Cats Eager To Show Stuff Kellogg Out To Improve On Last Season’s Poor Outing

Sometimes the best teams don’t capture state championships.

Just ask the Kellogg High School boys basketball team, which felt it should have taken home the State A-2 tournament title trophy last year. Instead, the Wildcats had to settle for consolation honors.

Kellogg was considered a strong favorite at state last year. But many thought the weight of expectations coupled with a flat first-round effort were Kellogg’s undoing.

That’s why starters Casey Fisher, Tim Kohal and Jeremy Behm - key players for the Wildcats last season - are hopeful of taking home another trophy this week.

Like, say, THE trophy.

Kellogg (19-4) hopes to take a big step toward such an ending today when it meets Jerome (15-9) in the tourney opener at 12:45 p.m. PST at Idaho State University’s Reed Gym.

In the other game in Kellogg’s bracket, top-ranked and heavily favored Bishop Kelly (22-0) meets second-ranked Bear Lake (19-3). In the other games, District I-II champion Moscow (18-3), the team which figures to emerge from its bracket, goes against Marsh Valley (11-13) while Shelley (16-6) takes on Vallivue (18-6).

Kerfoot likes his first-round matchup. In fact, he thinks it’s the best draw for his team.

“I’m familiar with Jerome,” said Kerfoot, who coached at nearby Mountain Home in southern Idaho for two years before moving to Kellogg this season. “I think we’ve got a chance to be in the big one. The focus is going to be on other teams at state. We go in with no pressure.”

Jerome was out of its league at state last year when the Tigers lost two straight to finish the season at 6-20.

The Tigers will field the shortest lineup of any team at state. Their tallest starters are a pair of 6-footers, and they’ll have a difficult task defending the Wildcats’ 6-7 Fisher, who is deadly from the perimeter and inside.

Jerome is led by 5-9 guard Wes Bauer (14 points per game).

Kellogg’s success has been based largely on defense. The Wildcats have allowed opponents 49 points or fewer this season.

The Wildcats’ offense seemed to disappear in their final two district games. Finding the offense in the handful of practices before state was Kerfoot’s chief objective.

The Wildcats see themselves as a possible spoiler.

“I like going in as the underdog,” said Fisher, the team’s leading scorer at 19.5 ppg. “Last year lots of people put pressure on us to win. This year nobody really expects us to (win state).”

Kerfoot wasn’t pleased with the way the Wildcats played in a 55-46 loss to Moscow in the district title game. Moscow has defeated Kellogg two out of three games.

Kerfoot would like a chance to even the series - ideally in the championship game.

“We can play a lot better than we did (in the district game) against Moscow,” Kerfoot. “You have to give Moscow credit. They beat us. I’d like to play them again - without hesitation.”

Moscow takes a junior-dominated but talented team to Pocatello. And if the Bears play defense like they did at district, they will be difficult to beat.

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