Iml Rivals To Battle For Trophy Today

A-2

It will be an all-Intermountain League game for the State A-2 boys basketball consolation championship today.

The IML co-champions played much more inspired Friday afternoon than they did in upset losses the previous day.

Kellogg went to double overtime before escaping with a 91-88 victory over Payette, while Bonners Ferry pulled away from scrappy Jerome 69-51 in a pair of loser-out games at Idaho State University’s Reed Gymnasium.

Bonners Ferry (19-6) and Kellogg (20-4) meet in a breakfast clash at 8:15 PST. It marks the fourth game between the teams. Kellogg, a 74-66 winner for the district title, holds a 2-1 edge.

In championship semifinal games Friday, Marsh Valley topped Sugar-Salem 62-59 and Weiser beat Bear Lake 60-57. Marsh Valley and Weiser play for the title tonight.

Kellogg 91, Payette 88 (2OT)

A Brant Bircher putback off a missed short jumper by Travis Fulton with 13 seconds remaining provided the winning margin in a game full of offense.

This is just the third year a Kellogg team has qualified for state since 1981, but it’s the first time a Wildcats team will play for a trophy in those 14 years.

Kellogg was led by its usual standouts - Fulton, a senior point guard, and junior 6-foot-6 post Casey Fisher - but it was the play off the bench in the second quarter of junior guard Tim Kohal that ignited the Wildcats.

The Wildcats trailed 22-15 after the opening quarter, and Payette continued to use its full-court pressure and uptempo offense to extend the lead to 28-15 in the second quarter.

Kohal had six of his 13 points in the second period. He also finished with seven assists and five rebounds. Kellogg pulled within 35-29 by halftime.

“Tim really got us going,” Kellogg coach David Roberts said.

Fulton and Fisher stepped up in the second half. Fulton led with 29 points, 21 in the final two periods, and Fisher finished with 23, 17 in the second half. Fisher also had seven rebounds and eight blocked shots.

Kellogg regained the lead briefly in the third quarter at 48-46. Fueling the comebeck was Fulton, who sank three consecutive 3-pointers.

But Payette closed the period with a 9-2 run for a 55-50 lead going into the fourth quarter.

As if following a script, Kellogg came out fast in the fourth quarter as it has in postseason games. The game went back and forth before ending at 69-all.

Kellogg opened the second overtime by building a six-point lead. The Pirates would never recover.

“We couldn’t stop them offensively

and they couldn’t stop us offensively,” Roberts said. “What it came down to was which team was going to get a stop defensively.”

And the Wildcats did in overtime.

Roberts said he challenged his team before the game Friday to make this a year to remember.

“The last time a Kellogg team has won a game at state was 1981,” said Roberts, a Kellogg graduate in his fifth year as head coach. He was a freshman that season.

“My question for the guys was ‘What are you going to do to separate yourselves from everybody else at Kellogg,”’ Roberts added. “I told them before the game that I wanted to see some intensity and heart that I know we have.”

KELLOGG (91)

Fulton 29, Behm 10, Jennings 6, Kohal 10, Fisher 22, Nielsen 8, Bircher 6.

PAYETTE (88)

Bratcher 2, Rynearson 8, Ramos 29, McCarney 10, Dopf 16, Masingill 11, Franks 10, Nelson 2.

Halftime-Payette 35, Kellogg 29.

Bonners Ferry 69, Jerome 51

Badgers guard Gavin Glindeman admitted what most people thought: It was difficult for Bonners Ferry to get excited about playing a team with a 6-18 record.

It showed, too, for 2 quarters.

Finally, the Badgers finished strong, winning by a margin that wasn’t indicative of how hard they ultimately had to work.

“We came out thinking we were going to destroy them,” Glindeman said. “It wasn’t like that at all. We had a hard time all night.”

“We were lethargic,” Badgers coach Dick Hollenbeck said. “You can’t take any team lightly. It took us a while to wake up.”

Bonners Ferry sleep-walked to a 25-24 lead at halftime.

The Badgers realized the Tigers weren’t going to back down - no matter the size or athletic difference between the teams.

A layup by Glindeman off a full-court pass from Kris Gravelle and a basket in the key by Glindeman off another assist from Gravelle put the Badgers ahead 44-32 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter.

Jerome cut the deficit to five points in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, but Bonners Ferry worked inside and opened what appeared to be a comfortable lead at 60-43 with 3:20 remaining.

But Jerome, which apparently didn’t care what the score was or how much time was left, got within 11 with 1:36 left.

The Badgers finished with emphasis.

Glindeman led with 22 points and Gravelle had 17. Mark Scofield led Jerome with 23.

Glindeman is excited about playing Kellogg for a trophy.

“We all like each other; we’ve been hanging out at the same motel and playing Nintendo,” Glindeman said.

Hollenbeck said Kellogg’s win earlier Friday inspired his team.

“We wanted to meet them again,” Hollenbeck said. “We’ve chummed together at the motel. I wished we were both on the other side of the bracket. We came down for a bigger prize, but now we want to finish on a winning note.”

JEROME (51)

Cook 5, Wong 9, Bauer 3, Thompson 1, Fredericksen 8, Swan 2, Scofield 23.

BONNERS FERRY (69)

Meeker 2, Stewart 8, LaRue 5, Hubbard 4, High 2, Holeski 5, Glindeman 22, Cravelle 17, Hiatt 4.

Halftime-Bonners Ferry 25, Jerome 24.

Marsh Valley 62, Sugar-Salem 59

Senior guard Kent Howell scored a bucket with 2 seconds to go to carry Marsh Valley (18-6) over Sugar-Salem (16-10) and into the championship game.

Weiser 60, Bear Lake 57

Dan Walker had 19 points and Ben Boettcher 18 as Weiser (19-6) outmanned Bear Lake (16-9) in the other semifinal.