Hillman out, but Genesis Prep wins opener
CALDWELL — If Genesis Prep is to win a third straight state championship, it appears the Jaguars will have to do it without their leading scorer, a four-year starter and the 2017 All-Idaho Player of the Year in his division.
Jonny Hillman woke up Saturday morning with swelling in his right knee, one day after tweaking it during Genesis Prep’s victory over Lakeside in the 1A Division II District 1 championship game.
An MRI revealed a torn meniscus, and the Jaguars said he would not play this weekend.
Without him on Thursday, Genesis Prep turned to pressure defense, and got enough scoring from Kon Ajang, Jacob Schultz and Seth Neely to beat the Salmon River Savages 47-32 in a state tournament first-round game at Caldwell High.
“I started mentally preparing on Sunday (for not having Hillman),” Genesis Prep coach Marsell Colbert said. “So we had a few days to prepare. I think we played pretty good for three quarters, for not having his leadership on the floor. That fourth quarter, man … we’ve got to clean some things up tomorrow.”
Genesis Prep (16-8) will play Lighthouse Christian (24-0) of Twin Falls today at 2 p.m. PST in a semifinal game. Lighthouse Christian beat Mackay 63-57 in overtime.
Salmon River (21-6) will face Mackay (20-5) tonight in a consolation round game.
The 6-foot-9 Ajang set the tone early with eight points in the first quarter, and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals. Schultz, a senior guard, added 10 points and seven rebounds and Neely, a junior forward, had 10 points and nine rebounds.
“We just needed to play our game,” Schultz said. “Play defense. Of course he’s a major part of our team, but we all worked together well that game.
“Jonny and I are close, and he told me, ‘You don’t have to play hero ball.’ That second half, I probably played a more selfishly than I should have, but after I got in the groove, I started making passes, and everything felt good.”
Salmon River, with alum and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in the stands supporting his alma mater, took a quick 8-2 lead on a pair of 3-pointers by senior guard Canyon Harper.
But after hitting 2 of 6 3s in the first quarter, Salmon River hit just 3 of 18 from deep the rest of the way. For the game, the Savages shot 25.6 percent (11 of 43) from the field, playing hard but finding the going tough as Ajang and the other Jaguars hounded them on the perimeter.
“Good pressure — good length,” Salmon River coach Levi Tucker said of Genesis Prep’s defense. “It’s near impossible (to defend Ajang). “They’ve got it all — not only are they big, but they’re athletic. They have shooters, they spread you out. They’re the whole package. And they’re missing their best player.”
Genesis Prep put it to Salmon River after the first quarter, outscoring the Savages 30-15 in the middle two quarters.
“I think tonight we gained a lot of experience,” Colbert said. “Our younger guys that haven’t been here before, I thought they played well for this being their first go (at state). I was pretty pleased with the effort.”
Randy McClure, a 6-2 senior guard, did his best to challenge Ajang off the dribble, and finished with 10 points. Tucker said losing 6-3 sophomore post Isaac Hofflander to a sprained ankle late in the first quarter didn’t help either. He had four points before leaving.
Even without Hillman, the Jaguars said they were confident they could 3-peat.
“Oh yeah,” Colbert said. “It’s all about defense. As long as we know how to play defense, we’ll be in any game. That’s the key; the ability to get stops — that’s been our calling card since I’ve been coaching at Genesis Prep. We’ve always worked before we ate.”
“I’ve been here four years, Kon’s been here for three,” Schultz said. “I think we’re an experienced team. And the young kids, I think they’ll step up.”
Salmon River 11 5 10 6 — 32
Genesis Prep 15 13 17 2 — 47
SALMON RIVER — Harper 9, Tucker 5, E. Shepherd 2, Whitten 0, Hofflander 4, McClure 10, Jones 2. Totals 11-43 5-8 32.
GENESIS PREP — Ajang 16, Peterson 0, Mwinuka 5, Schultz 10, Neely 10, Gonzales 3, Bohannan 3. Totals 20-50 3-9 47.