Just not Timberlake's night
Lilly Kelley of Timberlake and a Sugar-Salem player battle for a loose ball during Friday night’s state 3A semifinal at Skyview High in Nampa. JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Timberlake players react in the closing seconds of Friday’s loss to Sugar-Salem in the semifinals of the state 3A girls basketball tournament at Skyview High in Nampa.
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Brooke Jessen of Timberlake battles a pair of Sugar-Salem players for the ball during a state 3A semifinal game Friday night at Skyview High in Nampa.
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Kaylee Jezek of Timberlake looks to score against Sugar-Salem in a state 3A semifinal Friday night at Skyview High in Nampa.
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Brooke Jessen of Timberlake puts up a shot against Sugar-Salem in a state 3A semifinal.
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY McKeeley Tonkin of Timberlake leans in for a shot against Sugar-Salem in the state 3A semifinals.
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Lilly Kelley of Timberlake goes up for a layup against Sugar-Salem in the state 3A semifinals Friday night at Skyview High in Nampa.
NAMPA — It was just one of those nights for the Timberlake Tigers.
The shots, they didn’t fall.
And for the first time since 2013, the Tigers won’t see their names on the scoreboard at the Ford Idaho Center on championship Saturday.
Timberlake was outscored 34-17 in the second half in a 56-41 loss to the Sugar-Salem Diggers in a state 3A girls semifinal game at Skyview High on Friday.
“I thought the things we could control, we did well,” Timberlake coach Matt Miller said. “We communicated well defensively and fought hard on the boards (Sugar-Salem out-rebounded Timberlake 44-32) with a height disadvantage. It came down to making shots and hitting free throws, and they hit shots — tough shots — and we did not.”
Senior Lilly Kelley scored 21 points for Timberlake (20-4), which will face South Fremont (16-12) today at 10 a.m. PST in the third-place game. Sugar-Salem (24-2) will face Snake River (19-6) in the championship game. Snake River beat South Fremont 39-33.
Timberlake had advanced to the championship game in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, winning state titles in ’16 and ’17.
“This one’s going to sting, but hopefully they can come back focused tomorrow,” said Miller, in his 13th season at Timberlake. “Only three teams get the chance to end their season with a win, and we get a chance to do that. So hopefully we’re ready for that.”
Kelley sparked Timberlake back from an early 9-4 deficit, giving the Tigers a 10-9 lead in a matter of moments in the first quarter.
“Lilly has been doing that for the last four years,” Miller said. “Tonight, being a senior, that might have been a couple of levels up. At some point, there was a switch that went off that said, ‘I’m not going to let this happen. And I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen.”
Sugar-Salem is now 2-1 against Timberlake in the last three years at state. Timberlake beat Sugar in last year’s title game in overtime.
“We knew this was a 50/50 game,” Miller said “And I felt it was that way. If we played 10 times, we’d probably split five and five. Tonight was theirs with shooting. You’ve got to hand it to them, they hit some hard shots in the second half.”
Sugar-Salem beat Timberlake in the 2015 title game.
“We just came out really nervous, maybe the most nervous I’ve seen my kids play this year,” Sugar-Salem coach Crystal Dayley said. “There was a lot of hype for this game and everyone said it was going to be the state championship game. We lost to them last year and we know how many times they’ve been there. They’re a heck of a basketball team. So we came out nervous. I had to tell them to go relax and play our game.”
Kelley was limited to eight points in the second half, but after hitting her fourth 3-pointer of the game, moved past Allison Kirby for most 3-pointers made in a season with 58. Kirby made 56 during the 2013-14 season.
“It’s hard to take it, but we’re ready to get up tomorrow,” Kelley said. “We’re going to work really hard and work together and get it done.”
“She’s a phenomenal basketball player,” said Dayley of Kelley. “We knew coming in that she does not miss many 3-pointers. I’d told the girls that, but the problem with that is that if you give her any kind of opening, she’s going to hit it. We lost her a couple of times, but she’s a good ballplayer.”
Freshman Brooke Jessen had eight points and seven rebounds for Timberlake.
“We knew they were a good team,” Jessen said. “We put all our heart out there tonight, and we’ve got to do it again tomorrow to finish the season off.”
Macie Knapp scored 23 points for Sugar-Salem, including eight in the final eight minutes. The Diggers won their 21st straight game.
Sugar-Salem 12 10 16 18 — 56
Timberlake 13 11 7 10 — 41
SUGAR-SALEM — Sellers 0, Crane 7, Luke 10, Bradshaw 0, Knapp 23, Maughn 4, Fillmore 4, Larson 0, Dunn 2. Totals 19-50 14-21 56.
TIMBERLAKE — Tonkin 0, Starr 3, Kelley 21, Kronenberg 0, Soumas 4, Jessen 8, Jezek 5, Willis 0. Totals 13-45 11-22 41.