STATE 5A GIRLS THIRD-PLACE GAME: A foul finish for third for Lake City

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

NAMPA — In a game that saw three technical fouls, two ejections and six lead changes, it was apparent that it was going to come down to whoever had the best free-throw shooter on the floor.

Fortunately, Lake City has a national Elks Hoop Shoot qualifier on its roster.

Sophomore Kamryn Pickford, who qualified for nationals in 2017, hit four straight free throws following a technical foul on Rigby coach Todd Barber, sparking a 12-5 run in the final 3:16 as the Timberwolves beat the Trojans 59-46 in the state 5A girls third-place game on Saturday at Ridgevue High.

“I’m super proud of them,” Lake City coach James Anderson said. “One of the toughest things to do in basketball is come off an emotional loss and come back and play a consolation game. But you’ve still got a chance to put a plaque on the wall and take a trophy home. It’s important to the community and school, and it was important to send K.P. (Kendall Pickford, the team’s only senior) out right. It makes the bus ride a lot nicer.”

Lake City made 15 free throws in the fourth quarter, seven by Kamryn Pickford.

“I shoot a lot of free throws, so I just had to trust my shot,” Kamryn Pickford said. “It feels pretty good to end the season on a win. It’s a huge accomplishment for a lot of us in our first trip to state.”

Barber received a second technical foul and was ejected with 48 seconds remaining. A Rigby fan was also ejected at the end of the game by tournament officials.

“Kamryn’s been our top free throw shooter all year,” Anderson said. “Her going to nationals is something that’s always been in the back of my mind. She’s shot free throws under more pressure than anybody on our team, and she did a great job.”

Lake City, which entered this week’s tournament as the top seed, shot 7 of 45 from the field in Friday’s loss to Boise in the semifinals.

“I told the girls we didn’t have anything to lose, so we just needed to cut it loose,” Anderson said. “I think watching Post Falls play right before us really helped us. They were playing so loose and inspired and it just challenged them to play loose and have more fun today. It was the last chance we had to play together, and the percentages will re-correct themselves at some point. I was hoping it was going to be today and not next year.”

Kendall Pickford had 15 points, shooting 4 for 11 from the 3-point line for Lake City.

“She was fantastic today,” Anderson said. “She was really frustrated yesterday and Boise did such a great job against her and didn’t allow her to get any space. Today (Saturday), she was finding space, but it was at 32 feet, but she was hot from there, so we went with it. You could tell she wanted it.”

Sophomore Sophia Zufelt had 10 points for Lake City, making 7 of 8 from the free throw line. Lake City finishes 22-4 in its first trip to state since winning the consolation title in 2019.

“We definitely wanted to end the season with a win,” Kendall Pickford said. “Bringing home a third-place trophy is pretty good for our school and glad I could finish the season with a win.”

Lake City also started three sophomores (Kamryn Pickford, Avery Waddington and Sophia Zufelt) and a junior (Emberlyn Reynolds).

“I’m super glad we were able to bring third home,” Kendall Pickford said. “Our coaches have worked super hard. At least we get to bring something home. It’s not the first-place trophy, but it’s cool to bring something home.”

Barber declined comment following the game.

Sixth-seeded Rigby, which upset third-seeded Thunder Ridge in the opening round on Thursday, finishes 19-7.

Rigby 10 8 17 11 — 46

Lake City 9 16 12 22 — 59

RIGBY — B. Williams 0, A. Williams 3, Nelson 2, Good 9, Dansie 11, Graham 3, Barber 11, Walker 0, Bradley 0, Barker 0, Youngstrom 7. Totals 13-42 16-23 46.

LAKE CITY — Ke. Pickford 15, Ka. Pickford 13, Bowman 2, Zufelt 10, Waddington 5, McKellips 4, Holzer 4, Reynolds 6, Zimmerman 0. Totals 16-45 20-26 59.