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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
There was a certain flair-for-the-dramatic feeling to a lot of the boys basketball games around Idaho this past week.
I saw no less than four buzzer-beating shots across the week of action, which seems high to me, for some reason.
First, Highland's Boston McCulloch sank a fadeaway three-point shot as time expired on Tuesday, January 20, sending the Rams to a 57-56 win over Thunder Ridge.
Then, on Thursday, January 22, Lapwai snuck out of Kamiah with a 47-45 win thanks to Albert Penney's game-winning jumper with no time remaining.
Finally, Friday night, January 23, featured two buzzer-beaters that happened with ten minutes of each other.
Down south, Notus trailed Centennial Baptist 51-50 with just four seconds remaining. Needing to foul to stop the clock, Notus sent Centennial Baptist to the free throw line, where they promptly missed both shots. Notus' Maverick McKerrow rebounded the second miss, and passed to Derrick Huter at midcourt. After two dribbles towards the three-point line, Huter actually bobbled the ball as he began his jump shot, but recovered and sank an off-balance three as time ran out, giving the Pirates the improbable 53-51 win.
Then, up north, Genesee nipped St. John Bosco as Noah Bollman sank a ten-foot floater from the key as the clock hit zeroes, sending the Bulldogs to a 60-59 win over the Patriots. Bollman scored an astonishing 39 points in the win. If it had been 37, Genesee would have lost.
As someone who had a basketball pretty much glued to his hand growing up, I know for a fact that every player practices that last-second shot. How would you execute a late-game scenario, with your team trailing and time about to run out? Some players are actually pretty skilled at the half-court heave, thanks in part to practicing that shot repeatedly.
But one area that hardly ever gets noticed in those buzzer-beating situations? The defense. As the team with the lead, how are you going to defend a potential final shot? You never want to commit a foul, of course, but I've seen so many defenses and defenders act in a reactionary way. You never want to commit a foul, of course, but I'd rather my defender aggressively hound the ball-handler or shooter. If you can make the offensive player slightly uncomfortable, that can often be enough to ensure a missed shot.
Sometimes, though, the shot just goes in, like it did for Huter and his Notus teammates. All you can do is shrug your shoulders, tip your cap, and move on to the next one.
For the fans, that's exciting. For the coaches and the media "experts", it's an exercise in frustration.
GAME OF THE WEEK
When Highland (5-0 High Country Conference, 13-3 overall) hosted Thunder Ridge (4-1, 13-3) on Tuesday, January 20, first place in the conference was on the line. And through three quarters of play, the Titans had to be feeling good about their chances. Thunder Ridge had led pretty much from the opening tip, and the lead expanded to as many as 11 points in the third period. But Highland caught fire in the fourth quarter, and the Rams found themselves trailing 56-54 with 3.1 seconds left with an inbounds play upcoming from underneath their own basket. Marshall Glenn rifled the inbounds pass to Boston McCulloch, who, with a hand in his face, hit a fadeaway three-pointer as time expired, sending the Rams to a 57-56 win. McCulloch finished with five points total, none bigger than the final three he scored.
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 (17-0) - at Ririe
2A: Rimrock (12-0) - at Liberty Charter, at Idaho City, vs. Glenns Ferry
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 (6-10)
Colorado (4-1)
Georgia (0-1)
Hawaii (2-1)
Montana (5-5)
Nevada (18-3)
Oregon (25-2)
Texas (1-0)
Utah (7-13)
Washington (34-29)
Wyoming (12-8)
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).
Noah Bollman, 11, Genesee (39 points vs. St. John Bosco on Friday, January 23)
Nathan Compas, 12, Parma (37 points vs. New Plymouth on Tuesday, January 20)
Ralli Roetciscoender, 12, Kendrick (32 points vs. Logos on Thursday, January 22)
Stockton Cross, 10, Clark County (31 points vs. Grace Lutheran on Saturday, January 24)
Jesse Yanik, 11, Clark Fork (31 points vs. Genesis Prep on Tuesday, January 20)
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
Centennial (13-2)
Highland (13-3)
Kuna (13-3)
Meridian (11-5)
Lake City (10-6)
Owyhee (11-6)
Thunder Ridge (13-3)
Timberline (11-5)
CLASS 5A
Bishop Kelly (8-4)
Blackfoot (12-2)
Columbia (9-4)
Hillcrest (7-8)
Lewiston (13-2)
Preston (14-3)
Twin Falls (9-6)
Vallivue (9-4)
CLASS 4A
American Falls (11-3)
Bonners Ferry (7-7)
Cole Valley Christian (11-4)
Filer (7-10)
Gooding (9-5)
Homedale (8-6)
Marsh Valley (11-4)
Sugar-Salem (17-0)
CLASS 3A
Ambrose (10-5)
Orofino (10-2)
Parma (9-7)
Ririe (8-6)
Soda Springs (9-4)
St. Maries (10-2)
Wendell (13-1)
West Jefferson (12-2)
CLASS 2A
Butte County (11-4)
Kendrick (12-2)
Lakeside (13-1)
Murtaugh (10-3)
North Star Charter (10-2)
Prairie (9-4)
Rimrock (12-0)
Sun Valley Community School (11-2)
CLASS 1A
Carey (10-6)
Coeur du Christ (9-4)
Garden Valley (13-2)
Nezperce (10-4)
Richfield (8-7)
Rockland (14-2)
Timberline (7-2)
Watersprings (14-1)
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