2010 IDAHOSPORTS.COM BOYS STATE BASKETBALL AWARDS
By Gary Jones and Glenn Jones
Before I list the awards, let me explain something that came up in the comments last year. Glenn and I sit at the Idaho Center for the entire state tourney. On Thursday and Friday, we watch the 5A teams, and then on Super Saturday we watch the six state title games. These awards are only based on the teams we see at the Idaho Center. There may be an awesome pep club, for instance, that did a great job but never made it to the Idaho Center. Since we never saw them, they could not be listed on this awards page. Some people don’t like the fact some teams or players are excluded, but our purpose for doing these awards is to give some teams and players some recognition and we can only recognize the teams and players we see. So, with that said, here goes……
5A State Champs Coeur d’ Alene Vikings (22-4) 51-45:
The Lady Vikings had plenty of experience entering the game by making their 5th straight appearance in the championship game, and this win gave them a third straight title. Coach Dale Poffenroth won his third state championship title and is 47-4 in the last two years. The Lady Vikes now stand alone on the top of the mountain for teams with the most state titles in girl’s basketball by winning their 8th. They were tied with Prairie and Grangeville with 7. The Lady Vikings now have titles in 1984, 1991, 1992, 1994 (Dave Fealko), 2000 (Bill Pratt), and 2008, 2009, and 2010 (Poffenroth).
Runner-up Lewiston Bengals
3rd Place Highland Rams 60-51
Consolation Boise Braves 45-37
Sportsmanship Lewiston Bengals
Academic Highland Rams 3.767 GPA
4A State Champs Middleton Vikings (25-1) 44-42
This title game featured the same two teams as last year when the Bees won 43-36. The Lady Vikings got their revenge this year in a game that was close and exciting. With Middleton shooting a free throw with just over 6 seconds left, I made the comment that the Bees didn’t have enough time to get a good shot off if the free throw was missed. I was wrong. The Bees put up a good look at a three pointer that would have won the game at the buzzer, and the entire Idaho Center was on the edge of their seats as the ball hung in the air. When it went off the rim, the Middleton girls erupted into the most emotional, animated celebration we saw that day. It was fun to watch. Coach Andy Jones won his third title, with the first coming when he was in Caldwell in 2001. The Lady Vikes won their second title with their first coming in 2008 under Jones.
Runner-up Bonneville Bees
3rd Place Jerome Tigers 53-35
Consolation Bishop Kelly Knights 50-44
Sportsmanship Twin Falls bruins
Academic Century Diamondbacks 3.808 GPA
3A State Champs Priest River Spartans (19-6) 45-33:
The Spartans finally got to celebrate a girl’s state title in their school’s history. Gary Stewart won his first title in his fourth year coaching the Lady Spartans. This title game featured two teams that knew each other well. They split during the regular season, but I don’t recall what happened in District. It was very close for most of the game. They were tied at half at 20, and the Kellogg Wildcats lead by 3 at the end of the third period. The Spartans went on a run and outscored the Wildcats 18-3 in the fourth and final period to secure the win. Priest River was the only team in a state title game that started 5 seniors. Perhaps that made the difference in the fourth quarter, as there is no substitute for experience.
Runner-up Kellogg Wildcats
3rd Place Weiser Wolverines 39-35
Consolation Sugar Salem Diggers 64-32
Sportsmanship Shelley Russets
Academic Kimberly Bulldogs 3.880 GPA
2A State Champs West Jefferson Panthers (18-8) 65-46
The Lady Panthers were a very young team with no starting seniors, and they won back to back titles for the first time in their history. Coach Jessica Shanafeldt won her second title. The Lady Panthers now have three titles in their history with their first coming in 1999 under Larry Niederer. The Panthers took charge early and never looked back. They scored 17 in the first and 21 in the second to lead by 20 at the half. The Cardinals never quit, but they could not muster a come back against this talented team. Look out for the Panthers to win a fourth title in 2011. As a side note, the Panthers won the title last year with an identical 18-8 record.
