STATE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL: St. Maries poised to defend title

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

2A

It wouldn’t appear possible for a defending state champ to return to state the following year and fly under the radar.

But that seems to be the situation surrounding the St. Maries Lumberjacks, who are looking to defend their state 2A title this week, when play begins today at Capital High in Boise.

“We’re not getting a lot of exposure,” said Bryan Chase, who has guided St. Maries to state in each of his eight seasons as head coach. “We’re ready to go down there and make some noise. I still think we have just as good a shot as anybody.”

St. Maries (18-3), the tourney’s third seed, plays No. 6 Firth (16-9) today at 4 p.m. PST in its first-round game.

Of St. Maries’ three losses this season, two have come at the hands of Lapwai, the defending state 1A Division I champion. And one was to Ambrose in the finals of a tournament in Boise, in a rematch of last year’s state title game.

“When we lost to Ambrose, people probably thought we weren’t as good as last year,” Chase said. “We weren’t playing very good basketball at that point of the year.”

On the other hand, Chase said he doesn’t mind this year’s squad not having a target on its back. This year’s group is still seeking some leadership, he said, though he said his squad might be more balanced this season, and a little better defensively.

St. Maries is led by Tristan Gentry-Nelson (14.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 steals), who hit the go-ahead free throw in last year’s state title game; guard Coleman Ross (9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.2 steals); junior guard Greyson Sands (8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals), and senior forward Colby Renner (8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds), who hit the 3-pointer at the buzzer to send last year’s semifinal into overtime.

The Lumberjacks have reached at least the semifinals every year under Chase, advancing to the finals in 2019 and ’21. Last year’s state title was St. Maries’ first since 1960, and second overall.

About that leadership void …

Eli Gibson, who played in two title games before graduating last year, spoke to the team late in the regular season.

“He kinda challenged them — ‘You need to get some stops, and take pride in your defense,’” Chase said. “It drives him crazy to see us not diving for loose balls.”

Chase said the current players got the message.

“I thought in the Orofino game and Sandpoint game (just before districts), we took a little more pride in what we’re doing,” he said.

Ambrose (20-4), the 2020 state champ, is led by guards Hudson Hughes (16.3 points per game) and Johnny Sugarman (15.2).

Firth has won eight state titles, the last one coming in 2016, but has been down in recent years. The Cougars are at state for the first time since 2017. Scott Adams, who guided Firth to seven of those titles, returned to the team in 2019.

North Fremont (20-2), the No. 1 seed, is led by senior guard Jordan Lenz, the state 2A player of the year each of the last two seasons.

St. Maries beat West Side (18-8), the No. 2 seed, 41-33 in overtime in the semis of that tourney in Boise.

5A

Centennial (14-10, Lake City’s (22-1) first-round opponent today at 11 a.m. PST at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, is at state for the first time since 2018. The Patriots led the 5A Southern Idaho Conference in 3-pointers per game (8.7) and 3-point percentage (36.5).

Lake City won at No. 4 seed Eagle (20-4) 51-49 in December. Mustangs coach Cody Pickett, who played football at Caldwell High, the University of Washington and the San Francisco 49ers, is back on the bench after undergoing emergency heart surgery in January.

Looming on the other side of the bracket is No. 2 Owyhee (21-3), a first-year school in Meridian.

While Lake City was playing three games at a tournament at Owyhee in December, the Storm was playing four games at a tournament in California, going 3-1.

Owyhee’s only loss to an Idaho school came in four overtimes at Eagle in December. But the Storm avenged that loss last week with a 22-point beatdown of the Mustangs in the District 3 title game at Meridian.

Owyhee is led by guard Jack Payne (11.7 ppg, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 steals, 2.3 blocks), who has verbally committed to Colorado State.

Lake City starts four juniors, but Owyhee is similarly young, starting two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman.

Owyhee's Titus Bailey, a junior who hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter of a win over Eagle in the District 3 championship game last week, played at Capital High in Boise as a sophomore.

Owyhee sophomore Liam Campbell (18.0 ppg, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists) played last season at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, Calif.

Coach Andy Harrington came to Owyhee after three seasons at Middleton, guiding the Vikings to a state title in 2021.

4A

Moscow (15-9) is back in the field for the sixth time in seven years, after losing to Lakeland in last year’s regional championship. The Bears, who played for the state title in 2020, shoot the 3 well. Moscow, the No. 6 seed, opens vs. No. 3 Jerome (22-2) today at 4 p.m. PST at Rocky Mountain High in Meridian … Defending champion Middleton (23-2) is the No. 4 seed, led by 1,000-point scorer Tyler Medaris.

3A

Bonners Ferry (13-8) is back at state for the second straight year, after not having gone since 2008. The eighth-seeded Badgers open vs. No. 1 and defending champion Marsh Valley (21-2) today at 11 a.m. at Meridian High.

Bonners went two-and-out at state last year. Junior Ridge Williams (12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.7 steals), an all-league pick last year, broke his navicular bone two days before the season started and was out until league play began. Last year he averaged 21 points and shot 56% from the 3-point line in league

Senior Ethan Hubbard (8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals) is the defensive stopper Freshman Asher Williams (16.5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1.5 assists) shot 43% from the 3-point line, and 90% from the FT line. Junior Braeden Blackmore (14 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) was an all-league pick last year.

Ridge and Asher Williams are sons of second-year Bonners coach Nathan Williams.

1A Division I

Lapwai (24-0), featuring Idaho signee Titus Yearout, is favored to repeat as state champs. The Wildcats average 82.9 points per game, and own wins over 5A schools Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston.

1A Division II

Camas County (20-3), the No. 1 seed, is at state for the first time since 2005.