When the two come together, you get a game like Friday’s 3A District 6 elimination game between Sugar-Salem and Teton at Skyline High School.

The Diggers overpowered Teton’s 2-3 zone with its big front line, controlled the glass and mixed in enough 3-pointers along the way while rolling to a 74-38 win over the Redskins. The victory puts Sugar-Salem (21-2) in Monday’s district title game against Shelley (18-4). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

“That might have been the best we’ve played in a long time,” Sugar-Salem coach Clyde Nelson said. “We moved the ball, we got good shots, we used our size. When we do that, we’re pretty good.”

Nelson said he was wary of Friday’s game, coming off an emotional loss to Shelley on Wednesday while Teton entered coming off a win over South Fremont. The Diggers didn’t take long to ease Nelson’s worries.

Jason Hawkes, a 6-foot-5 senior, took control early, scoring eight points to help the Diggers grab a 21-7 lead after one quarter.

Keaton Small, a 6-7 senior, took the baton in the second quarter, scoring nine points to help Sugar take a 33-18 lead into the locker room.

“We were hoping, with the two battles they’ve had (in districts), that if we got on top of them that they might start crumbling a little bit,” Teton coach Rob Anderson said. “That didn’t happen.”

And it only got worse for Teton in the third quarter. With an increased focus on stopping the Diggers inside, guard Beau Choffin (16 points) hit back-to-back 3s while point guard Ridge Spackman (7 points) followed with one of his own to put the game out of reach late in the third quarter.

“That was huge,” Anderson said. “Whatever we were trying to take away, they had a counter to.”

Wyatt Johnson scored 12 points, while Jason Clark had 11 and Jaxon Reiley added 10 for Teton, which finishes its season 13-10.

Small led the Diggers with 18 points, while freshman Tim Fuller had 12, Hawkes had 10 and Devon Smith chipped in eight.

Now Nelson and his Diggers can turn their focus to a fourth meeting with Shelley in the past two weeks. Shelley holds a 2-1 series edge, but the fourth will be the biggest, with a district title and a state tournament berth on the line. Nelson likes his team’s state of mind heading into Monday’s showdown.

“Someone was questioning our mental toughness,” he said, “and I saw some tonight.”

SUGAR-SALEM 74, TETON 38
Teton 7 11 13 7 – 38
Sugar-Salem 21 12 26 15 – 74
TETON (38) – Taylor Peterson 5, Jason Clark 11, Wyatt Johnson 12, Jaxon Reiley 10. FG: 13. FT: 8-12. 3-pointers: 4 (Clark 1, Johnson 1, Reiley 2). Fouls: 19. Fouled out: Tanner Street, Johnson.
SUGAR-SALEM (74) – Ridge Spackman 7, Conner Stoddard 1, Paycen Rasmussen 4, Tim Fuller 10, Jason Hawkes 10, Keaton Small 18, Beau Choffin 16, Devon Smith 8. FG: 28. FT: 16-23. 3-pointers: 4 (Choffin 3, Spackman 1). Fouls: 11. Fouled out: none.

Firth senior Taylor Nelson yells during the third set of the 2A state volleyball championship match Saturday at Hillcrest High School against Nampa Christian. Pat Sutphin / psutphin@postregister.com

The Firth High School volleyball team had its sights set on the 2A state championship from the moment practice opened back in August, despite the fact that not a single player on the roster had been to state before.

The Cougars fell two wins short of their goal Saturday, but they made it apparent that winning a state title is well within reach.

The Cougars lost a pair of matches to Nampa Christian on Saturday at Hillcrest, the second one 25-23, 25-15, 25-19 in the title game to capture the second-place trophy. Nampa Christian also topped Firth in four games in Saturday’s semifinals.

“Whenever you come to state and you have absolutely no one who has experience at state, it can be emotionally draining,” Firth coach Carla Reeves said. “That was my biggest concern. But they never lost face out there … You didn’t see a look of I’m giving up. They took some pretty hard hits and kept getting up.”

That effort didn’t go unnoticed.

“Firth put up a fight,” Nampa Christian coach Chelsea Keller said. “They have such a young team and they got a taste of what it could be. They’re going to be a hard, hard team to beat.”

Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Nelson led the Cougars with 48 kills and 38 digs over three matches Saturday. Junior Britton Bean added 30 kills and 21 digs while senior Blakely Date chipped in 18 kills. Junior setter Jordyn Park dished out 111 assists Saturday.

Reeves said while it was tough to come up short Saturday, her team has the right perspective.

“There’s lots of tears, but there’s a lot of pride in here,” Reeves said, pointing to her heart. “The first thing they said after the match is, it’s ours next year.”

The chances were coming in bunches. The goals weren’t.

“It went through my head,” Pope said, “and I’d be lying to say different.”

That all changed midway through the second half when Blackfoot scored twice in a two-minute span and added a third late to earn a 3-1 win over Bishop Kelly in a 4A boys state soccer tournament consolation semifinal game at the Idaho Falls Soccer Complex.

