Lake City falls to Boise in state 5A play-in game
GRANGEVILLE — This was no normal fifth-place team the Lake City Timberwolves drew for their state high school boys basketball play-in game Saturday at Grangeville High.
The Boise Braves, the 5A Southern Idaho Conference regular-season champions, and ranked No. 1 much of the season by the state’s media, hit 10 of 16 3-pointers and rolled to a 77-51 victory and a berth at state beginning Thursday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Lake City finished 13-12.
Boise lost twice in the District 3 tournament, and had to scramble just to reach the state play-in game.
“We ran into a very good basketball team today,” Lake City assistant coach Kelly Reed said. “They defend real well, they move the ball well, and obviously they shot it great. We can’t hang our heads at all. We played really well; they were really, really good today.”
Cole Alton, a 6-foot-4 junior, hit three 3-pointers and scored 17 points for Boise (22-3), which will face District 3 champion Rocky Mountain (21-3) of Meridian in the first round at state. Senior point guard Paul Pennington also scored 17 for the Braves, Trevor Tatko hit four 3s and added 14 points, and Lucas Centeno had 13 points.
Senior forward James Carlson scored a game-high 20 points for Lake City, which made just one 3-pointer, and was just 16 of 30 from the free-throw line.
“James was great again today; he was so solid all year long,” Reed said of Carlson, who averaged roughly 20 points and eight rebounds this season.
Boise 20 24 10 23 — 77
Lake City 15 11 11 14 — 51
BOISE — Hauser 2, Tatko 14, Pennington 17, Centeno 13, Collins 0, Plummer 9, Alton 17, Massie 3, Hansen 2, Bieter-Lete 0, Miller 0.
LAKE CITY — Street 2, Schaffer 5, McCartin 14, Kolden 4, Hansen 0, Sensel 0, Spellman 0, Irvin 1, Carlson 20, Manzardo 3, Kiesbuy 0, Pollow 2.
Prairie 65
Wallace 48
POST FALLS — The Pirates (20-4) beat the Miners in a state 1A Division I play-in game at The Arena. Prairie advances to state beginning Thursday at Vallivue High in Caldwell.
Wallace finishes 12-8.