Full speed ahead

NAMPA — Who knew the Post Falls Trojans were going to turn the state 5A boys basketball tournament into their own little version of the River City Rod Run — or perhaps the trophy dash at Stateline Speedway?

The Trojans kept their foot on the gas pedal for the entire game — even in the fourth quarter, when most teams would be trying to slow down to protect their lead — and zoomed away from the Madison Bobcats of Rexburg 78-57 in a semifinal game Friday night at the Idaho Center.

“We’re kinda like a muscle car; we don’t idle very well,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. “When we idle, or stall, we just don’t look very good. We are made to go full-bore, so we kind of have to play that way. Every time they would score, we didn’t have much of an option — we’ve just got to go, because that’s what we’re the best at.”

Post Falls (21-4), ranked second in the state, will play top-ranked Eagle (24-1) in the championship game tonight at 7 PST. The game can be seen via webcast at www.IdahoSports.com, and heard on KVNI 1080. Eagle held off Borah (15-12) of Boise 45-42 in the second semifinal.

Post Falls will be trying to win its first state championship since the Trojans won back-to-back state titles in 1963 and ’64.

Montana State-bound Shawn Reid totaled 24 points, 10 rebounds and three steals for Post Falls, and sophomore point guard Marcus Colbert added 24 points, five assists and three steals.

Madison wanted to control the tempo, but often times when the Bobcats would score, Post Falls would inbound the ball quickly and rush it up the floor for a basket of its own — or just as demoralizing, the quicker Trojans drawing a foul on the Bobcats.

“A lot of teams don’t exactly want to run as much as we do,” said senior Malcolm Colbert, who made his biggest play on defense, drawing a charge late in the first half on University of Utah-bound Josh Fuller — his third foul. “Most teams just want to play slower, so we just want to keep trying to run at ’em and run at ’em. Since we play basically 11 guys, we have a lot of depth on our team.”

Madison (18-8) beat Post Falls 53-47 in overtime in the semifinals last year — a game Post Falls led and let slip away — and the Trojans have been thinking about the Bobcats ever since.

“I don’t know if revenge was the right word, but it’s been something that we have definitely talked about,” McLean said. “After the season last year, when I met with my athletic director for our evaluation, I said my goal is to meet up and play Madison. ... Obviously, last year, (there was) inexperience on our players, and on my end. I felt last year, when the pressure got to us, we didn’t execute as well as we should have — it was a group effort.”

This year, on the same stage, things were much different.

“I used to think experience didn’t really mean that much — like, it’s just basketball,” Malcolm Colbert said. “But I think the experience of being here last year really helped us out a lot.”

Sophomore forward Ryker Pierce scored 20 points to lead Madison, which has won four state titles since 1997 — most recently in 2007. Fuller finished with 16 points in 21 minutes for the Bobcats, who will move down to 4A next year.

Fuller also picked up his fourth foul away from the ball, defending Reid, in the final minute of the third quarter, and screamed a “No!” in frustration.

With 1:37 left in the first half, Malcolm Colbert helped off his man and drew a charge from Fuller — sending him to the bench for the rest of the half — and the Trojan senior led out a scream. Fuller played just 8 of the 16 minutes in the half.

“When he had two (fouls), we weren’t exactly going at him on offense,” Colbert said. “He went by Jeremy (Cragin) on that drive, so I just stepped over and took that charge. I figured it was his third, so I let it out; I knew we could extend it a little with him out.”

Post Falls started to extend its lead in the second quarter, leading by as much as nine before settling for a 36-29 halftime lead. Fuller picked up two fouls in the first four minutes, but Madison managed to stay close.

Marcus Colbert stole Madison’s inbounds pass to start the third quarter and fed Reid for a layup, starting a 5-0 spurt. Typical of the game — midway through the third quarter, Fuller worked hard inside for a basket, only to see Post Falls inbound the ball quickly to Marcus Colbert, who sped the length of the floor for a layup just seconds later.

Post Falls led 57-39 early in the fourth quarter before Madison rallied to within 66-56 on a 3-pointer by Kyle Blanchard with 2:40 remaining.

But Cragin answered with two free throws, Marcus Colbert stole the ball and took it in for a basket and a free throw, Colbert fed up ahead to Reid for a dunk, and Colbert stole a pass and scored and quickly the lead was back up to 19.

Malcolm Colbert, who finished with 10 points and three assists, again left the arena with ice on his right knee. He said he dislocated his kneecap for the fourth time last summer, and it didn’t heal all the way before he started playing again. Thursday, in the first quarter vs. Vallivue of Caldwell, it slipped out again, and he briefly had to come out. He looked fine on Friday.

“We kinda expected to go to the state championship (game), plus Madison beating us last year put a bad taste in our mouths,” Colbert said. “We were pretty focused to play Madison again.”

McLean said Post Falls has not won a state team title in any boys sport since that crown in ’64.

“I think right now we don’t have much pressure on us anymore,” McLean said of playing for a state title. “I think we were expected to get here and do well at state. Now that we’ve gotten to the title game, our guys will play loose; we won’t be tight; we won’t be nervous. We’re just going to go up and down the floor, and do what we do.”

Post Falls 15 21 20 22 — 78

Madison 14 15 10 18 — 57

POST FALLS — Gonzales 1, Hill 11, Reid 24, Muncey 0, Mal. Colbert 10, Mar. Colbert 24, Mikkelson 1, Lickfold 4, Kennedy 0, Cragin 3. Totals 28-51 19-29 78.

MADISON — Blanchard 10, Sutton 0, Powell 0, Robison 0, Luthy 4, Pierce 20, Groom 2, Fuller 16, Blair 3, Anderson 2. Totals 18-38 18-21 57.