STATE 5A GIRLS BASKETBALL: Quick start doesn't last for Post Falls
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Dylan Lovett (10) of Post Falls glides in for a layup vs. Rigby in the first round of the state 5A girls basketball tournament Thursday night at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Maya Blake (35) of Post Falls splits a pair of Rigby defenders and shoots in the lane Thursday night in a first-round game of the state 5A girls basketball tournament at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
NAMPA — In order to get to state, everything had to fall into place for Post Falls.
On Thursday night, it just didn’t fall the Trojans' way.
Post Falls, winners of back-to-back elimination games last week, fell short of Rigby 56-36 in the state 5A girls basketball tournament at the Ford Idaho Center.
Post Falls led 6-2 early on, but Rigby answered to take a 12-8 lead after the first quarter. Rigby used a 10-run that stretched into the second quarter to pull away.
Tylie Jones had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Rigby (20-3), which faces defending champion Mountain View (18-3) in the second semifinal tonight. Post Falls (14-8) faces Timberline (11-3) of Boise in a loser-out game tonight at 6 at Ridgevue High in Nampa.
“We had a good start, and then had some miscommunications on the defensive end,” Post Falls coach Marc Allert said. “They got some transition points and we gave up too many offensive rebounds and got killed on the boards. It seemed like every time they got a rebound, they scored on it and it made it look worse than number wise. But they took advantage of that.”
Post Falls beat Lake City 41-38 in the Region 1 second-place game, then knocked off Rocky Mountain of Meridian 57-42 in a state play-in game last Saturday in Grangeville to advance.
“We just didn’t play with that same intensity, energy and enthusiasm that we’d played with in the last couple of games,” Allert said. “And I’m sure it’s because we played tentative being in a different atmosphere, and it showed tonight.”
Rigby beat Post Falls 60-35 on Dec. 28 in Rigby. Post Falls beat Rigby 69-52 in a loser-out game at state last year.
“This game, we had a better idea of who they were and who their players were,” Allert said. “I don’t think we did a good job of doing the things we talked about doing as well as we should have. Tylie Jones is a good player, but is capable of scoring a lot, and does a lot of other things.”
Senior guard Dylan Lovett had six points and junior Hanna Christensen scored seven points for Post Falls.
“I don’t think we were ready for all the pressure in this game,” Lovett said. “But I think we should be better tomorrow.”
Senior guard Brooke Donnelly scored 11 points for Rigby, which shot 19 of 42.
“We tried to guard their really good player (Tylie Jones) and not let No. 24 (Brooke Donnelly) shoot,” Lovett said.
Rigby outrebounded Post Falls 36-23.
“We had a little bit of nerves in that first three minutes,” Rigby coach Troy Shippen said. “But the girls did a good job of settling down and playing with some tenacity. I thought they played better than in our previous game and didn’t turn it over as much. We’re glad they’re not taller than they are, but a few of their posts got to the basket on us.”
Post Falls 8 12 12 4 — 36
Rigby 12 21 13 10 — 56
POST FALLS — McLean 2, Nichols 6, Lovett 6, Grant 0, Sims 6, Buckley 0, Asper 0, Crane 2, Magnuson 0, Walton 0, Blake 4, Christensen 7. Totals 13-45 6-11 36.
RIGBY — Dansie 0, Nunez 2, Jones 15, Boone 0, Williams 2, Briggs 4, Barber 10, Raymond 0, Good 6, Donnelly 11, Kennedy 2, K. Jones 0, Youngstrom 4. Totals 19-42 15-19 56.
