BYU signee Brinley Cannon leads Shelley over Skyline in Idaho 4A girls basketball state championship
NAMPA, IDAHO - The Shelley girls basketball team finished off its dream season in style at the Ford Idaho Center.
BYU signee Brinley Cannon recorded a double-double as the top-seeded Russets secured the program’s first title since 2008 with a 59-49 victory over No. 4 Skyline in Saturday evening’s Idaho Class 4A state championship game.
Shelley (25-0) — the lone undefeated boys or girls basketball team in Idaho — was the state runner-up a season ago.
“It feels surreal,” said Cannon, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward who tallied 23 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. “I’m just super grateful for my teammates, my coaches and my community for giving me this opportunity. It took a village, and I’m grateful to be a part of something special.”
The Russets won just four games during Cannon’s freshman year and finished 12-10 overall the following season. A close loss to Sandpoint in last year’s final provided ample motivation during the offseason.
“I was just thinking about where we were freshman year and just the growth that we made,” Cannon said. “I’m just so grateful for everyone that has helped me and pushed me, and for everyone for putting in that work and dedication and wanting to build up this program.”
Mia Williams and Kaci Lang added 14 points apiece for the Russets, who also defeated Skyline (19-8) twice in High Country Conference play.
Junior Shay Shippen led the Grizzlies with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Kysa Shippen chipped in with 15 points.
(All photos by Loren Orr)
Kysa, a senior, staked Skyline to an early 8-2 advantage by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers. Cannon netted nine points in the opening quarter, including a late putback for a 19-18 Russets lead.
“I think we were just super excited, super amped up, and it took us some time to settle in,” Cannon said. “We’ve been good at riding the wave through adversity … and that just showed out tonight.”
The Shippens (Kysa 15, Shay eight) had all of Skyline’s first-half points as Shelley led 28-23 at the break. Mady Boyce became the first non-Shippen to score for the Grizzlies by converting a pair of free throws with 3:19 remaining in the third.
Shelley seized control with a quick 8-0 run, going up 41-31 on a Cannon runner. The Russets led 44-35 after three quarters and maintained a multi-possession advantage for the entirety of the fourth to claim the program’s seventh state title.
“I feel like we enjoyed every moment,” Cannon said. “We weren’t trying to focus on winning and losing, we were just playing together and enjoying every game and every moment, and fighting. We’re just blessed and lucky that it ended up how it did.”
