Post Falls wins state play-in game
GRANGEVILLE — Jake Pfennigs totaled 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Post Falls Trojans, armed with a little extra motivation, beat the Capital Eagles of Boise 55-49 in a state 5A play-in game Saturday at Grangeville High.
Drake Thompson added 13 points, Colby Gennett 11 for Post Falls (18-3), which will play Boise (18-5) on Thursday at 7 p.m. PST in the first round of the state tournament at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Post Falls avenged a loss to Capital in last year’s state play-in game, also at Grangeville.
“If we had to come this way (to get to state), I wanted to play Capital,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. “I felt like they disrespected us as a program last year. We limped down here last year (with numerous injuries), but made no excuses. They beat us, and they celebrated on the court. A lot of these kids were here last year, and that really left a bad taste in our mouths. We had a day of reckoning with Capital, with the way they treated us down here last year.”
Pfennigs scored all 18 of his points in the first three quarters, then Thompson and Gennett took over in the fourth. Thompson scored five of his points in the fourth, Gennett grabbed a couple of key rebounds, and Tanner McCliment-Call hit a pair of free throws to help keep Capital at bay.
David Bourgard grabbed seven rebounds for Post Falls, which qualified for state for the eighth time in 10 seasons under McLean.
“They were bigger than us, but we just battled,” McLean said. “Drake did a good job getting to the rim.”
Justin Saunders scored 17 points and Cameron Godeny-Scott added 14 for Capital (17-9).
Capital 7 15 17 10 — 49
Post Falls 12 13 19 11 — 55
CAPITAL — Kruger 3, McKinney 0, Olson 3, Zmuda 4, Ashby 6, Lindsey 2, Saunders 17, Godeny-Scott 14.
POST FALLS — Gennett 11, Thompson 13, McKeown 0, McCliment-Call 7, Walker 0, Bourgard 4, Ballew 0, Pfennigs 18, Morris 4.
Deary 66
Lakeside 47
MOSCOW — The Knights played right with the Mustangs until Deary took advantage of a couple Lakeside turnovers in the third quarter and started to pull away in a state 1A Division II play-in game at Bear Den.
“That’s a quality team,” first-year Lakeside coach Bob Wolcott said. “And from the beginning until the middle of the third quarter, it was back and forth the whole way.”
Bryar Sanchez scored 15 points and Alex Pakootas added 14 for Lakeside, which finished 9-12.
Jalen Kirk scored 22 points for Deary (17-4), which advances to state beginning Thursday at Caldwell High. He hit 17 of 18 free throws. Deary took 30 free throws to Lakeside’s four, though Wolcott said 10 of the Mustangs’ freebies came late when the Knights had to foul.
“I was proud of the boys,” Wolcott said. “I’m appreciative of the effort they put out.”
Lakeside 10 18 6 13 — 47
Deary 13 18 14 21 — 66
LAKESIDE — Sanchez 15, Pakootas 14, Bighead 9, Wienclaw 3, Abrahamson 6, Dias 0, Ambro 0, Rutherford 0, J. Davison 0.
DEARY — Kirk 22, Johnston 1, Weinmann 6, Codr 18, Dollar 2, Winter 17, Heath 0, Scott 0.