2A DISTRICT 1-2 BOYS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: St. Maries repeats as district champs
TROY — After surviving an overtime thriller three days earlier just to make it to the title game, the St. Maries Lumberjacks sought to eliminate the suspense Friday night.
Brady Martin and Bryant “Bub” Asbury got St. Maries off to a good start, and the top-seeded Lumberjacks went on to topple the second-seeded Grangeville Bulldogs 55-40 in the championship game of the 2A District 1-2 boys basketball tournament at Troy High.
Martin and Asbury each hit 3 of 3 from the floor in the first quarter, and Martin also was perfect on two free throws, as St. Maries led 23-8 after one quarter and 34-10 at halftime en route to its second straight district title.
“I thought the kids came out with a lot of intensity, and a lot of desire to come out and get the win,” St. Maries coach Bryan Chase said. He noted all the league and district titles Grangeville has won in various sports, and “we’re kind of after what these guys have. We pressed, and we played good defense — that’s by far our best first half of the year.”
Martin finished with 13 points for St. Maries (20-3), which advances to the state tournament next weekend at Capital High in Boise. The Lumberjacks open the tourney at 1:15 p.m. PST vs. Soda Springs, the District 5 runner-up.
Dakota Wilson added 11 points, five assists and three steals for St. Maries. Nate Masterson had seven points and nine rebounds, Kiefer Gibson eight points and seven boards.
Garret Key scored 15 points for Grangeville (14-8). But Chase had praise for Wilson and Jake Sieler, who combined to hold Grangeville’s all-Central League performers, Leighton Harris and Austin Parks, to a combined two points.
Grangeville 8 2 19 11 — 40
St. Maries 23 11 9 12 — 55
GRANGEVILLE — Cawley 3, Stokes 6, Harris 0, Parks 2, Key 15, Alder 0, Schumaker 4, Woods 2, Canaday 6, Wiltse 2.
ST. MARIES — Lounsbury 4, Pritchard 0, Sieler 6, Gibson 8, Sands 0, Wilson 11, Asbury 6, Epler 0, Truscott 0, Buhl 0, Masterson 7, Martin 13, McGregor 0.