Photo courtesy of GameFrame Photography

Welcome to Baney's Basketball Breakdown, a weekly reset that allows all of us to catch our breath and reflect on the past week of high school competition.  There will be lots to digest below, so let's get to it!

OPENING TIP

It's an exciting time for girls basketball in Idaho.  The quality of play across all six classifications is at an all-time high, and there has been an influx of Division 1-caliber talent over the past several seasons.  But as I marveled at all of the individual talent across the Idaho landscape this past week, a stark reminder settled in: you can have a talented player, or even two, but without a complete team, it's almost impossible to achieve consistent greatness.  Having six, seven, or eight players that are all capable of stepping in and delivering in crucial moments is vital to a teams' championship aspirations.  You can sometimes get away with five or six dependable players, but it's extremely difficult.  Having seven or even eight players that are locked in can make all the difference.  I can't help but think about last year's 3A state champion, Parma.  The Panthers won their first state title in girls basketball largely on the strength of a talented starting five.  But key bench players Mollie Calkins and Daisy Hardcastle made game-winning baskets in the semifinal and championship, rounds, respectively.  Without those sixth and seventh players, the Panthers may not have broken through.  So as you are watching girls basketball down the stretch in Idaho, naturally you'll gravitate towards the playmakers, the star athletes, the ones who are dictating most of the action.  But I'd encourage you to keep a close eye on which teams have solid sixth, seventh, and eighth players.  Those are the teams that will most likely be playing on Day Three at state this year.

GAME OF THE WEEK

4A Snake River Valley rivals McCall-Donnelly (3-1 SRV, 7-5 overall) and Fruitland (4-0, 11-3) dueled on Thursday, January 8.  With 15 seconds remaining, McCall-Donnelly senior Tatum Topliff drilled a three to tie the game at 43-43.  Izzy Tinney then stole the inbounds pass and laid it in to push the Vandals ahead 45-43 with ten seconds to play.  Undeterred, Fruitland calmly inbounded to sophomore point guard Payson Bratcher, who dribbled up the floor, and into the left corner.  As time was expiring, Bratcher juked, stepped back, and sank a three to win the game for the Grizzlies, 46-45.  The best part about the finish?  It happened on IdahoSports.com.

UNDEFEATED WATCH

Each week in this space, we'll keep a running list of the teams that are still unbeaten in Idaho, with a look at the games that lie ahead on their schedule for the upcoming week:

6A: Rigby (16-0) - at Highland (Pocatello), vs. Canyon Ridge
4A: Sugar-Salem (14-0) - vs. Oakley, at Ririe
2A: Lapwai (10-0) - vs. Prairie, at Potlatch
1A: Salmon River (12-0) - at Tri-Valley, at Garden Valley, vs. Highland (Craigmont), at Nezperce

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

In this section, we'll keep track of how Idaho has performed against its competition from other states throughout the year.  As we head into Christmas Tournament time, there will be plenty of opportunities for Idaho to show its dominance over teams from across the nation.

Alabama (0-1)
Arizona (2-0)
California (7-4)
Colorado (6-2)
Montana (4-3)
Nebraska (1-0)
Oklahoma (1-0)
Oregon (17-11)
Tennessee (0-1)
Utah (14-12)
Washington (35-18)
Wyoming (7-4)

30-BURGER CLUB

Each week, we will highlight any player that breaks the 30-point mark in a single game (please send in 30-burger performers to brandon@idahosports.com).

Chloe Grieser, 12, Genesee (39 points vs. Troy on Saturday, January 10)
Adyson Chadez, 12, Marsing (38 points vs. Ambrose on Wednesday, January 7)
Brookeslee Colvin, 11, Coeur d'Alene (32 points vs. Post Falls on Tuesday, January 6)
Brookeslee Colvin, 11, Coeur d'Alene (32 points vs. Lake City on Friday, January 9)
Brynn Andersen, 12, Butte County (31 points vs. Mackay on Friday, January 2)
Tasha Larsen, 12, Sugar-Salem (30 points vs. Butte County on Tuesday, January 6)

TOURNEY TIME!

Now that regular season tournament time has concluded (for the most part), the Tourney Time section will morph into what I believe the upcoming state tournaments could look like.  Each week, I'll forecast which eight teams I believe will represent each classification at state.

CLASS 6A

Boise (9-5)
Borah (13-3)
Coeur d'Alene (12-2)
Eagle (12-1)
Madison (10-4)
Middleton (12-3)
Rigby (16-0)
Timberline (13-2)

CLASS 5A

Bishop Kelly (6-7)
Blackfoot (10-4)
Jerome (9-6)
Lakeland (12-2)
Mountain Home (10-3)
Pocatello (9-5)
Sandpoint (13-2)
Skyview (6-5)

CLASS 4A

Bear Lake (10-4)
Filer (11-2)
Fruitland (11-3)
Kimberly (5-10)
Marsh Valley (13-2)
McCall-Donnelly (7-5)
Sugar-Salem (14-0)
Timberlake (6-5)

CLASS 3A

Ambrose (12-4)
Firth (12-3)
Grangeville (9-4)
Kellogg (7-4)
Malad (14-2)
New Plymouth (8-6)
Ririe (9-5)
Soda Springs (6-10)

CLASS 2A

Butte County (10-4)
Lakeside (7-9)
Lapwai (10-0)
Liberty Charter (8-5)
Oakley (10-1)
Rimrock (6-7)
Vision Charter (9-4)
Prairie (9-4)

CLASS 1A

Carey (8-3)
Deary (9-1)
Dietrich (6-7)
Garden Valley (10-5)
Kootenai (2-3)
Leadore (7-3)
Mackay (11-1)
Salmon River (12-0)