Post Falls’ Moore Goes Out With Trophy Trojans Dominate Eagle For Fourth-Place Consolation
Scott Moore couldn’t wait Saturday morning to start the 8-hour bus ride back to Post Falls.
He probably clutched the fourth-place consolation trophy all the way home, too.
The soon-to-be former Post Falls High boys basketball coach held the trophy for 10 minutes following the Trojans’ convincing 75-66 win over Eagle in the State A-1 Tournament at the Idaho Center.
Finally, Moore let his players pose with the trophy for team and individual pictures.
“I’m going to hold that thing for a long time,” Moore said, grinning. “I don’t think anybody we’ll be able to sleep on the bus. They’re going to be pretty high. We’re going to float home.”
Although it was a special win for Moore - the game was his last under a previously arranged agreement that he resign at the end of the season after a group of disgruntled parents pressured administrators to fire him after last season - he took time to share it with his team.
He was especially thrilled for his eight seniors. Two of them, Austin Lee and Brason Alexander, played on the team two years ago that lost in the consolation final.
“We learned a lesson from that game,” Moore said. “We had fun last night (Friday), we went to the movies and dinked around. But when it was 11 (p.m.) we went to bed. We wanted to be prepared for today.”
Post Falls’ dream of a state title was dashed Thursday in a 56-51 opening-round loss to Boise. But the Trojans’ business wasn’t finished because they wanted to leave Nampa with a trophy.
And they played their brand of basketball the last two days - solid pressure defense.
“Those were probably our two best games of the year,” said Moore, whose team finishes 22-4. His five-year record is 74-47, the best mark of any Trojans coach in the past 12 years, perhaps longer.
How dominating were the Trojans in Moore’s final game? Eagle never led.
Post Falls’ success started with the most unsung player in the starting lineup, 6-foot senior wing Jeremy McLean.
McLean, who averaged a team-leading eight rebounds per game during the regular season, made his presence felt immediately Saturday.
Austin Lee won the opening tip, tapping the ball to McLean, who broke away for an uncontested layup. McLean scored 10 of his game-high 17 points in the first half as the Trojans built a 41-29 lead by halftime. He also added seven rebounds and two steals.
“It was the last game of my high school career so I figured I’d better come out and play well,” McLean said. “Adrenaline just kept me going.”
“He never has a bad game,” Lee said of McLean. “He’s one of those guys you don’t always notice, but he led the team in rebounds. He kicked my butt.”
Reserve Scott McArthur, on the junior varsity all season, played the final 1:05 of the first half and had a key basket off a nice pass from Alexander that gave Post Falls the 12-point margin at intermission.
Post Falls led by 13 points twice in the first quarter. The closest Eagle could get was 31-25 late in the first half.
When McLean made two free throws to extend Post Falls’ lead to 68-50 with 3:06 remaining, Moore knew the game was over.
Still, he called timeout with 1:04 left just to remind his players to be patient, expect to be fouled and relax when Eagle had pulled within 72-62.
“I told them that we had had 47 practices and 25 games and I needed 1 more minute at full speed,” Moore said. “It says a lot about these guys after dropping the first one to come back and win two. It’s special to win with these guys. What we preached for five years - being a class act, good individuals, good in school - it’s everything we put our heart and soul into.”
Alexander expressed the sentiment of the players about taking home a trophy for themselves and Moore.
“We wanted to give him something to go away with, especially after all the trouble he had,” Alexander said. “He and I had a rocky relationship last year, but this year it’s just been great.
It’s great to go home with something.” It was also special to Alexander because he earned a state trophy, something none of his older three brothers accomplished.
The last thing the Trojans talked about in the locker room before the game was exacting some revenge. Post Falls was spanked by Eagle in the first round of the A-1 Division II playoffs last fall.
The final three-game totals for points by Post Falls showed how balanced it was all season. Consider: Chad Quesnell led with 47, reserve Chad Juhlin, who played splendidly, was next at 32, Lee, who played the fewest minutes because of foul trouble, followed at 29, McLean had 25, Alexander 23 and Travis Bohn 22.
Post Falls 75, Eagle 66
Post Falls 22 19 12 22 - 75 Eagle 15 14 15 22 - 66
POST FALLS - Miller 0, Christensen 0, Olson 2, Quesnell 13, Meeks 0, Alexander 12, Bohn 8, McLean 17, Lee 8, Therrian 0, Juhlin 9, McArthur 2, Fehling 4.
EAGLE - Kerfoot 7, Gaythwaite 2, Thompson 12, Crookston 0, Moyer 5, Davis 2, Roy 16, Pelton 0, Ramsey 5, Sweaney 3, Putzier 14.
, DataTimes