STATE 6A BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP: Lake City caught in storm ... Top-seeded Owyhee goes on first-half run, rolls past Timberwolves for third title in four years

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

NAMPA – Basketball sometimes is a fickle thing.

One minute, you’ve got a lead and can’t miss.

The next, you’re searching for answers and wondering what went wrong.

Junior Josh Watson scored on a layup, then converted a free throw to give second-seeded Lake City a 12-11 lead with 4:31 remaining in the first quarter.

By the time the Timberwolves scored again, the Storm had landed at the Ford Idaho Center.

Top-ranked Owyhee, which closed the first half on a 36-2 run, rolled past the Timberwolves 77-46 in the state 6A boys basketball championship game, the Storm’s third title in four years, since the school opened in Meridian in 2021.

Lake City hit its first five shots to trade baskets with Owyhee early on. Then, Lake City closed the half going 1 of 17 from the field.

“Momentum is a tricky thing,” second-year Lake City coach James Anderson said. “We just ran into the eye of the storm literally. They shot the ball well and got a lot of momentum and turned it on us. We rushed some shots and they got out in transition and we didn’t do a great job of controlling the tempo from there.”

“We’re a defense-first program, and always have been,” fourth-year Owyhee coach Andy Harrington said. “For us, we were jabbing with them a little bit, but we really trust our depth and our guys rotating in. I think they wore out a little bit and we kept jabbing and then we broke them a little earlier than I thought we might.”

“We took their best punch, and it was hard to recover from,” Anderson said. “I felt like we still had a chance in the first half for a little bit there. Timberline was down 17 and got it to five (in the semifinals), and there’s lots of possessions and chances to score. We put up a lot of points in the first two games and were able to weather the storm, and today we weren’t able to do that.”

Lake City finished 21-5 after winning the consolation championship in 2024. Owyhee, which beat Lake City 76-56 in Meridian in December, finished 23-4.

“It’s hard to look forward now,” Anderson said. “This is a special team, and their value to me has nothing to do with what they can do on a basketball court. They’re such special kids. I’m going to miss our seniors and we’ve got some experienced kids coming back. Basketball takes a little bit of luck, and we ran out of luck tonight. Definitely, we won’t stop working and this has really been a two-year project.”

Lake City handled Thunder Ridge of Idaho Falls on Thursday, then beat Boise in the semifinals to advance to the championship game.

“We’re going to cherish every moment from the last three days,” senior guard Cason Miller said. “Staying in the hotel, going to get lunch with the boys. All of it. I’ll remember this all of my life and I’m grateful for every moment of it. Not a lot of people looked our way after those guys left in 2023 (from an undefeated state championship team), and I’m so proud of this group. We’ve gone to battle every day and everyone played a part in this.”

Watson had 10 points and four rebounds for Lake City, which finished 19 of 45 from the field.

“I feel like Lake City has a program that’s only going to get better from this,” Watson said. “We’re going to remember this and want to come back for more. We wanted to come out and play as hard as we could for the seniors.”

Owyhee’s Boden Howell scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4 of 7 from the 3-point line.

“He’s a tough one because he can shoot over the top of most of the players in Idaho,” Anderson said of Howell, who has signed with Rice. “When he’s shooting well, it’s difficult to slow him down. And he shot really, really well tonight. Sometimes, you’re hoping you get Owyhee’s average shooting night and that’s what we needed to compete and stay in the game. And he was cooking, and they were cooking. They’re good players.”

“They’re a good team and they’re going to hit shots,” Miller said of Owyhee. “We’ve got a good team, and I know we’ll be back.”

Owyhee shot 31 of 55, including 13 of 30 from the 3-point line.

“Nothing but respect for Lake City, I knew they would play with us,” Harrington said. “The last few days, playing teams from our own league, they’re going to milk that clock. Going into this, I wanted Lake City because I knew they’d play up and down with us and we’re going to see who the best team was. I felt confident we’d find a rhythm, which we did.”

Lake City    12    2    12    20    –    46

Owyhee    24    23    16    14    –    77

LAKE CITY – Williams 0, Parker 8, Winey 0, Strawn 4, Miller 7, Everson 0, Watson 10, Kloos 2, Bowman 5, Hill 3, Anderson 0, Pearson 0, Plummer 3, Carlson 4. Totals 19-45 2-3 46.

OWYHEE – Downie 10, Jamerson 5, J. Rogers 10, Smith 0, Leaf 0, Best 0, Brown 0, Haustveit 11, Allen 8, K. Rogers 2, Allen 10, Howell 19, Knowles 0, Vinberg 0, Sasser-Gunson 2. Totals 31-55 2-5 77.

    JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Lake City junior Josh Watson (11) blocks a shot by Jayce Allen (22) of Owyhee in the state 6A boys championship game Saturday night at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.