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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
In last week's edition of the Basketball Breakdown, I started trying to predict which teams I think will ultimately qualify for state at each classification level (I've definitely had to adjust some of my thoughts already, but I'd say I'm about 70 percent of the way there). It's started to spark a lot of chatter statewide about the MaxPreps rankings, and which teams look solid according to that metric, and which teams still have work to do. But I don't think that's necessary quite yet. While it's true that MaxPreps will be used to seed the teams at state, how those eight teams qualify is still largely determined based upon district representation. So the important factor to consider is not the MaxPreps rankings for each level, but rather, how many bids each district has been allocated. It's going to lead to some wonky results, for sure. Some districts probably don't deserve to have any teams qualify for state, and some districts deserve two or even three, but will have to be satisfied with just one. It's why so many fans, coaches, and administrators have been clamoring for an expanded state tournament. I really like the idea of expanding the tournament to 12 teams. We already hold one or two state play-in games for each classification level, so all you'd be doing is expanding the number of state play-in games. You could even stack more games at one location, providing an all-day event that would be fun for the fans in attendance. I like the idea of every district champion automatically qualifying for state. A district title needs to count for something, and in some of Idaho's smaller districts, it's not their fault that our state is oddly shaped. The remaining slots should be determined by a series of play-in games.
But what do you think about an expanded state tournament? Send me your thoughts at brandon@idahosports.com.
GAME OF THE WEEK
On Saturday, January 10, Class 1A Castleford (3-8) hosted Class 2A Riverstone (2-7) in a non-conference affair. Tied at 48-48, Castleford held possession with just 43 seconds to play. A promising look inside was blocked by Riverstone's Oscar Jons, and the Otters took control with 20 seconds remaining. But Riverstone turned the ball over with just 8.5 seconds to go, as Castleford's Riggin Keetch poked the ball away from Riverstone's Ian Morris. In an effort to regain possession, Morris lost the ball out of bounds. On Castleford's possession, Keetch drove to the right wing, drawing a double-team. While jumping in the air, Keetch dished the ball off to a wide-open Shae Parish, and the sophomore calmly sank a three as time expired to propel the Wolves to the 51-48 win.
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:
4A: Sugar-Salem (13-0) - vs. Snake River, vs. Filer
3A: Orofino (9-0) - at Lewiston, at Kellogg
2A: Rimrock (7-0) - vs. Gem State, at Riverstone, vs. Cascade
2A: Lakeside (8-0) - at Bonners Ferry, at Genesis Prep, at Lake Roosevelt (WA)
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.
Alaska (1-2)
Arizona (1-1)
California (6-9)
Colorado (4-1)
Georgia (0-1)
Hawaii (2-1)
Montana (5-3)
Nevada (18-3)
Oregon (22-1)
Texas (1-0)
Utah (7-12)
Washington (31-23)
Wyoming (11-8)
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).
Quincey Clay, 10, Capital (51 points vs. Mountain View on Tuesday, January 6)
Logan Ellis, 11, North Star Charter (43 points vs. Liberty Charter on Thursday, January 8)
Caden Symons, 12, Coeur d'Alene (39 points vs. Post Falls on Tuesday, January 6)
Drake Hope, 11, Meridian (37 points vs. Ridgevue on Friday, January 9)
Collin Morris, 11, Timberline (34 points vs. Borah on Friday, January 9)
Xavier Parrish, 11, Rockland (33 points vs. Leadore on Saturday, January 10)
Nathan Compas, 12, Parma (32 points vs. Fruitland on Friday, January 9)
Slater Kuther, 10, Nezperce (32 points vs. Colton, WA on Monday, January 5)
Sam Scott, 12, McCall-Donnelly (31 points vs. Kendrick on Saturday, January 10)
Jaxson Smith, 12, Marsh Valley (31 points vs. Buhl on Friday, January 9)
Justus Mangum, 11, Century (30 points vs. Jerome on Saturday, January 10)
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 (10-1)
Centennial (10-1)
Kuna (10-2)
Meridian (8-4)
Highland (10-2)
Owyhee (7-6)
Post Falls (10-3)
Thunder Ridge (9-2)
CLASS 5A
Blackfoot (7-2)
Hillcrest (5-7)
Lewiston (9-2)
Preston (11-2)
Sandpoint (7-4)
Skyview (7-4)
Twin Falls (5-6)
Vallivue (6-3)
CLASS 4A
Bonners Ferry (4-5)
Buhl (5-5)
Cole Valley Christian (7-4)
Fruitland (5-6)
Gooding (6-5)
Marsh Valley (8-3)
Snake River (6-5)
Sugar-Salem (13-0)
CLASS 3A
Firth (6-4)
Melba (7-6)
New Plymouth (8-3)
Orofino (9-0)
St. Maries (6-1)
Wendell (11-1)
West Jefferson (8-2)
West Side (7-5)
CLASS 2A
Grace (4-7)
Kendrick (8-2)
Lakeside (8-0)
Murtaugh (7-2)
North Star Charter (7-3)
Prairie (6-2)
Raft River (5-4)
Victory Charter (8-3)
CLASS 1A
Carey (5-6)
Coeur du Christ (6-3)
Council (6-5)
Garden Valley (9-1)
Hansen (4-3)
Nezperce (6-3)
Rockland (8-2)
Watersprings (8-1)
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