Runner-up Soda Springs Cardinals
3rd Place New Plymouth Pilgrims 58-51
Consolation Parma Panthers 55-44
Sportsmanship West Jefferson Panthers
Academic New Plymouth Pilgrims 3.762 GPA
1A Div 1 State Champs Clearwater Valley Rams (21-5) 51-40 (OT)
These teams also knew each other well, with the Lapwai Wildcats beating the Rams the previous three times. The old saying is that it is hard to beat a good team three times. It’s even harder to beat them four times, which the Wildcats unfortunately found out. This was a very entertaining game that went into overtime. The Lady Rams won their first title since 1995, when Coach Dave Snodgrass was at the helm and they were a 2A school. They have a total of two now. Krisi Pratt won her first title in her lucky 13th year coaching the Rams.
Runner-up Lapwai Wildcats
3rd Place Raft River Trojans 57-48
Consolation Challis Vikings 45-30
Sportsmanship Raft River Trojans
Academic Raft River Trojans 3.848 GPA
1A Div 2 State Champs Richfield Tigers (21-4) 41-35
The Lady Tigers repeated as state champs, and their two year record is a sterling 46-5. The name Kent is now synonymous with winning titles as Teenie, Sasha, and their Coach Steve, all participated in the title run. Their older sister, Michelle, was on the team last year and is playing college basketball in Oklahoma. This is the Tiger’s fourth title and Coach Kent’s third. They won their first in 1979 under James Thomas. They return four starters, so watch out for them next year.
Runner-up Carey Panthers
3rd Place Dietrich Blue Devils 56-49
Consolation Summit Academy Patriots 39-29
Sportsmanship Summit Academy Patriots
Academic North Gem Cowboys 3.828 GPA
The Idahosports.com Players of the State Championship Games:
5A: Carli Rosenthal, Junior; Coeur d’ Alene Vikings: The Vikings trailed Lewiston by 7 at the half, 22-15, and it was Rosenthal who kept them that close by scoring 10 of her team’s 15 first half points. Their offense came alive in the second half and they won by 6. Rosenthal was strong in the paint for the Vikings scoring 22 points on 9 of 14 from the field. She added 4 free throws, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocked shots, and a steal. And the bad news for all the 5A teams, Carli will be back next year for her senior season. If they win the title game next year, Rosenthal will have played and won the title game every season in high school. That would be a record that cannot be broken.
4A: Ariah Gonzales, Senior; Middleton Vikings: This was a very exciting title game that came down to a buzzer beating three pointer for Bonneville that nearly went in for the victory. When it didn’t, the Middleton Vikings showed more emotion and joy than any other team that won the title that day. Ariah Gonzales was our MVP, barely nodding out her teammate Lacey Young who had 14 pts. Ariah hit the game winning shot that put Middleton up by 2. She had 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting. She also had 3 free throws made, 8 rebounds, and an assist. For all the seniors that lost the title game last year to the Bees, this was a fitting way to end their careers.
3A: Melissa Hopkins, Junior; Priest River Spartans: It was a tough choice between Hopkins and her teammate, Taylor Stewart who had 16 points, but we went with Melissa. She and Stewart turned in a stellar fourth quarter to help their school win their first state championship ever. Hopkins scored 9 pts in the final frame and hit 3 out of 4 free throws to seal the deal. She ended the game with 17 pts, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 blocked shot, 1 steal, and she was 7/9 from the all important free throw line. And the good news for Spartan fans is that she will be back next year for her senior season.
2A: Tiffany McDonald, Junior; West Jefferson Panthers: Tiffany repeats as our MVP of the title game. This was the only title game out of the six played that day that was not a close game. The one, two punch of McDonald and Cassidy Skidmore was too much for the Soda Springs Cardinals. Both McDonald and Skidmore had 19 points for the Panthers. Tiffany added a perfect 9/9 from the foul line, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals to her performance. And here’s a shout out to all the 2A teams in Idaho- every single starter is back for the Panthers next year. Can you say three-peat??
