Post Falls loses at state in controversial finish
CALDWELL, Idaho – A tipin by Post Falls’ Kyle Turpin before the horn sounded was disallowed by the referees after they conferred for about 45 seconds at the scorer’s table, allowing defending state champ Century to prevail 63-62 in overtime in the State 4A basketball tournament opener Thursday afternoon.
The officials made no signal after the buzzer sounded. They immediately met with the timekeeper and scorekeeper, saying they saw zeros on the clock but never heard the horn sound. After talking with the courtside officials, the referee who was closest to halfcourt during the controversial ending backed away from the scorer’s table, blew his whistle and signaled the basket was no good. The referees then ran off the court amidst bedlam.
“The shot was good,” Post Falls coach Dave Stockwell said, shaking his head after an emotional talk with his team. “The shot was good. From the very beginning in the game we had one guy in a striped shirt that was going to do us zero favors and he got the last shot in at us. That was clearly good and he stole the game from us. I don’t mind losing, but when they steal one from you I don’t like it. That’s not fair to the kids. You play well enough to win. I don’t know.”
Stockwell said a videotape of the ending showed the ball was off Turpin’s hand before the horn could be heard going off.
“I thought it went in before I heard the buzzer,” said Turpin, who was sitting in the upper bleachers at Albertson College still wearing his uniform as the heartbroken Trojans exited the locker room one by one. “It’s all up to the refs I guess.”
The question now is if the Trojans (16-9) can put the painful defeat aside and bounce back today in a loser-out game. Post Falls will take on Blackfoot (13-14) at 12:15 PST.
In other openers, Skyview defeated Sandpoint 70-53, Bishop Kelly edged Blackfoot 63-60, and Burley edged Bonneville 47-46.
The tightly contested game probably shouldn’t have gone into overtime. Beyond that, the Trojans couldn’t make a 61-56 lead with 1:07 to go in overtime stand up.
With 1:46 to go in the fourth quarter, the Diamondbacks pulled even at 53-53 when post Tobin Giraud made a turnaround jumper. Post Falls had the ball thereafter, but couldn’t get a good look at the basket. With time running out, Trojans guard Scott Stockwell tried to shoot from just outside the 3-point arc, but Jacques Wilson blocked it and time ran out in the ensuing scramble for the ball.
It was a 6-foot fadeaway jumper by Stockwell in the key that Turpin tipped in at the end. Stockwell said his shooting arm was touched on nearly every shot by Wilson, who was tightly defending the Trojans shooter all game long.
Post Falls appeared to have the momentum in its favor when K.C. Billetz made both ends of a one-and-one to give the Trojans a 61-56 lead with 67 seconds to go.
“We just didn’t take care of the ball very well,” Turpin said.
A driving basket by Wilson pulled Century (16-9) within 61-58 at the 1:00 mark, then Keaton Campbell stole the ball from Trojans guard Zach Dienes at midcourt and made a breakaway layup to make it 62-61.
Dienes made 1 of 2 foul shots with :36 on the clock. The Diamondbacks took the final lead at 63-62 when Giraud completed a three-point play after being fouled under the basket by Turpin.
The Trojans alternated between a 1-3-1 and 2-3 zone to try to defend the taller Diamondbacks. Wilson, an athletic smooth gliding point guard, still found holes in the zone, finishing with a game-high 27 points.
Wilson said the inbounds play that Giraud turned into a three-point possession was designed for Wilson.
“Usually I get the ball on the wing. I set a screen, then come off and get a screen and shoot the 3 ball,” Wilson said. “But they were playing a high 2-3 (zone) so they were kind of extended. So we faked the pass to me and got it to Giraud for the pump fake and he made it. He came through in the clutch.”
Brandon Haas led Post Falls with 15 points, 12 of which came on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range in the first quarter. Stockwell, who made 5 of 15 shots from the field and was 0 of 7 on 3-point attempts, had 14 to go with 10 assists. Billetz, who missed the Trojans’ play-in win Saturday with a knee injury, had 12 points but struggled from the field (4 of 13).
“I thought we had it,” Scott Stockwell, alluding to the 61-56 lead in overtime. “They hit some big shots.”