Sandpoint girls nab third at state 4A tourney
<p>Sandpoint High School’s Grace Kirscher reacts with teammates after beating Rigby for third place in the state 4A girls basketball tournament Saturday in Boise.</p>
<p>Sandpoint’s Riley Couch takes a big stride to make space from Rigby defender Randi Abbott during the second quarter of the third place game of the state 4A girls basketball tournament Saturday in Boise.</p>
<p>Sandpoint High’s Madi Schoening goes up for a third quarter score against Rigby.</p>
BOISE - It was a total team effort to bring home the Sandpoint Bulldogs' first trophy at state since 2003.
Players.
Coaches.
Pep band.
You name it, they played a part in it.
Junior guard Madi Schoening scored 23 points, 14 coming in the second half as the Bulldogs beat the Rigby Trojans 45-39 in the third-place game in the state 4A tournament on Saturday at Timberline High.
Sandpoint's last trophy from state was a third-place finish in '03.
"It feels good," said Sandpoint coach Duane Ward, who coached the Bulldogs' to a runner-up finish in the A-1 (now 5A) tournament in 1996. "It's big for the community. They've really supported girls basketball all through the years. When girls basketball started, they were one of the first ones to really jump on it and they've been supporting us since. The Bulldog Bench - a Sandpoint booster club - parents, and all the kids that traveled, we've got a big following and they show tremendous support for the kids. Our players were out their playing for them and all their teammates."
After last year's 0-2 finish at state, Schoening wasn't about to settle for anything less than a trophy this time around.
"I'm so excited to get home," Schoening said. "Our community really supports us well and they're a great fan base. I'm excited to represent Sandpoint and help put them on the map."
"To come from last place in our league to 0-2 at the state tournament to third, I'll take it," said Lily Martin, one of four seniors for Sandpoint. "It feels good to know that we represented our school, town and community so well. It's a great feeling and really comforting to bring that trophy back home."
Schoening missed the final five minutes of the first half after picking up her third foul early in the second quarter. Sandpoint, which led 17-11 after the first, fell behind 25-23 at the half.
"It was really tough, but I trusted my teammates to get the job done," Schoening said. "I'm really proud of them."
Sandpoint finished 15-9, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Century of Pocatello.
"We lost seven seniors to graduation and some of these kids played on varsity and others swung on JV, so their wasn't a lot of high expectations," Ward said. "But they came out and what got them going was their work ethic. They got some big wins against some 5A teams early in the season, and that gave them some confidence. Then they started to believe they could do it, and that was the key."
Tori Anderson scored 13 points for Rigby, which finished 16-9.
"Their physicalness is probably what got us," said fifth-year Rigby coach Clyde Nelson. "It's not our game, and we didn't play well."
Rigby lost 36-35 on a buzzer-beater in its semifinal to Skyview of Nampa on Friday.
"I got after our kids during pregame," Nelson said. "Especially during warmups, we didn't look ready to play. I told them we didn't come here to lose and we fought through it, but it didn't work out in the second half."
Sandpoint 17 6 11 11 - 45
Rigby 11 14 5 9 - 39
SANDPOINT - Williams 6, Schoening 23, DuMars 0, Converse 3, Robertson 0, Ward 0, Martin 1, Couch 5, Kirscher 7, Bluemer 0. Totals 8-30 26-38 45.
RIGBY - Jackson 2, Abbott 4, H. Shippen 8, O. Shippen 0, Savkranz 4, Harper 2, Jones 0, Anderson 13, Clayton 4, Boyce 0, Bell 0, Parkes 2. Totals 16-44 4-8 39.