1A Div 1: Ada Fryer, Senior; Clearwater Valley Rams
Natahnee Spencer, Lapwai Wildcats
This title game was the upset special of the Girl’s tournament and it took an overtime period to produce the winner. Lapwai beat Clearwater Valley twice during the regular season, and then by 18 points in District, but the Lady Rams turned the tables in the title game. While the winning team generally produces our MVP, what Spencer did for the Wilcats could not be overlooked. Fryer scored 15 points, eleven coming from the foul line where she was 11/18. She also had 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 blocked shot, and 1 assist to lead her team to the state title. She would have set a new state tournament record for free throws attempted if it were not for Spencer, who attempted 20. Natahnee made 14 of her free throws and was the catalyst for her Lady Wildcats. She was everywhere the ball was. She scored 29 points, had 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot, and 3 steals. And the most incredible stat for this young lady…she is only a freshmen!!
1A Div 2: Teenie Kent, Senior; Richfield Tigers: Teenie also repeats as our title game MVP, and I have learned this about Miss Kent- she can shoot the rock from anywhere in the gym. She can nail three pointers well behind the arc, and isn’t afraid to shoot them that far out. She helped her team win back to back titles by scoring 21 points. In last year’s title game, she had 23. She made 7/9 free throws, had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and committed only 1 turnover. I only have one question about this fine basketball player….where is she playing next year??
The Idahosports.com All State Tournament Team (5A Only)
One requirement we have- we will pick at least one player from each of the 8 teams at state for this all state team.
First Team
Kendalyn Brainard, Freshman; Coeur d’ Alene Vikings
Chelsea Luke, Senior; Meridian Warriors
Taylor Hagood, Senior; Centennial Patriots
Jordin Juker, Senior; Boise Braves
Savannah Blinn, Junior; Lewiston Bengals
Second team
Betty Van Lith, Junior; Eagle Mustangs
Amanda Buttrey, Senior; Coeur d’ Alene Vikings
Dylan Gonzales, Freshman; Highland Rams
Stevie Humphries, Senior; Mountain View Mavericks
Jessica Kramer, Senior; Lewiston Bengals
Honorable Mention
Dakota Gonzales, Freshman; Highland Rams
Karlee Wilson, Freshman; Lewiston Bengals
Aleah Lowber, Junior; Boise Braves
Sofia Huerta, Junior; Centennial Patriots
Taylor Wilkinson, Senior; Highland Rams
MVP
Carli Rosenthal, Junior; Coeur d’ Alene Vikings: The junior center for the Lady Vikes kept getting better in each game of the state tournament. She scored 8 points in the first game, 18 in the second, and 22 in the title game. She had 5 rebounds in the first, 10 in the second, and 11 in the title game. After getting no blocks in the first game, she rejected 3 in the second, and 4 in the championship game. In the Championship game, she kept her team in the game in the first half where they trailed by 7. They had 15 points at the half, and Carli had 10 of them. She finished with 22 to help her team gain the lead halfway through the 4th period where they hung on to win by 6. She is very adept at going either way under the basket, and she uses the glass as well as any player I have seen. John Wooden, who always stressed using the glass, would have loved watching her play. And she’ll be back for her senior year. Congrads on a great tourney from idahosports.com!
The Idahosports.com All State Championship Game Team (4A thru 1A Div 2)
We like doing another all star team from the other 5 state championship games we see on Super Saturday. Once again, we wanted one representative from each team in the title game. We only see these teams on Saturday in the title game, so that’s what we are judging it on. We are also excluding our MVP’s for each game from this all star team, much like league leaves it’s MVP off the first team. Since they were awarded our Most Valuable Player, we felt like we needed to recognize as many players as possible since these good teams are loaded with talent.
