STATE 5A GIRLS BASKETBALL: Coeur d'Alene holds off Boise in final seconds of semifinal thriller

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

NAMPA – One possession.

One goal.

Survive and advance.

So trailing late in regulation, watching the ball roll to the other side of the court, Coeur d’Alene junior guard Teagan Colvin made something happen.

“We had a miscommunication between me and Maddie Mitchell,” Colvin said. “I know if they touch the ball, we could get possession back again. Luckily Maddie came back and we could go for it again.”

Coeur d’Alene regained possession, then eventually tied the game on a 3-pointer by Colvin with 23.8 seconds remaining. In the second overtime, Coeur d’Alene, the top seed, regained the lead with 1:45 remaining, then held off the fourth-seeded Boise Brave 51-50 in a state 5A semifinal game at the Ford Idaho Center on Friday afternoon.

“I was kind of hoping the Boise player was going to touch the ball,” Colvin said. “A lot of people don’t realize that if she touches it, you can get possession back. I was hoping that it wasn’t going to go out of bounds.”

Colvin, a junior, scored 28 points for Coeur d’Alene (23-2), which faces Rocky Mountain (18-8) of Meridian in tonight’s championship game at 7 p.m. PST at the Ford Idaho Center. Boise (22-3) faces Timberline (21-6) of Boise today at Ridgevue High in the third-place game.

“We were all screaming,” fourth-year Coeur d’Alene coach Nicole Symons said. “We were screaming and Boise was screaming. Teagan has played so much basketball that she knew what she was going to do. She was smart because she was faking at it. It’s kind of the story of our season. Things happen, and we try to make the best of it.”

Coeur d’Alene is in the title game for the first time since 2014, when the Vikings beat Rocky Mountain for the program’s ninth title.

“We’re just trying to find a way,” Colvin said. “We’ve got one more to go and we’re hyped to get to the championship game. We knew coming in that Boise was a really good team. We fought for it for sure.”

In the second overtime, Coeur d’Alene sophomore Kelsey Carroll, inserted into the game after senior forward Madi Symons fouled out with 1:59 remaining in the second overtime, scored on a layup with 22.3 seconds remaining to put the Vikings up by three. Boise junior Avery Howell scored as time expired to finish the scoring.

“I don’t think I’ve made a bigger shot in my life,” Carroll said. “Just being here has been big for me. The entire team has really encouraged each other and lifted our spirits. They’ve had lots of energy throughout the game.”

Howell, who has received a handful of Division I offers, had 25 points and 24 rebounds for Boise.

“She’s a great player and aggressive all the way around,” Boise coach Kim Brydges said. “She had the toughest guard of the game against Teagan. She had a great game and Kaity (Haan, a sophomore who finished with 21 points) had a great game. We just fell one possession short.”

Symons fouled out with 12 points and eight rebounds for Coeur d’Alene, which finished 22 of 54 shooting and 2 for 7 from the free-throw line.

“Kelsey stepped up for some big minutes tonight,” Madi Symons said. “Teagan hit some big-time shots and she’s such a gamer. Maddie and Kendall (Omlin) really stepped up, and so did Libby Awbery. We relied and trusted each other. I had no doubts, even sitting on the bench.”

As for Colvin’s play on the defensive end …

“That’s that basketball IQ she has,” Madi Symons said. “I knew she’d pull something out because she always does. I’ve got full trust in her.”

“It felt really amazing,” Carroll said. “I’m glad we’ve got to go through it as a team.”

The game featured 15 lead changes and seven ties. Neither team led by more than seven points.

“It would have been nice to have that game be for a different trophy,” said Brydges, in her 18th season. “I feel like we were really prepared for them and knew their offensive sets. They’ve got a nice two-man game with Teagan and Madi, and felt like we defended it as well as anyone that I’ve seen on film this year. I was proud of that, but it’s a different game to coach and play.”

Boise 8 8 15 10 2 7 – 50

Coeur d’Alene 7 13 12 9 2 8 – 51

BOISE – Clark 0, Munch 0, Kluksdal 0, Turcke 1, Patricco 3, Howell 25, Haan 21. Totals 19-50 12-18 50.

COEUR d’ALENE – Colvin 28, Mitchell 4, Awbery 0, Omlin 5, Symons 12, Holecek 0, Carroll 2. Totals 22-54 2-7 51.