STATE 2A BOYS BASKETBALL: St. Maries falls in semis after nearly completing miracle comeback

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

BOISE — The St. Maries Lumberjacks took a first-half punch from the Melba Mustangs that would have knocked most teams out cold.

But the Lumberjacks aren’t most teams.

St. Maries gave up a 28-0 run and fell behind by 24 points in the first half of their state 2A semifinal Friday night at Capital High — also a rematch of last year’s state championship game.

But the Lumberjacks picked up the pressure, slowly chipped away and even took the lead early in the fourth quarter before the defending champion Mustangs answered with a 7-0 run and held off St. Maries 62-58.

“The first quarter was awful; we turned the ball over too much, but these guys just battle,” said St. Maries senior guard Greyson Sands, who finished with 21 points. “That’s who we are. We just battle through adversity. We can be disappointed about the loss, but we fought hard.”

Ninth-year St. Maries coach Bryan Chase simply sighed afterward.

“So many emotions,” he said. “First of all, I’m so proud of the kids. After being 24 down, 99 percent of the teams would have rolled over, and it just says a lot about our kids, their determination and their heart.”

St. Maries (18-6), which has reached the state 2A semifinals nine straight years, was looking for its fourth trip to the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa (site of the title game) in the last five seasons. Instead, the fourth-seeded Lumberjacks will play new Central Idaho League foe Kellogg (19-8) in the third-place game today at 11 a.m. PST at Capital.

Top-seeded Melba (25-0), heaving a different kind of sigh — of relief — after its 40th straight victory, plays Bear Lake (24-2) in the title game today at 12:40 p.m. PST at the Ford Idaho Center. Bear Lake edged Kellogg 53-48.

St. Maries scored the game’s first four points before Melba, using a full-court man-to-man press, forced most of the Lumberjacks’ nine first-half turnovers in the first quarter, and led 28-4 early in the second quarter.

Chase burned three timeouts settling down his team, and the Lumberjacks went to its own full-court press to start the second quarter, and closed to within 36-23 at halftime.

St. Maries kept chipping away in the second half, and took the lead at 45-44 on a driving layin by Sands early in the fourth quarter.

The Lumberjacks had all the momentum.

But Melba answered. An unexpected 3-pointer by Gabe Shaffer — his only points of the game — started the Mustangs on a 7-0 run.

Dillon Holder hit a 3 for the Lumberjacks, and Sands scored to pull St. Maries within 57-55 with just under 2 minutes left.

Melba airballed a 3 — but Cache Beus was there for the putback, was fouled and sank the free throw.

A driving layup try by Sands rolled off the rim, and Cutter Beus answered with a fast-break basket to clinch it for Melba.

“The momentum swings just like that,” Sands said. “It was a killer.”

Tristan Hill, one of six seniors, totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds for St. Maries. Trace Wicks, another senior, added nine points and Holder, also a senior, hit two 3s and finished with eight points.

Cache Beus, a 6-4 junior who had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Melba in last year’s title game, had 15 points and 16 rebounds on Friday night. Cutter Beus, a 6-8 junior, added 15 points. Tucker Lowber, a 6-1 junior, scored 14 points and senior Braden Volkers, who hit two 3s and scored 14 points in last year’s game, added eight points.

“I just can’t say enough about our kids’ determination, and how hard they get after it,” Chase said. “Now, we’ve got to go play a league rival for a trophy.”

St. Maries 4 19 20 15 — 58

Melba 18 18 8 18 — 62

ST. MARIES — W. Holmes 4, Sands 21, Badgett 0, Holder 8, Renner 2, Wicks 9, Swallows 0, Hill 14. Totals 23-57 7-14 58.

MELBA — Cu. Beus 15, Ca. Beus 15, Shaffer 3, West 3, Spence 0, Dayley 5, Lowber 14, B. Volkers 8. Totals 26-51 5-11 62.