State high school basketball tournaments: Lakeside looks for third-straight title game appearance

By JASON ELLIOTT 

Sports writer 

2A 

With championships in 2020 (1A Division II) and 2023 (1A Division I), coach James Twoteeth has found ways to find success in the state tournament with a talented roster. 

This year’s group is no exception. 

Lakeside, led by three-year starter Tyson Charley, a junior who averages 23.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game, enters state as the fourth seed and opens tonight at 6 PST against Riverstone (20-2), the District 3 (Boise-area) champion at Vallivue High in Caldwell. 

Lapwai, which beat Lakeside 67-54 in last year’s 1A Division I title game, failed to qualify for state. Kamiah (21-2), which beat Lakeside 66-55 in December, is the top seed. 

“If we just play our game, we’ll win,” Charley said. “If you look at Kamiah, they’re losing games now. This tournament could be anyone’s at this point.”

Lakeside, with a win on Thursday, could face Kamiah in a semifinal game on Friday. 

“We could get lucky and get a couple of wins,” said Twoteeth, who played on the program’s first champion in 1997, and coached the next two. “Don’t be surprised to see us in the final. We could totally do that if we focus and do what we need to do.” 

Lakeside averages 76.1 points per game and allows 58 per game. 

“Our defense has been lackluster all year,” Twoteeth said. “We need to focus and get better defensively. Our offense has been really good, but defensively, it has been iffy at times.” 

Junior Hallah Peone and senior Preston SpottedHorse also saw time for the Knights in the title game last year. 

Peone, in particular, helped pick up the scoring slack left by the loss of last year's seniors. Peone averages 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and four assists per game.

“We play fast and run the court really well,” Peone said. “If we can outrun them and get them tired early, the last quarter are ours.” 

SpottedHorse averages 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.  

“We’ve got some guys that have been there before,” Twoteeth said. “But if we get into foul trouble, these younger guys are going to have to be ready to step up. We lost one guy to grades, so someone will have to step up and fill that role.” 

Kamiah is seeking the program’s first title after finishing runner-up five times (2022, 2013, 2012, 2010 and 2006).  

“We’re going to take this week 100% and be ready to go,” Charley said. 

Kendrick, in its first season since moving up to the 2A classification, has won seven straight after starting the season 7-7. 

1A 

Coeur du Christ has won three of its last four, including a 54-42 win over Deary in a state play-in game last Saturday at Post Falls High to advance to state for the first in the program’s first year as a full member of the Idaho High School Activities Association. 

“Everything has kind of came together at the end of the season when you want it to,” Coeur du Christ coach Chris Kiefer said. “We’ve been saying all year that nobody loves conditioning more than us. And we do a lot of it in practice.” 

The Saints, the tournament’s eighth seed, open against top-seeded Dietrich, which is back at state for the first time since finishing runner-up in the 2021 1A Division II tournament. 

Coeur du Christ is averaging 61.9 points per game, while allowing 60.9.  

“Our defense is really coming together,” said Kiefer, whose team held Deary to 12 points in the first half of the play-in game. “It’s the best help defense we’ve played all season. Hopefully we can keep that going next week.” 

Senior guard Ben Connelly is averaging 31.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. 

Dietrich is senior-heavy, led by Connor Perkins, who is averaging 20.1 points per game. An all-state quarterback, Perkins will play football at NJCAA North Dakota State College of Science. 

Camas County, which beat Kendrick in the 1A Division II title game last year, failed to qualify. 

6A 

Top-seeded Owyhee of Meridian has brought home a trophy each year since the school opened in 2021, winning titles in 2022 and 2024. The Storm have been the top-ranked team in the state media poll, and are 16-0 against teams from Idaho ... Owyhee has four players signed to play at the next level, including Boden Howell (Rice), Jackson Rogers (College of Idaho), Jayce Allen (Vanguard) and Cameron Downie (Northwest) ... Thunder Ridge (13-11) is at state for the first time and will face second-seeded Lake City (19-4) today at 1 p.m. PST ... Madison, at state for the fifth straight year, finished third last year, and is led by Nash Humphreys, who signed with Boise State in November ... Borah (11-13) was picked to finish last in the 12-team 6A Southern Idaho Conference, but won three of four games at districts to advance. The Lions of Boise have won 13 titles, tied with Lapwai for the most in state history. 

5A 

Lewiston, at state for the first time since 2017, when it finished third in the state’s largest classification, moved down a classification due to new IHSAA classification numbers. The Bengals won eight straight to start the season and swept Sandpoint in the best-of-3 regional championship series to advance. Pocatello, last year’s champion, did not advance. Hillcrest (18-5) of Idaho Falls, which has appeared at state in each of the last five seasons, was runner-up after winning back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2022. Preston, at state for the first time since 2021, is the top seed at 22-1. 

4A 

Defending champion Bonners Ferry (21-1) is the tournament’s top seed and opens against Kimberly (12-14), a play-in winner last week ... The Badgers have won 38 of 39 games dating back to Dec. 28, 2023, with the lone loss coming at 6A Lake City on Feb. 10. Asher Williams, a 6-foot-6 guard and a Montana Tech commit, is a two-time All-Idaho Player of the Year and averages 28.7 points per game and scored a school record 50 points against Timberlake on Jan. 18 in the Backwoods Brawl spirit game in Spirit Lake ... Snake River, the tournament’s second seed, was the top seed in 2024 before losing in the semifinals to Teton. The Panthers' last title came in 2013. 

3A 

Defending champion Ambrose (15-8) of Meridian is the fourth seed to state and opens with fifth-seeded Soda Springs (14-10) at Capital High in Boise .... Orofino (9-13), which entered the District 1-2 tournament as the fourth seed, advanced to state by beating Kellogg in the district championship game ... The Maniacs lost eight straight in the middle of the season, but have since won five straight. ... St. Maries, which lost to Marsing in a state play-in, had made 10 straight trips to state.