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The Minico Spartans survived a stern challenge from the upstart Caldwell Cougars in double-overtime and Bishop Kelly held on late to defeat Rigby in a wildly-entertaining evening session of the 4A state tournament at Borah High School.
Those two will meet in one semifinal – just as the two schools’ girls teams did two weeks ago, a game won by the Knights – while Preston and Burley will meet in the classification’s other semifinal.
The Minico-Caldwell nightcap played like a heavyweight fight, with each team answering the other’s challenges all night long until Minico wrested control late in the second overtime of its 77-65 win. There were 11 lead changes and ten ties in regulation and then more through the extra time before the Spartans outscored Caldwell, 15-3, in the second extra session, most coming in the final 90 seconds.
Matthew Brumley had a huge game for Minico, scoring 30 points and pulling down 14 rebounds, with Peyton Bailey adding 23. Forrest Smith scored 20 for the upset-minded Cougars. Sam Bresenio added 15, including some big shots late in regulation and the first overtime.
Bishop Kelly and Rigby played a tight game all night, with junior Jacob Russell scoring five straight points for the Knights in the fourth quarter to take the lead. But it was his defense, deflecting a potential game-winning three-point shot by Rigby with just a few ticks left on the clock, that secured the win over the defending state champions.
Bishop Kelly’s Max Rice and Rigby’s Braden Boyce tied for game-high scoring honors with 14 points apiece.
In the early semifinals, top-ranked Preston shot out to a big early led before holding off the Middleton Vikings in the second half as a potential game-tying three pointer fell short at the buzzer in the Indians’ 51-48 win.
Preston took advantage of some early Viking jitters to take a quick, 11-point lead but could never fully shake Middleton.
Austin Smellie had 12 points for Preston with Brayden Parker adding 11. Kobe Crawford led Middleton with 12 points and Tyler Wilson had ten.
Burley had to battle its way past the upset-minded Lakeland Hawks in the other 4A semifinal, getting 21 points from Ryan Bagley in a game it never really put away until the closing minutes. Lakeland, a team that replaced all five starters coming into the season, got 15 points from Kaden Davis.
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