First Team
Cassidy Skidmore, Sophomore; West Jefferson Panthers
Jessica Parke, Senior; Carey Panthers
Lacey Young, Senior; Middleton Vikings
Ada Fryer, Senior; Clearwater Valley Rams
Taylor Stewart, Senior; Priest River Spartans
Second Team
Maillie Garner, Senior; Bonneville Bees
Shelby Johnson, Senior; Soda Springs Cardinals
Chelsea Morgan, Senior; Kellogg Wildcats
Sierra Higheagle, Sophomore; Lapwai Wildcats
Breanna Brockman, Junior; Richfield Tigers
The Idahosports.com “Coolest Names” of the Tournament
You can find out how many people in the U.S. have your name by clicking here. There are lots of people named Gary Jones, but these cool names in the tourney are unique and that’s what we like about them. We have come up with a new category besides “Coolest Names”. We have now added “Awesome Alliterations”
“Coolest”
First Team
Tacey Day, Junior; Kellogg Wildcats
Daliss Pickup, Sophomore; Declo Hornets
Salena Five Thunders, Junior; Lapwai Wildcats
Tanis Fuller, Junior; Lewiston Bengals
Sherise Porchia, Freshman; Centennial Patriots
Dimi Kailang, Freshman; Clark Fork Wampus Cats
Second Team
Dezerae Maxey, Sophomore; Moscow Bears
Jezzura Durfee, Junior; Declo Hornets
Echo Hansen, Sophomore; Raft River Trojans
Lucy Suppah, Junior; Highland Rams
Meshel Rad, Sophomore; Grangeville Bulldogs
Sierra Higheagle, Sophomore; Lapwai Wildcats
Honorable Mention
Steffie Pavey, Freshman; Priest River Spartans
McKall Miller, Sophomore; Sugar Salem Diggers
McCall Hobbs, Senior; Shelley Russets
Denali Mannning, Junior; Raft River Trojans
Wynter Holtman, Senior, Raft River Trojans
Jenna Wiskus, Junior; Mtn View Mavericks (our favorite last name to say on the air!)
“Awesome Alliterations”
First Team
Josie Jordan, Sophomore; Twin Falls Bruins
Bailey Balls, Junior; Preston Indians
Katie Kelley; Senior; Shelley Russets
Holly Hirst, Junior; Priest River Spartans
Joann Johnson, Sophomore, Clark Fork Wampus Cats
Makenzie MeKeeth, Junior; Middleton Vikings
Second Team
Hailey Hathaway, Junior; Shelley Russetts
Tristan Troudt, Senior; Priest River Spartans
Kaitlin Keller, Junior; Kimberly Bulldogs
Laci Lavaka, Junior; Malad Dragons
Hailey Higley, Senior; Raft River Trojans
Shantae Skinner, Junior; Soda Springs Cardinals
Honorable Mention
Brinlee Breshears, Junior; Declo Hornets
Marlae Moss, Sophomore; Challis Vikings
Breanna Brockman, Junior; Richfield Tigers
Corrine Coleman, Senior; Centennial Patriots
Hanna Hillier, Sophomore; Jerome Tigers
Dayna Drager, Senior; Coeur d’ Alene
Idahosports.com Pep Club of the State Tournament:
The Middleton Vikings are this year’s winning pep club. They completely filled up the stands where the students sit, had school colors on, and they were extremely loud. They also do a cheer where there is a lot of synchronized motion and arm waving, which looks really cool. Pep clubs do fire teams up and help them play well and win, and they could have been the extra push the Lady Vikes needed to win a tough and tight state title game.
Nice job Middleton students!!
The Idahosports.com Mascots of the Tournament
We saw only three mascots dressed up at the Idaho Center. The Boise Braves had two mascots dressed, the Richfield team had their tiger, and the Bonneville Bees had the killer bee. Laura Becali was not only manning the costume of the Tiger, but she was helping their lone cheerleader lead the cheering section on time-outs. Talk about doing double duty! She is sharing this year’s mascot award with Austin Dopp of Bonneville. He was extremely visible even before the game started. He was walking around the upper level of the Idaho Center before the game, shaking hands and making sure he went up to the young kids to make their day. When the game began, he was still visible helping out the cheerleaders and the pep club. It doesn’t hurt that his costume is just awesome with very bright colors. Congrads to Laura and Austin as our co-mascots of the tourney.
States That Shouted Us Out
As many of our viewers know by now, we read “shout out” emails on the air. We get hundreds of emails before it is all said and done, and I thought you might like to see a list of the states and countries we heard from during the girl’s state tournaments. Keep those shout outs coming!
North Carolina/Utah/New York/Colorado/Montana/Idaho/Washington/ California/ Maine/Tennessee/Wyoming/Nevada/Alaska/Oklahoma/Texas/Oregon/Arizona/England.
We had over 3600 watching the 3A state title games, which doesn’t count the people who don’t have computers and were getting a TV feed of our webcast. We also had almost 5,000 viewers for the 5A title game. A big thank you goes out to all who watched!!