Post Falls to play Borah for state crown
NAMPA, Idaho – In years past, offense has been the calling card of the Post Falls boys basketball team.
Friday night at the Idaho Center, the Trojans showed they can play a little defense too, bottling up defending champion Mountain View in a 52-40 state semifinal victory.
Led by aggressive senior guards Marcus Colbert and Taylor Valente, the Trojans held the Mavericks to 34 percent shooting, including a woeful 22 percent in the first half, as Post Falls contested almost every shot and held Mountain View star Tanner Percifield to just three points.
The victory sets up a title game between Post Falls (21-3) and Borah (24-1) tonight at the Idaho Center.
“People tend to think of us as a high-octane offense, but the thing that’s been carrying us all year is our defense,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. “I don’t think we can play much better defensively than we did tonight, especially in the first three quarters.”
Post Falls jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, holding Mountain View (17-8) to two first-quarter field goals. The Trojans stretched their lead to 23-6, and only two late baskets allowed the Mavericks to reach double figures before halftime.
Meanwhile, Post Falls had little trouble maneuvering around Mountain View’s box-and-one defense on Colbert. Valente and senior wing Seth Anderson found openings and took advantage, forcing the Mavericks to play Colbert straight-up in the second half.
“People try to box-and-one Marcus all the time,” said Valente, who finished with 10 points. “We work on it in practice, so I was ready for it. I just took my shots.”
Post Falls maintained a comfortable lead for most of the second half, but the defending champs made one last run, trimming the lead to 39-33 midway through the fourth quarter.
But Colbert had the answer, driving to the hoop for consecutive buckets to restore a double-digit lead and put the game away. The Montana State signee finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
“With Marcus, we expect him to hit big shots,” Valente said. “When we need one, he gets one, and it’s a huge confidence boost for our team.”
Luke Thoreson added 10 points and Anderson chipped in eight points and nine rebounds for the Trojans.
Brandon Luedtke (18 points, 13 rebounds) was the lone Mountain View player in double figures.
Tonight’s championship matchup is a rematch of last year’s state opener. Borah won that game on a last-second layup by then-freshman point guard Isaiah Wright.
Wright scored 27 points Friday as the Lions hammered Timberline 58-44. All eyes will be on the point guard matchup between he and Colbert when the title game tips off.
McLean expects another tight game as the Trojans look to finish off their second championship run in three years.
“I would be shocked if it’s a blowout either way,” McLean said. “Obviously, Marcus and Isaiah are going to get a lot of the hype, but I think the key to the game is going to be the role players and which team has guys step up and make plays.”
4A
Rigby 56, Moscow 46: Kamen McCulough had 14 points and five assists to help the Trojans beat the Bears (13-11) in the semifinals at Borah High School.
Kyle Snyder led Moscow with 14 points, while Lane Brooks scored 12. The Bears play Twin Falls for third place today at 10 a.m.
3A
Filer 48, Kellogg 46: Austin Tews tossed in a game-high 16 points and the Filer Wildcats edged the Kellogg in a loser-out game at Meridian.
Ryan McDonald topped Kellogg (18-6) with 11 points and five rebounds.
Bear Lake 67, St. Maries 64: Porter Wallentine tallied a game-high 19 points and Derrick Gundersen scored 18 to propel the Bears to a win over the Lumberjacks (19-7) in a loser-out game at Meridian.
Warren Joiner and Satchel Schetzle paced St. Maries with 17 points apiece. Austin Linnemeyer scored 14.
1A DII
Sho-Ban 51, Kootenai 45: Tony Tone led all players with 14 points and 12 rebounds and reserve Talen Samora scored 12 to lead the Chiefs to a victory over the Warriors (7-14) in a loser-out game at Caldwell.
Ben Whipple led Kootenai with 13 points, while Jake Pfeiffer snared a team-high eight rebounds.