Idaho High School All-Star Games: Skylar's show

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

COEUR d’ALENE — Maybe it was that breakfast.

Or it was the chance to have the game of her high school career for the final time in front of the Coeur d’Alene faithful.

Whatever it was, it worked for Viking senior Skylar Burke.

Burke scored a career-high 40 points for the Region, 25 coming in the second half, but the Metro — made up of players from the Boise area — beat the Region 112-88 in the 19th Idaho high school all-star basketball games at North Idaho College.

“Whatever they put in those potatoes was pretty good, I guess,” Burke said of the pre-game breakfast, sponsored by NIC and held at the school. “It was awesome, especially with all of my friends and teammates here supporting me. It was awesome. I just came out here to have a good time and didn’t have any aspirations to do anything crazy other than to just enjoy it.”

Burke broke the girls scoring record of 36 points set by Katelyn Loper of Post Falls in 2010. Burke finished four points off Vallivue’s Amoro Lado’s mark of 44 in the boys game in 2019.

“I was going to come out and play hard,” Burke said. “I had no intention of dropping 40, but with the flow of the game, I just took my chances.”

It was the first time the game has been at NIC's Rolly Williams Court since 2019. The 2020 game was canceled following the outbreak of COVID-19, and last year's game was moved to Post Falls High due to Covid restrictions at NIC.

Burke teamed with Lake City’s Kendall Pickford, Post Falls’ Trinidie Nichols and Lakeland’s Addie Kiefer on the Region squad.

“It was awesome,” Burke said. “We’re so used to going at each other in games, so to be able to be side by side playing for each other was a really good experience.”

Joe Reiber of Melba, which beat St. Maries last week for the state 2A boys title, scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Metro team past Region 112-104 in the boys game.

Between games, Middleton’s Payton Hymas, who has signed with Lewis-Clark State, outshot Centennial’s Tyler Shipp 18-11 for the 3-point title. Owyhee’s Jack Payne, a Colorado State commit, won the slam dunk contest.

GIRLS: Coeur d’Alene beat Timberline of Boise 54-52 during the regular season in the Timber-Lion Tournament in Boise. Timberline went on to win the state 5A title last month at the Ford Idaho Center. The Vikings did not qualify for state.

“She’s just crazy athletic,” Timberline's Sophie Glancey said of Burke, who has signed with UC Santa Barbara. Glancey, who scored 27 points for the Metro, shared game MVP honors with Burke. “She moves so well and jumps so high on the court. She’s just a great player. She’s tough, she’s really tough.”

Glancey, along with her Timberline teammate Audrey Taylor, have signed to play at Northern Arizona.

“I’d never been to Coeur d’Alene before this weekend,” Glancey said. “I really like the town. It’s super fun and super pretty. The game was so fun. I was really happy to be here.”

Kiefer could be sticking around the area a little while longer.

“I’m still not sure yet,” Kiefer said. “I’m thinking of playing both volleyball and basketball here (at NIC), but I’m still undecided. It’s my main option right now. Maybe Eastern Oregon for basketball, but I’m thinking about here.”

Pickford, who has signed with NAIA Arizona Christian University in Phoenix, had 14 points and Nichols had 10 points.

Annie Stinar of Centennial, who will be playing at Wyoming next year, scored 14 points for the Metro.

Ashley Banks of Boise, headed to Southern Utah, scored 12.

Other girls in the game who will be playing in college include Jayden McNeal of Borah (Eastern Washington), Austyn Harris of Parma (Eastern Oregon), Marli Reed of Rocky Mountain (Westminster College) and Izzy Arave of Blackfoot (College of Southern Idaho).

Metro 27 30 28 30 — 112

Region 25 10 29 24 — 88

METRO — Lexi Robertson (Columbia) 3, Audrey Taylor (Timberline) 18, Jayden McNeal (Borah) 6, Katy Wentz (Garden Valley) 5, Olivia Irwin (Nampa) 2, Austyn Harris (Parma) 7, Annie Stinar (Centennial) 14, Sydney Nichols (Council) 4, Payton Hymas (Middleton) 14, Marli Reed (Rocky Mountain 0, Ashley Banks (Boise) 12, Sophie Glancey (Timberline) 27.

REGION — Kendall Pickford (Lake City) 14, Grace Sobotta (Lapwai) 5, Trinidie Nichols (Post Falls) 10, Alexis Monson (Filer) 5, Kiya McAfee (Butte County) 3, Izzy Arave (Blackfoot) 3, Hailey Harris (Sugar-Salem) 4, Addie Kiefer (Lakeland) 2, Skylar Burke (Coeur d’Alene) 40.

BOYS: Watching his older brother Emmit Taylor III score 22 points in this game as a senior at Lapwai High inspired Kross Taylor to eventually find his way on the similar path.

Kross Taylor, who is being recruited by NIC, Community Colleges of Spokane and Everett Community College, scored 12 points for the Region. Emmit Taylor played two years at NIC before transferring to Idaho State.

“When I was watching my brother, I knew I wanted to make it to this point and play in this game,” said Kross Taylor, who helped Lapwai roll to the state 1A Division I title last weekend. “All of the games I came and watched, I really like this gym a lot. I’ve got a lot of special memories here. I love it.”

St. Maries forward Tristan Gentry-Nelson, fresh off a runner-up finish at the state 2A tournament with the Lumberjacks, scored eight points for the Region.

“It just shows how hard I’ve worked to get here,” Gentry-Nelson said. “Right now, I’m just taking it day by day. I’ve made a lot of connections with the rest of my teammates and they’re like a family to me.”

“It was a lot of fun,” Gentry-Nelson said. “It was cool to see all of the guys dunk and do that. It was a high-scoring game, which was fun to be a part of too.”

Reiber scored eight of the Metro’s final 11 points.

“It was fun,” Reiber said. “It was hard, with the long drive and legs being in the car that long. But it was a great time getting to know all the guys.”

Mikey Lloyd of Jerome led the Region with 21 points.

Lapwai star Titus Yearout, who has signed with Idaho, scored six points for the Region.

Others from the boys game known to be playing basketball in college include Blake Hawthorne of Bishop Kelly (University of Chicago).

Metro 25 31 28 28 — 112

Region 32 29 27 16 — 104

METRO — Johnny Sugarman (Ambrose) 8, Jacob Martinez (Vallivue) 5, Tyler Shipp (Centennial) 15, Bayler Perrin (Mountain View) 10, Tyler Medaris (Middleton) 13, DJ Green (McCall-Donnelly) 7, Hudson Hughes (Ambrose) 0, Blake Hawthorne (Bishop Kelly), did not play. Jack Payne (Owyhee) 14, Dallin Criddle (Liberty Charter) 9, Gavin Gordon (Kuna) 2, Joe Reiber (Melba) 29.

REGION — Logan Crane (Madison) 9, Tristan Gentry-Nelson (St. Maries) 8, Cooper Kesler (Hillcrest) 7, Brandon Bethel (Mountain Home) 4, Titus Yearout (Lapwai) 6, Jack Sciortino (Post Falls) 6, Kross Taylor (Lapwai) 12, Jorden Lenz (North Fremont) 6, Bryce Henry (Lakeland) 2, Sam Kunz (Rigby) 14, Landon Johnson (Ririe) 4, Breken Clark (Camas County) 0, Mikey Lloyd (Jerome) 21, Clay Silva (Lighthouse Christian) 7.