Alley oop for the win
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls guard Drake Thompson (3) celebrates Jake Pfennigs' (22) winning buzzer beater to defeat Boise High School 54-52 Thursday night at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. The Trojans face Centennial in the semifinal game tonight at 7 PST.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls’ Tanner McCliment-Call goes for a layup against Boise’s Lucas Centeno during the first half of Thursday night’s semifinal game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. McCliment-Call had 15 points in the Trojan’s 54-52 win.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls Head Coach Mike McLean talks to his players during a timeout in Thursday night’s game
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls’ Jake Pfennigs, center, and Boise’s Lucas Centeno, left, and Andrew Theobald watch the basketball bounce off the backboard in the first half of Thursday’s state 5A tournament game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/PressFans watch the state 5A tournament game between Post Falls and Boise High School Thursday night at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Colby Gennett, of Post Falls, gathers himself before shooting a free throw in the first half of Thursday night’s state 5A tournament game against Boise High School at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Fals guard Trevor Tatko looses the ball as he collides with Boise’s Paul Pennington in the first half of Thursday night’s state 5A tournament game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Boise’s Lucas Centeno (5) tries to block Tanner McCliment-Call’s shot in the first half of Thursday night’s state 5A tournament game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls’ Cameron McKeown defends Boise’s Paul Pennington as he dribbles down the court.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls senior Jake Pfennigs dribbles by Boise’s Josh Martinez in the first half of Thursday night’s state 5A tournament game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Cameron McKeown, of Post Falls, surveys the Boise High School defense during the first half of Thursday’s game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Colby Gennett, of Post Falls creates space between him and Boise defender Emmett Plummer during the first half of Thursday night’s state 5A tournament game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls guard Drake Thompson goes for a contested layup while defended by three Boise High School players in the first half of Thursday night’s game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/PressPost Falls Head Coach Mike McLean gives his team a stern pep talk during halftime.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls’ Drake Thompson passes the ball to a teammate during the second half of Thursday night’s game against Boise High School.
LOREN BENOIT/PressCasey Walker (11), of Post Falls, gestures to his teammate to setup a screen.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Post Falls High School fans cheer on their boys basketball team during Thursday night’s game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
LOREN BENOIT/PressDrake Thompson of Post Falls shoots a two pointer just inside the three point arc.
LOREN BENOIT/PressJake Pfennigs (22) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a buzzer beater to defeat Boise High School 54-52.
Post Falls' game-winning play. pic.twitter.com/rL8A7QhCZz
— Mark Nelke (@CdAPressSports) March 3, 2017
NAMPA — It's a set the Post Falls Trojans practice often, and run during games, with success.
Yes, but executing it to perfection at the end of the first state tournament game for most of them, well, that's impressive.
Freshman Colby Gennett set a subtle back screen at the foul line for junior Jake Pfennigs, who broke backdoor, caught an alley-oop pass from sophomore Drake Thompson and laid it in just before the buzzer, and Post Falls beat the Boise Braves 54-52 in the first round of the state 5A boys basketball tournament Thursday night at the Ford Idaho Center.
“We run it in practice every day. Usually it's a dunk, but I wanted to just put it in and get it over with,” said Pfennigs, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Post Falls (19-3) will play Centennial (16-10) tonight at 7 PST in the semifinals. Centennial outlasted top-ranked Madison (21-2) of Rexburg 75-71.
Gennett's screen was so subtle, it was hardly noticeable watching video replays afterward.
David Bourgard inbounded the ball to Thompson, who dribbled over to the right wing and threw the pass at just the right time.
“Colby Gennett set an amazing screen,” Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. “Colby has to set the perfect screen … there's a lot of timing involved right there. That's a sophomore throwing it to a junior, with a freshman setting a screen. That's why we practice the way we do.”
Sophomore Tanner McCliment-Call added 15 points for Post Falls. Gennett scored 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter, helping the Trojans jump out to a 24-16 lead. Gennett, whose sister, Hallie, played on Post Falls's state title team in 2013, hit all four of his shots from the field in the opening quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers.
“I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous in the beginning,” Gennett said. “I felt a lot better after warmups, and hitting that first shot. I felt a little more comfortable.”
“Our freshman, he started out hot,” Pfennigs said. “He got us into a good routine, and then we got into our groove.”
Post Falls led by as much as 14 points in the second quarter, only to see Boise, at state for the first time since 1997, pull to within 39-33 at halftime.
The Trojans committed eight turnovers in the third quarter, and after a 3-point play by Pfennigs, went scoreless the final 7:44 of the quarter, allowing Boise to pull within 42-40 heading into the fourth.
Boise took the lead twice in the fourth quarter, the last time at 52-51 on a driving layin by Emmett Plummer, nephew of former Capital High, Arizona State and NFL quarterback Jake Plummer, with 2:22 remaining.
McCliment-Call tied it at 52 with a free throw with 1:07 left.
Boise missed the front end of two one-and-ones down the stretch, the second with 35.1 seconds left. Post Falls called timeout with 29 seconds left, then again with 7.4 ticks remaining to set up the final play.
“This group's pretty new to coming down here,” McLean said. “We've been down here eight years … and I truly believe the first night is the most difficult. You don't get a better seed tomorrow if you win pretty; you've just got to get there.”
Lucas Centeno had 17 points and seven rebounds for Boise. He scored 12 points in the first half and was a tough matchup off the dribble, but junior Casey Walker came off the bench and slowed him down a bit.
“We had some foul issues,” McLean said of the first half. “And once again, our guys off the bench — Alan Ballew, Nick Morris, Casey Walker and Cameron McKeown — gave us huge minutes.”
Thompson had four assists, none bigger than his final one as the Trojans survived and advanced.
“I knew Boise is a good defensive team,” McLean said. “I knew they would do everything in their power to slow the game down, and get it back to their pace.”
Centennial led by as much as 17 in the first half, before holding off a furious Madison comeback, capped by a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.
“I was thoroughly impressed with Centennial, coming out early in the game and setting the tone, to get that game, the style, the pace, the way Centennial wanted,” McLean said. “We're going to have our hands full tomorrow with a team that's playing very hungry, and obviously they have some really good players.”
Post Falls 24 15 3 12 — 54
Boise 16 17 7 12 — 52
POST FALLS — Gennett 13, Thompson 7, McKeown 2, McCliment-Call 15, Walker 0, Bourgard 1, Ballew 0, Pfennigs 16, Morris 0. Totals 19-37 11-16 54.
BOISE — Omerovic 0, Streeby 7, Tatko 3, Pennington 4, Centeno 17, Plummer 6, Martinez 8, Theobald 7. Totals 20-47 8-15 52.