Written by: Jack Davis

Photo credit: Steve Conner

NAMPA — The No. 1-seeded Malad Dragons dominated the No. 3-seeded Ambrose Archers 68-43 in the 3A State Championship Game on Saturday.

The Dragons received 19 points off the bench en route to the blowout victory.

Malad never trailed in the contest, controlling all 32 minutes of play. With the win, the Dragons claimed their second state title in school history and their first in 23 years.

From the opening tip, the Malad offense overwhelmed the Ambrose defense and built a 24-15 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Dragons continued to stretch the advantage in the second, taking a 39-25 lead into halftime. Malad strengthened its grip even more in the third quarter, outscoring Ambrose 19-9 to extend the lead to 58-34 with just eight minutes separating the Dragons from a state championship. Malad then cruised through the fourth quarter, running away with the 68-43 victory.

Head coach Trevor Jones reflected on the championship performance.

“Wow, it is such an amazing group of girls to be a part of,” Jones said. “Their dedication, their work ethic — and the rewarding part is seeing the work they put in and watching it pay off. To be hanging that banner up is pretty special.”

Mikell Keetch was named the IdahoSports.com Player of the Game, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds to lead the Dragons. Paityn Ward added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Brynlee Jones contributed 10 points and eight rebounds and Izzy Haycock chipped in 10 points.

Keetch knew this season had the potential to be a special one, after a heartbreaking loss to Parma in last year's state championship game.  All five starters (Keetch, Jones, Haycock, Kiley Miller and Liv Nelson) returned from last year's team to try and finish the job in 2026.

“I’m so grateful for how we played as a team,” Keetch said. “I love this team, and I’m so grateful for our chemistry with those five starters. We’ve played together since we were young, and it really shows. It feels so good to come back after Parma and be able to win this game.”

Ambrose received a standout performance from Annelise Curran, as she led all scorers with 21 points while battling valiantly in the loss.

“This season was a ton of fun,” Curran said. “We haven’t been playing together for a long time, and this is my first year here. To be able to make it this far when a lot of people doubted us — just being here was a great opportunity.”


AMBROSE (20-6) - Annelise Curran 21, Bryley Tadman 7, Claire Johnston 6, Amelia Alexander 5, Annaliese Crager 2, Mabel Farley 2, Eva Pinney 0, Sarina Schiebout 0, Naomi Yim 0, Piper Vanderleest 0, Abby Engelmann 0, Emerson Canney 0, Lucy Johnston 0

MALAD (24-2) - Mikell Keetch 14, Paityn Ward 13, Liv Nelson 11, Brynnlee Jones 10, Izzy Haycock 10, Kiley Miller 4, Maxi VanBebber 2, Jette Nelson 2, Kennadee Thomas 2, Kassie Rupp 0, Samantha Shrenk 0, Aspen Bingham 0, Maci Arnout 0, Paige Talbot 0