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

I had a front-row seat to Friday night's battle between 5A Inland Empire League rivals Lakeland (3-0 IEL, 13-3 overall) and Sandpoint (2-2 IEL, 13-4 overall).  It was rematch that came on the heels of a hard-fought 49-42 win by Lakeland just ten days prior, but Friday's game was more one-sided.  Lakeland freshman Jaeli Hoffman finished one point shy of our 30-Burger list with 29 points, and the Hawks raced out to a 66-38 win.  What I noticed immediately about coach Caelyn Caulfield's team was the sheer amount of speed Lakeland has.  We've all heard about the Hawks' size: 6-foot-1 Macy Bretveld starts at center, with 6-foot-2 Mariana Bullington serving as her backup.  But it's Lakeland's speed that will make the difference once postseason play rolls around.  Hoffman can certainly fly up and down the floor, as can fellow guard Presley Fagan.  But senior point guard Karstyn Kiefer is the straw that stirs the drink.  She can advance the ball into the frontcourt with precision, and is adept at driving quickly into the paint and dishing out to an open teammate.  In fact, Kiefer, Fagan and Hoffman are all capable of slashing to the basket on any given possession.  

But the speed also shows up on defense.  Every time Sandpoint's guards tried to maneuver into the paint, Lakeland was there to turn off the water.  The Bulldogs were mostly relegated to passing around the perimeter, and standout guards Brecken Mire and Jordyn Tomco (each averaging north of 15 points per game) merely looked ordinary.  That's how good Lakeland's defense played.

For years, coaches have said that in order to win three games in a row at the state tournament, you need size and rebounding.  The idea is that since you're playing in a brand-new gym you haven't played in before, you'll need more time to adjust, hence more shots will probably clang off the rim rather than go through the net.  Having someone with size underneath that can rebound and score on higher-percentage shots right at the rim was viewed as essential to winning a state title.

But I think the calculus has changed now.  Having speedy guards that can get into the paint serves the same purpose: you're still getting (in theory) a high-percentage shot right at the rim, it's just from a smaller player.  And that speed can translate to the defensive end, and in the transition game.

You can officially mark me down as speed over size.  If you're Lakeland, which has both this year, all the better.

GAME OF THE WEEK

6A High Country Conference foes Thunder Ridge (3-3 HCC, 12-6 overall) and Madison (3-2 HCC, 12-5 overall) are both staring up at undefeated Rigby (7-0, 18-0) in the standings this season.  That means that as of right now, only one of the Titans or Bobcats is probably advancing to state (you can probably add Highland at 2-3 and 9-8 to this mix as well).  The Titans and Bobcats met earlier this season, on December 16, and the Bobcats defended their home floor with a narrow 51-50 win.  The rematch on Thursday, January 15 at Thunder Ridge came down to the final few seconds as well.  Thunder Ridge held a 52-50 lead with just ten seconds to play.  But Madison's Camri Call launched a three-point shot for the lead, and was fouled by Thunder Ridge's Macey Stokes, setting Call up for three free throws and a chance to take the lead.  Call sank the first two free throws, tying the game at 52-52.  But the third foul shot missed and the Titans grabbed the rebound.  On their final possession, Titans senior Nevaeh Davenport hit Stokes in the corner, and the junior point guard calmly sank a three as time expired, lifting the Titans to a 55-52 win.  In the span of five seconds, Stokes went from the goat (after fouling Call and allowing the game to be tied) to the hero.

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 (18-0) - at Madison
4A: Sugar-Salem (16-0) - vs. Teton, at Jerome, at Kimberly
1A: Salmon River (16-0) - at Council, vs. Greenleaf Friends, at Horseshoe Bend

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 (17-13)
Tennessee (0-1)
Utah (14-12)
Washington (36-21)
Wyoming (8-4)

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).

Brookeslee Colvin, 11, Coeur d'Alene (37 points vs. Sandpoint on Tuesday, January 13)
Taren Bateman, 11, Bonners Ferry (32 points vs. Kellogg on Monday, January 12)
Kyleigh Wolfe, 12, Lakeside (30 points vs. Lake Roosevelt, WA on Saturday, January 17)

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 (11-6)
Borah (15-3)
Coeur d'Alene (16-2)
Eagle (14-2)
Madison (12-5)
Middleton (14-3)
Rigby (18-0)
Timberline (14-3)

CLASS 5A

Bishop Kelly (7-7)
Blackfoot (12-4)
Columbia (8-6)
Jerome (10-6)
Lakeland (13-3)
Mountain Home (12-3)
Pocatello (9-5)
Sandpoint (10-6)

CLASS 4A

Bear Lake (13-4)
Filer (12-2)
Fruitland (13-4)
Kimberly (7-10)
Marsh Valley (15-2)
McCall-Donnelly (8-6)
Sugar-Salem (16-0)
Timberlake (8-5)

CLASS 3A

Ambrose (13-5)
Firth (14-3)
Grangeville (10-5)
Kellogg (9-4)
Malad (16-2)
Parma (10-6)
Ririe (9-7)
Soda Springs (7-11)

CLASS 2A

Grace (13-3)
Lakeside (7-10)
Lapwai (12-1)
Liberty Charter (10-5)
Oakley (12-2)
Rimrock (8-8)
Vision Charter (11-4)
Prairie (12-4)

CLASS 1A

Carey (11-3)
Deary (9-1)
Dietrich (7-7)
Kootenai (3-4)
Mackay (12-1)
Nezperce (9-5)
Rockland (10-6)
Salmon River (16-0)