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NAMPA — Preston’s return to the state tournament went exactly as planned after being one of the best teams in the state left out over the previous three years.
The No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Indians never trailed in a 64-47 victory over Hillcrest to win the 5A boys state championship Saturday night.
Preston (25-1) finished the season without losing to any 5A teams, its lone defeat a one-point overtime loss to 6A tournament qualifier Timberline. The title was the 11th for the boys team in school history.
The Indians missed the previous three state tournaments, unable to get out of a tough South East Idaho Conference, which only receives one bid. Last season, Preston went 2-2 against eventual state champion Pocatello. That disappointment served as motivation for the Indians.
“(Missing out on state) fed them,” Preston coach Tyler Jones said. “It motivated them every day and they wanted to get here and taken advantage of it too.”
Reggie Larsen echoed those sentiments.
“That was probably all my motivation,” said Larsen, who finished with 15 points. “We beat Pocatello twice last year, but just not when it really mattered.”
Hillcrest (20-6), which won back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023, wouldn’t have minded seeing Pocatello instead given the way Preston dominated the Knights.
Entering the tourney as the third seed, Hillcrest struggled to stem Preston’s relentless defensive effort, hounding and harassing the Knights’ guards.
“That’s probably one of the best defensive teams we played this year,” said Titan Larsen, who led Hillcrest with 18 points. “They were flying around. Great rebounders. Great defenders. It was a tough game.”
Preston raced out to an early 14-5, leaning on the combination of Cruz Harris’ physical play in the paint and Tripton Beckstead’s long-range touch.
The Indians led by as many as 11 in the first quarter before Gage Blakeslee hit the final shot of the quarter to get Hillcrest to within 21-12.
Bridger Taylor made a short jumper for Hillcrest to open the second quarter, cutting the Preston lead to 21-14. But Preston responded with a 13-4 run, eventually taking a 34-22 lead into halftime.
Hillcrest tried to claw its way back late in the third quarter with a 6-0 run to finish the frame, but Preston took control in the fourth and put the game away, closing on a 12-4 run.
It was a typical game for Preston, a team which won its regular-season games this season by an average margin of 20.5 points. The Indians led the state in scoring offense with 64.7 points per game and scoring defense with 43.8 points per game—and it nearly hit both those marks against Hillcrest.
Cruz led the Indians with a game-high 19 points, while Kasen Bryce added 12 points.
Titan Larsen led Hillcrest with 18 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Blakeslee contributed 11 points.
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