Trojans meet their match
<p>Post Falls High School's Marcus Colbert puts up a shot over Borah's Brock Holubetz during the 5A state boys state title game Saturday at the Idaho Center in Nampa.</p>
<p>Seth Anderson, of Post Falls, goes up in an attempt to block a shot from Borah High's Ben Tucakovic in the third quarter.</p>
<p>Anthony King, director of operations for the Post Falls boys basketball team, hugs senior Taylor Valente Saturday as the final seconds wind down in the 5A boys state championship game at the Idaho Center in Nampa.</p>
<p>Borah's Brock Holubetz (50) puts up tall hands in front of Post Falls' Luke Thoreson.</p>
<p>Marcus Colbert, Post Falls High School's star guard, drives to the hoop against Borah in Nampa.</p>
<p>Post Falls' Seth Anderson, left, and Luke Thoreson rebound the ball at the same time after a missed Borah shot in the first half.</p>
<p>Taylor Valente, of Post Falls, guards Borah's Isaiah Wright in the second half of the 5A boys state championship game.</p>
<p>Trenton McLean, the four-year-old son of the Post Falls head coach, waves a sign from the crowd Saturday at the Idaho Center.</p>
<p>Marcus Colbert puts up a jump shot over Borah guard Isaiah Wright.</p>
<p>Post Falls' Luke Thoreson drives around a pick in the first half against Borah.</p>
<p>The Post Falls defense had a hard time stopping The Borah Lions in the state title game.</p>
<p>The Trojans' Scott Benner is blocked out by Borah defenders while going for a second half rebound.</p>
<p>Michael Hillman takes a shot before being fouled by Zane Howland, of Borah High.</p>
NAMPA - The shots that dropped the first two nights rolled tantalizingly off the rim on Saturday night.
The passes that made their way through the defense for assists in the first two games got deflected away or intercepted.
It was that kind of night for the Post Falls Trojans, who fell 49-31 to the Borah Lions in the state 5A boys basketball championship game at a nearly-full Idaho Center.
"We gave it all we had, we just got outplayed tonight," said Post Falls senior point guard Marcus Colbert, who led the second-ranked Trojans with 14 points and also grabbed five rebounds. "Borah played a good game, and they hit shots. We couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. They got a lot of second-chance points. They just flat-out beat us tonight."
Post Falls, trying to win its second state title in three years, shot just 25 percent (12 of 48) from the field and finished 21-4. Borah (25-1), ranked No. 1, won its 10th state title in school history, and first since 2005, and finished with 23 straight wins and set a school record for wins in a season.
Understandably, the Trojans - coaches and players - were teary-eyed as they slowly filed out of the locker room afterward.
"It wasn't a good night to not shoot real well," Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. "Early in the game we got some looks that we wanted, and they just missed. It's been four years since a team has just handled us that well. Borah outplayed us tonight; tonight they were the better team."
Post Falls made just two baskets in the first 13 minutes of the game, and finished the half 4 of 23 (17.4 percent) from the field.
"Give props to them; they were the better team tonight," Post Falls senior guard Luke Thoreson said. "They made shots, we missed shots, and they guarded us well. But we went all out to the end."
And when the Trojans tried to put something together, a few missed shots and a few key Borah baskets kept the Lions comfortably ahead.
“I thought we looked tired,” McLean said. “Borah didn’t necessarily do anything that we weren’t expecting, or that we hadn’t seen before ... it is what it is. There are no excuses.”
Isaiah Wright, Borah’s sophomore point guard, totaled 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Cody Spjute added 11 points and Ben Tucakovic, who had a double-double in each of the Lions’ first two tournament games, had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Official stats listed Borah with seven steals and three blocked shots, but with the 6-foot-6 Tucakovic and the 6-8 Brock Holubetz affecting things inside, it seemed like there were more. Holubetz added eight points and seven rebounds.
Post Falls was 1 of 15 from 3-point range.
“Our overall effort on defense was the key to the win,” said Borah coach Cary Cada, who now has won three state titles in his 18 years at Borah. “We wanted a hand out on their shots, and we wanted them to shoot from out there.”
Tucakovic, who came into state averaging 15 points per game, made just two baskets all night. But both came on 3-pointers from the left baseline over the Post Falls zone in the first two minutes of the game for a quick 6-0 lead. Oddly, Borah then missed 15 straight 3s until its next make late in the third quarter.
Post Falls went nearly 12 minutes between field goals in the first half, but because Borah wasn’t shooting much better (8 of 25 for the half), the Trojans still remained in range.
And when Michael Hillman scored inside and Thoreson scored on the drive in the final 1:07, Post Falls trailed just 21-13 at the half.
Post Falls started in a zone, then went man. Borah started in a man, committed the first seven fouls of the game, and switched to a zone to stay out of foul trouble.
Post Falls trailed 29-21 late in the third, but Wright hit a 3 at the top of the key and Spjute scored after a turnover and Borah led 34-21 after three.
Colbert hit a 3 and Thoreson scored in the lane early in the fourth as Post Falls pulled within 34-26, but Borah answered with a 10-1 run that pretty much locked up the game.
It was Post Falls’ lowest scoring output of the season, by five points.
“I’m happy I was able to play with the group I was given to play with,” Colbert said. “We’re going to be tight forever.”
Post Falls 4 9 8 10 — 31
Borah 8 13 13 15 — 49
POST FALLS — Anderson 4, Valente 0, Thoreson 6, Colbert 14, Benner 0, Hillman 7, Koski 0, Shelton 0. Totals 12-48 6-9 31.
BORAH — Cada 2, Daniels 0, Corpus 2, Tucakovic 10, Wright 13, Boller 0, Howland 2, Spjute 11, McKague 0, Hall 1, Holubetz 8. Totals 16-42 13-21 49.