Scores, updates: Idaho high school girls basketball state tournament 2024
BOISE - The clock still hasn’t struck midnight.
The Lakeland High School girls basketball team’s "Cinderella" run continued at the Class 4A state championships. It held on to upset fourth-seeded Bishop Kelly, 48-45, on Thursday in the opening round at Timberline High School.
The Hawks (14-9) will play top-seeded and undefeated Shelley (23-0) in the semifinals at noon Friday inside the Ford Idaho Center.
“Our girls are warriors. I’ve said that for about a month now,” Lakeland girls coach Tyrel Derrick said. “I say this to people: ‘I know the team I have. They’re going to compete for 32 minutes. I never doubt that.’”
But everyone else did
They weren’t even supposed to be here in the first place. Their 4A Inland Empire League rival Sandpoint, was. The Bulldogs were the defending state champions, the No. 2 team in the state and beat them three straight times, including in Game 1 of a best-of-three series for the district championship.
So the 48-39 overtime loss Feb. 7 put Lakeland on the brink of elimination. But it wasn’t about to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year - and 12th time in 14 seasons.
The Hawks surprised everybody, but themselves, with back-to-back wins over Sandpoint in as many days, to clinch the unlikeliest of spots at state.
“I think we kind of expected it,” said senior guard Lila Kiefer, who nearly recorded a double-double of nine points and eight rebounds. “We’ve been in high-pressure games. We’ve had to beat these teams over and over again.”
The Knights (18-5) were another one.
They were a mainstay in the state media poll all season and came in with the state’s best defense at 36.5 points per game. Bishop Kelly had also won 10 of its last 11 games.
Lakeland remained unintimidated, though.
Especially in a nerve-wracking fourth quarter.
Following eight ties and four lead changes alone through the first three quarters of play, the Hawks appeared like they became the team to finally separate themselves. Sophomore point guard Karstyn Kiefer jumpstarted a 10-0 run at the start of the fourth. She scored the first five points of it with a 3-pointer and a layin created by her own steal. Older cousin Lila Kiefer’s putback with 5:15 remaining, suddenly gave them a 44-34 advantage.
“It felt really good,” Lila Kiefer said. “Because some of our shots just weren’t falling. So to just have that shot sting just go in was really a momentum booster.”
However, that momentum quickly shifted back.
Lakeland didn’t register a field goal for the rest of the game and watched as Bishop Kelly went on a 9-1 over the next three minutes. The lead was all the way back to 45-43 when Addy Laible went to the free-throw line for a chance to tie it with 1:02 to go.
But she missed both free throws and Lila Kiefer was able to end the scoring drought with one of her own 12 seconds later. She then hit another one moments later to again seemingly put the Hawks in firm control up 47-43 with only 31 seconds to go.
Yet, that quickly changed when the Knights’ Mary Behrend dribbled right down the court for an easy layin before Lila Kiefer had the ball go right through her hands on the ensuing inbounds pass. The unfortunate sequence of events all gave Bishop Kelly the ball down two with 15 seconds remaining.
But ninth grader Macy Bretveld forced Laible’s layup attempt to go well off the mark and Lila Kiefer secured the rebound before being fouled with just three seconds remaining. She drained one free throw before Abby Swan’s midcourt heave at the buzzer hit the top of the backboard for another to get Lakeland to the semis for the first time since 2009.
“It shows how much grit we have and how we can come together as a team,” Karstyn Kiefer said.
Junior Landree Simon almost had a double-double herself with a game-high 15 points and nine boards for the Hawks, who will now have to come together for their toughest challenge. The Russets haven’t lost a game since falling in last year’s state championship game and boast arguably the state’s best player in BYU signee Brinley Cannon.
But don’t expect Lakeland to back down to Goliath now.
“We’re the underdogs. It’s us against the world and Shelley is obviously a great program and is a historic team,” Derrick said. “But these girls deserve every second of this for just buying into our culture.”
Behrend had 15 points for Bishop Kelly, which will play conference foe Columbia at 5 p.m. Friday in the consolation round.
SHELLEY 71, COLUMBIA 33
Brinley Cannon tallied a game-high 21 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting night as the Russets (23-0) eased into the semis.
Sarah Kidman also reached double digits for Shelley with 11 points in the win.
Addysyn Bayne had 10 points for the Wildcats (13-13) in the loss.
POCATELLO 49, JEROME 42
Abby Lusk and Kennasyn Garza netted 14 points apiece as the Thunder (18-5) overcame a four-point halftime deficit to advance into the semis Thursday.
Garza also had a double-double with 13 rebounds.
Emma Allen scored 11 points for the Tigers (19-6) in the loss.
SKYLINE 60, MINICO 53
Kysa and Shay Shippen combined for 49 points as the Grizzlies (18-7) won a first-round shootout Thursday.
Kysa, who is the older sister, scored a game-high 28 with the help of five 3-pointers. Younger sister Shay had 21 points to go along with 15 rebounds for a double-double.
Utah State signee CJ Latta notched a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans (16-7).
CLASS 5A
COEUR D’ALENE 50, ROCKY MOUNTAIN 40
Teagan Colvin logged a game-high 22 points with six rebounds and five assists as the Vikings (18-5) opened up their title defense with a win in the rematch of last year’s state championship game.
Maddie Mitchell and younger sister Brookslee Colvin added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Coeur d’Alene, which after trailing 10-9 at the end of the first quarter, outscored the Grizzlies 41-30 the rest of the way.
Cianna Legaspi had 19 points and seven rebounds for Rocky Mountain (17-7) in the loss.
BOISE 40, MADISON 31
Avery Howell posted a double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Brave (23-1) passed a tougher test than expected in round one.
Mia Walsh had 11 points for the Bobcats (18-9) in the loss.
LAKE CITY 76, MIDDLETON 57
Avery Waddington and Sophia Zufelt racked up 20 points apiece as the Timberwolves (24-2) cruised into the semis thanks to a big first-quarter where they outscored the Vikings 25-8.
Waddington also had a double-double with 12 rebounds.
Kaliah Frazey and Sadie Zimmerman reached double figures in scoring as well with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Zoey Blackwell had 15 points for Middleton (20-5) in the loss.
RIGBY 54, OWYHEE 33
Mylee Graham chalked up 16 points as the Trojans (23-2) punched their ticket into the final four Thursday.
Kambree Barber posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds for Rigby, which held the Storm to just 33.3% shooting on the night.
Adelynn Wright led Owyhee (16-9) in the loss with eight points.
