‘He was cooking.’ Sophomore’s career night sends Owyhee back to state title game
Owen Brown’s name doesn’t always stand out on a roster loaded with college talent. But Owyhee wouldn’t get a chance to defend its state championship without him.
The sophomore drained 5-of-9 3-pointers to score a career-high 20 points, and he added a game-high seven rebounds to lift the Storm to a 66-45 win over Highland in the 6A boys basketball state tournament semifinals Friday at the Ford Idaho Center.
The performance may have come as a surprise to some, but not to anyone at Owyhee.
“Even last year as a freshman, we’d scrimmage JV and he would just light us up,” Owyhee senior point guard Logan Haustveit said. “So coming into this year we knew we had an elite shooter with us. And it’s just been so fun playing with Owen.”
Owyhee (20-6) will face Lake City (18-8) for a chance to win a third consecutive title at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
[Related: State tournament scoreboard | Title predictions | Scouting reports on all 48 teams]
Brown started Friday on fire and never cooled off, scoring 11 of Owyhee’s first 15 points as the Storm grabbed a first-quarter lead they would never surrender. A pair of putbacks put No. 1 Owyhee on the scoreboard, then he found his outside shot when Highland’s defense collapsed against an array of dribble penetration.
“He got loose, and then he was cooking,” Owyhee coach Andy Harrington said.
Highland (20-5) coach Matt Stucki said Brown illustrated the pick-your-poison problem Owyhee presents. Guard the paint and risk giving up 3-pointers, or run shooters off the line and give up easy buckets to a much taller frontcourt.
“We tried to overprotect the paint, and he burned us,” Stucki said. “I don’t know if you can take away the 3 and the paint against a team like that. So you’ve got to choose, and we chose wrong tonight.”
Owyhee still dominated the glass despite that Highland focus, doubling up the Rams 42-21 on the glass. That total included 12 offensive rebounds against Highland’s 18 defensive boards, meaning Owyhee grabbed 40% of the rebounds on that end of the floor.
No. 5 Highland hit its first three shots from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers as it looked to pull the upset. But Owyhee limited the Rams’ shooting and took away their 3-point looks the rest of the night to pull away.
Harrington said the Storm wanted to play as little help defense as possible, noting that Highland penetrates to free up 3-pointer shooters. The innate desire to help a teammate freed up Highland shooters the first couple trips down the floor. But Harrington said the Storm eventually settled into the game plan, holding Highland to a 7-for-19 (37%) night behind the arc.
“It starts with our coaching,” Brown said. “We had all their plays. We knew their whole scout. So we could get to all their shooters.”
Brown led a trio of Owyhee players in double figures. Haustveit added 15 points and four rebounds, and Jakobe Judd added 10 points off the bench as Owyhee rolled to its 14th straight win.
The Storm started the year 5-5 against a string of out-of-state opponents. Haustveit stood as Owyhee’s only returning starter from a year ago, so Harrington said it took some time for the Storm to click. But they return to Saturday’s championship game for the fourth time in the school’s five-year history as the clear favorite.
“It took us until about the middle of the season to figure out who we were and how we were going to play,” Harrington said. “I love where we’re at right now. I think that we have multiple guys that we can throw into that game that are ready to go, and I think everyone knows their role.”
“... Every year is different. This one took a little more time, but I like where we’re at going into tomorrow night.”
Junior Colton Stucki led Highland with 16 points, and fellow junior Stockton Moore added 14. The rest of the Rams combined for 15 points.
The loss sent Highland into the third-place game, where it will face Centennial at 12 p.m. Saturday at Centennial.
LAKE CITY TAKES DOWN CENTENNIAL
Centennial entered the state tournament with the state’s top-scoring offense (66.2 ppg). The Patriots (21-4) never faced a defense like Lake City’s, though.
The Timberwolves grounded high-flying Centennial all night while putting on an offensive clinic of their own, shooting 61% from the floor en route to a 68-51 victory.
Lake City switched screens all across the floor, relying on a host of long, athletic defenders to pick up whoever they needed to. The strategy flustered Centennial early, holding the Patriots without a field goal for a combined 9 minutes, 14 seconds across the first and second quarters to put Lake City firmly in control.
“We do a lot of scram switching and peel switching, which is super different,” Lake City coach James Anderson said. “We have baseline goals of the shots we want to eliminate, and they’ve gotten really good at it.
“... One thing I’ve noticed down here (in Boise) is everybody runs through every screen. Nobody does what we do down here.”
Lake City stretched its lead to double digits before halftime and led by as many as 21 points as the Timberwolves shot 70% from the floor after halftime.
Senior forward Joshua Watson racked up 22 points and six rebounds on 10-for-11 shooting. And junior forward Jordan Carlson added 22 points as Lake City earned a second straight trip to the finals.
Owyhee blew out the Timberwolves in last year’s title bout, scoring a 31-point victory during the most lopsided championship game in Idaho’s top classification since 1919. But Lake City will get a chance for payback Saturday.
“This is for sure who I wanted,” Watson said. “Last year, we got smacked in a state championship game.
“What it’s going to take is just to continue to be physical. Owyhee, they are a really good team. They run a really good system. So we just got to be physical, continue to play our game, and I think we’ll be fine.”
Senior Gabe Eddins was the only Centennial player to reach double figures with 15 points. Griffin Taylor and Dylan Bolen each added nine points as the Patriots made 17-of-38 (45%) shots. But it was no match for Lake City’s second-half heater.
The loss dropped Centennial into the third-place game, where the Patriots will host Highland for a shot at their first state trophy since 2022.
“I have no doubt in my mind that this group will bounce back, just knowing these kids,” Centennial coach Josh Aipperspach said. “They love each other. They want to be around each other. They hang out all the time.
“This group of seniors will not let our guys not go play hard. I don’t even have to say anything.”
KUNA RALLIES TO EXTEND SEASON
The Kavemen (19-7) trailed by as many as 19 points and faced a 15-point deficit to start the fourth quarter. But Kuna rallied for a 49-46 consolation bracket win over Rigby, scoring the program’s first state tournament victory in Idaho’s largest classification.
Hendrix Castro led a balanced Kuna scoring effort as the only player in double digits with 10 points. Bridger Barrus and Jackson Edwards each added nine points for No. 4 Kuna, which was on the other end of a rally in Thursday’s first round, giving up an 11-point lead to Highland in the fourth quarter.
CAPITAL WILL PLAY FOR TROPHY
The No. 7 Eagles (16-12) jumped out to a 12-point lead in the second quarter and held on for a 70-65 win over crosstown rival Timberline in the consolation bracket.
Capital sophomore Quincey Clay scored a game-high 22 points while adding four rebounds and four assists. Daiken Lowe added 14 points, and Carter Komoda chipped in 10 points for Capital, which will face Kuna for the consolation trophy at 10 a.m. Saturday at Centennial.
Timberline outrebounded Capital 38-22 but could never dig out of its early hole. Collin Morris scored 18 points, and Kole Hudson added 11 as the Wolves closed the season at 16-11.
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 9:20 PM.
