Post Falls wins squeaker; CdA loses close one
NAMPA, Idaho – High school basketball doesn’t get much more exciting than Thursday’s opening round of the Idaho State 5A tournament at the Idaho Center. When the dust settled, one North Idaho team was moving on to the semifinals, while another saw its championship dreams come to an early end.
Post Falls won in heart-stopping fashion as star guard Marcus Colbert poured in 25 points – including an acrobatic, winning layup with 3 seconds remaining – in a 56-55 victory over Centennial. The Trojans (20-3) advance to play Mountain View in a state semifinal today.
Coeur d’Alene was on the losing end of another exciting opener, falling 49-45 to tournament favorite Borah. The Vikings (16-7) fall to the consolation bracket, where they face Highland.
Post Falls 56, Centennial 55: Centennial could easily have won Thursday’s first-round contest against Post Falls.
But with the game on the line, Colbert refused to be denied. The 5-foot-11 point guard scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, almost single-handedly rallying the Trojans to the victory.
The dagger was a driving, twisting, coast-to-coast scoop layup in the closing seconds.
“It might sound silly, but down one with 10 seconds to go, if Marcus has the ball in his hands, I’m feeling pretty good,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. “There aren’t too many players a coach can say that about.”
All 13 of Colbert’s fourth-quarter points came on layups or free throws. The senior seemed unstoppable on drives to the hoop, and his tenacity helped Post Falls snatch the victory.
Centennial led 54-50 with 55 seconds left and had multiple chances to add to its lead. But the Patriots missed 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute – including two front ends of 1-and-1 opportunities – setting up Colbert’s last-second heroics.
“I looked up at the clock and saw 10 seconds left,” Colbert said. “I knew I wanted the shot. I just went hard to the hole and it went in.”
Both teams battled nerves and foul trouble – including two early calls on Colbert – in a choppy first quarter that ended in a 9-9 tie. But Post Falls found its rhythm in the second, burying Centennial in a barrage of fast-break layups. Colbert hit a deep, contested 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give the Trojans their largest lead of the game, 28-16.
But Centennial answered in the third quarter as junior guard Daryl Robertson and senior forward EJ Leitzinger ignited a rally. Robertson finished with 23 points for the Patriots, though he missed two critical free throws late.
Senior forward Michael Hillman chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds for Post Falls, while senior guard Luke Thoreson added 10 points.
But in the end, it was Colbert who put the Trojans over the top. His acrobatic winning layup was eerily similar to the shot Borah’s Isaiah Wright hit at the buzzer in last year’s opening round, ending the Trojans’ state championship repeat hopes.
“It feels a million times better this time around,” Colbert said. “A million times better.”
Borah 49, Coeur d’Alene 45: Thursday’s State 5A tournament opener featured two teams that have seen their share of Idaho Center heartbreak in recent years.
The postseason disappointment continued for Coeur d’Alene, which saw a valiant comeback fall short in the loss to Borah. The Vikings nearly erased an eight-point deficit in the final 1:06, but Joe Roletto’s tying 3-point attempt fell short with 7 seconds remaining as Borah escaped with the victory.
“Our effort was there,” Vikings coach Kent Leiss said. “We didn’t always play well, but our kids fought until the end. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
Coeur d’Alene jumped out to a 15-5 lead, but Borah slowed the game by deploying a zone defense and clawed back to a 20-20 halftime tie.
The game remained tight in the third, but two quick fouls on Vikings senior Deon Watson changed the complexion of the game. With four fouls, Watson had to sit for several crucial minutes.
“I was pretty angry, not only at the refs but also at myself,” said Watson, who scored 12 points. “Being taken out of the equation and not having a chance to help my team, it’s disappointing.”
Roletto, who also had 12 points, banked in a 30-footer at the third-quarter buzzer to give CdA a 30-29 lead, but Borah gradually pulled ahead in the fourth. The Lions extended their lead to 43-35 with 1:06 to play thanks to a layup and two free throws by sophomore Isaiah Wright, who finished with a game-high 15 points.
A Watson free throw and a three-point play by Devon Loy kept the Vikings alive, and after Wright split two free throws, Roletto buried a 3 to bring CdA within one at 46-45.
Borah got a breakaway layup from senior Ben Tucakovic (11 points, 11 rebounds) off a beautiful inbounds play. Needing three points to tie, Roletto pulled up and fired from deep with 7 seconds remaining. But the shot fell short and Wright iced the game with a free throw.
“Joe makes plays,” Leiss said. “If we call a timeout there, who knows what kind of defense we were going to face or what would have happened. So I can live with that shot, especially after the big shots Joe hit to get us back in the game.”
4A
Moscow 64, Kuna 49: Lane Brooks scored 22 points and Dan McGurkin had 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Bears (13-10) beat the Kavemen (15-9) at Borah High School.
Derek Pennington added 13 points for Moscow, which advances to face Rigby today.
3A
Sugar-Salem 48, St. Maries 44: Desmond Miles scored 15 points and Jason Hawkes had 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Diggers (18-6) beat the Lumberjacks (19-6) at Meridian High School. Rhett Ryle and Austin Linnemeyer scored 11 points each for St. Maries, which faces Bear Lake today.
Weiser 49, Kellogg 45: Drew McKie and Elias Daniel scored 14 points apiece as the Wolverines (19-5) beat the Wildcats (18-5) at Meridian HS. Garret Wendt and Ryan McDonald each scored 12 points for Kellogg, which plays Filer today.
1A Division II
Carey 58, Kootenai 38: Chance Chavez scored 15 points to lead the Panthers (18-6) to a victory over the Warriors (7-13) at Caldwell High School. Marshall Willms scored 10 points to lead Kootenai, which will play Sho-Ban tonight.