Idaho state roundup: Madison tops foul-plagued Post Falls in 5A semifinals

When Post Falls junior Colby Gennett went coast-to-coast for a vicious dunk in the final minute, his slam punctuated a night’s worth of frustration for the Trojans.

Beset by foul trouble and unable to find any offensive rhythm, the Trojans fell out of state title contention with a 65-48 loss to Madison on Friday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.

Sophomore guard Alex Horning led Post Falls with 17 points, but the Trojans were outscored 37-24 in the second half as they fell into Saturday’s third-place game.

“You know, (Thursday against favored Rocky Mountain), we were the hunter,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. “Tonight, we were the hunted, and we didn’t respond really well to it.”

Madison (25-3) plays Borah (23-3) for the 5A championship Saturday at 7. Post Falls (18-7) plays Rigby (20-7) at 11 a.m. at Columbia High.

Trouble struck early for Post Falls during the semifinal. Gennett and senior forward Gavven Desjarlais – two of the Trojans’ top players – both picked up two quick fouls and were relegated to the bench for the rest of the half.

Still, Post Falls found a way to stay within striking distance. Madison senior Mason McWhorter scored 15 first-half points, but 3-pointers by Caden McLean and Horning kept Post Falls afloat as Madison took a 28-24 lead into halftime.

“I was actually really happy at halftime,” McLean said. “Madison is a tough opponent, and I thought we held the line pretty well, especially with all the foul trouble.”

Gennett and Desjarlais returned to the lineup in the second half, but the Trojans never regained the swagger and pace they played with while upsetting Rocky Mountain in the opening round.

“We’re a young team,” Horning said. “We need to get stronger. It’s statistically shown this year, when we win the rebounding, we win the game.”

Madison enjoyed a 28-21 edge on the boards and shot 56 percent while earning 35 free throws. The Bobcats poured it on down the stretch, scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter. With most of Post Falls’ lineup in foul trouble, McWhorter and Spencer Hathaway attacked the basket. McWhorter finished with 21 points, making all nine of his free throws, while Hathaway scored 19.

Horning and Desjarlais fouled out as the Trojans committed 25 personals on the night.

“We were playing not to foul instead of playing to stop the ball,” McLean said. “And I thought we took some rushed shots, some nervous shots. When you’re in the final four at the state semifinals, your margin of error is razor-thin.”

Cole Rutherford scored nine points for Post Falls. Caden McLean scored six and Gennett finished with four.

4A

Twin Falls 68, Moscow 51: Mitchell Brizee scored 24 points and grabbed five rebounds, leading the Bruins (24-5) over the Bears (18-6) in a loser-out game at Borah High School in Boise.

Gabe Quinnett paced Moscow with 24 points, while Brayden Decker added 10 points for the Bears.

3A

Kellogg 63, Snake River 46: Graden Nearing scored 15 points and the Wildcats (10-14) eliminated the Panthers (15-10), advancing to the consolation game at Meridian High School.

Mitch Lindsay paced Snake River with 13 points, while Gavin Luna added 12 points for Kellogg, which faces Parma Saturday at 8:15 a.m.

Parma 58, Timberlake 47: Braydon Jensen and Jared Nielsen scored 17 points apiece as the Panthers (20-5) eliminated the Tigers (9-16).

Jacob James scored 16 points for Timberlake.

2A

St. Maries 42, Ririe 34: Jackson Pritchard scored 13 points and the Lumberjacks (19-7) upset the Bulldogs (23-2) at Capital High School in Boise to earn a spot in Saturday’s title game.

Eli Gibson added nine points for St. Maries, which will play North Fremont at 12:40 p.m. at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.

1AD2

Lighthouse Christian 56, Genesis Prep 53: Tyler Munsee poured in 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Lions (25-0) held off the Jaguars (15-9) to advance to the state title game Saturday at Caldwell High School.

Kon Ajang scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Genesis Prep, which will play Logos in Saturday’s third-place game at 10 a.m.