there, but I’m proud of these guys.”
Timberline advanced to the state championship game for the first time since 2000, and the Wolves have now tied the school record with 22 wins this season.
Top-ranked Owyhee (23-3) is the only team that stands between Timberline (22-4) and the first state championship in program history. But the Storm have won 16 straight games, including a 60-28 victory over the Wolves on Jan. 27 and a 59-51 win in last week’s district championship game.
Round 3 tips off at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Idaho Center.
“We’ve got to rest up, ice our ankles and get ready for a dogfight,” Noble said. “Anytime you play Owyhee, you’ve gotta play with maximum effort for 32 minutes, you have to rebound well and you have to be very solid on defense.
“(Friday) was physical, but (Saturday) will probably be 10 times more physical, so they’ll rest up. They’ll be ready. It’s one game, state title game. We’ll give it a run.”
Timberline has relied on a methodical defense all season, but it was the Wolves’ clutch shooting at the end of regulation and overtime that made the difference against the Vikings (21-4).
Senior point guard Reece Elder injured his right ankle at the start of the fourth quarter and spent more than 5 minutes behind the Wolves’ bench trying to see whether he could put enough weight on it to return.
In the meantime, his teammates fought back from an eight-point deficit with a 10-0 run, taking a 42-40 lead with 4:19 to play on a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Kole Hudson.
Elder eventually checked back in and immediately scored on a driving layup with 2:01 on the clock — tying the score at 44-all — but he reaggravated his ankle in the process.
The Wolves and Vikings then exchanged the lead four times down the stretch, with Coeur d’Alene’s Logan Orchard sinking two free throws with 18.2 seconds left for a 49-46 edge.
Knowing Timberline’s title hopes were on the line, Elder sucked it up and returned to the court for his team’s final possession of regulation. He took the inbound pass and dribbled to his right, nailing the game-tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime.
“I realized that this is my last season of playing basketball,” Elder said. “So I had to get back in there and make a play for the team so we could move on.”
Elder opened the scoring for Timberline in overtime with another 3-pointer, and Ko polished off the win by making the Wolves’ final two baskets in the extra frame.
Ko paced the Wolves with 19 points, three rebounds and two assists. Elder had 18 points and junior forward Bryce Heinz came a rebound short of a double-double, getting 11 points and nine rebounds.
“It was amazing. I can’t even fathom everything that just happened,” Ko said. “It’s just not even processing right now.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 10:34 PM.