“We’ve got a running joke in England – you wait an hour for a bus and then suddenly two arrive at the same time,” Pope said. “That’s exactly what that felt like.”

Blackfoot had four or five golden chances to score goals through the first 60 minutes but trailed 1-0 because it took the Knights just three minutes to find the back of the net.

That changed in the 61st minute when Andy Garcia kept the ball alive with several touches with his head and chest before finally getting the ball to his feet and poking a shot past the BK keeper to tie the game.

A minute later, Everardo Bartolo worked his way down the right side and into the box before sending a low shot that found the corner of the net.

“With this being local and with a lot of people from Blackfoot here, I think the boys deserved to hear that cheer,” Pope said. “I think the way we attacked and the way we played, we deserved those two.”

Garcia added the final goal late, taking a centering pass from Jesus Pelayo and knocking it home. Bishop Kelly created several chances, but junior keeper Ozzy Oseguera (10 saves) was up to the task and Blackfoot held on.

The Broncos (14-2-1) will now face Jerome (11-2-6) for the consolation title at 10 a.m. today at the Idaho Falls Soccer Complex. And even though the Broncos won’t have a chance to defend their state title, Pope expects a good effort.

“It’s still huge, for two reasons,” Pope said. “We still get a a trophy and we’ve got some seniors who deserve to finish on a high. And to go beyond the seniors, we’ve had a great season and the team deserves to finish on a high. I don’t see any problem getting the boys excited about it.”

Skyline junior Trevor Noles celebrates his second goal during Saturday afternoon's 5A District 5-6 second-place game at Hillcrest High School. Monte LaOrange / mlaorange@postregister.com

Byraun Moretz knew there would be some raised eyebrows when he chose an unproven junior varsity player to start the biggest game of the Skyline High School boys soccer team’s season Saturday.

The Grizzlies coach admits that it was a hunch, and not logic, that convinced him to give Trevor Noles his first varsity start during Saturday’s 5A District 5-6 tournament winner-to-state game against Hillcrest High School.

The Grizzlies coach is glad he listened to his inner voice.

Noles scored once in each half – the first two goals of his varsity career, and Skyline Skyline hung on for a 2-1 win over top-seeded Hillcrest, sending the Grizzlies back to state for the second straight year.

“People were kind of like, Trevor?” Moretz said. “But sometimes you’ve got to go with your gut.”

It didn’t take Noles long to prove his coach’s choice was the right one.

Skyline dominated play early on, controlling the ball and creating several scoring chances. It was same plot the Grizzlies followed in Thursday’s district championship loss to rival Idaho Falls on Thursday, the game that put them in Saturday’s win-or-go-home scenario.

Then in the 20th minute sophomore forward Jorge Carmona flicked a pass toward Noles, who got a nose in front of his Hillcrest defender inside the 18. The ball took a room-service hop and Noles pounced, ripping a shot past the keeper and into the top-left corner of the net for a 1-0 Skyline lead.

“I knew exactly where I wanted to go with that one,” said Noles, who was also the Grizzlies backup keeper Saturday.

Noles got another chance in the 52nd minute when Carmona lofted a pass inches over the final Hillcrest defender. Noles ran onto the pass, dribbled toward the keeper and slotted a shot that found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

“I knew the keeper was going down and I just had to poke it over him,” Noles said. “It happened to go through his fingers.”

Noles’ play is as direct as his commentary – a trait Moretz thought might come in handy Saturday.

“I was hesitant to give him the start,” Moretz said. “But one thing about this kid is when he goes in he’ll give you 120 percent. We call him the ox – he rumbles. It took someone to step up and Trevor did that.”

With a lead throughout, Skyline relied on a possession game and and solid play from a back line led by senior defender Cole Nukaya, who also seemed to find himself in the right place to make the right play.

“As the pressure grew, we tried to force it down the middle instead of playing our game,” Hillcrest coach Bryan Johnston said. “And (Nukaya) was sitting back there clearing out everything. That young man had an excellent game.”

The Grizzlies broke down just once, when a slow-rolling ball was misplayed by the keeper, leading to a poke-in goal by Rydder Driggs in the 74th minute. But Skyline played a fairly stress-free final six minutes to close out the win.

Now Skyline (13-5-1) will turn its attention to Rocky Mountain (11-5-2), its first opponent at the state tournament at 2 p.m. Thursday in Post Falls.

“Last year was get to state, get your experience,” Moretz said. “Now we’ve been there and we don’t have any excuses. We can’t say, let’s go there and have fun. Our goal is to go and prove something.”

He also knew they wouldn’t let a tough loss ruin their season.

The Bandits proved their coach right Saturday, shaking off an early deficit and cruising to a 15-4, seven-inning win over the Billings Scarlets at Dehler Park.

“We talked (Friday) about how hard it was going to be to get up for (Saturday’s game) because they were down,” Watts said. “But on the bus ride over they were very loose, and I knew they were going to be ready.”

Billings showed some life of its own early on, taking advantage of wildness from Bandits starter Kohl Hostert to build a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the second.

“Kohl got two outs then struggled with his control,” Watts said. “He left one pitch up and they took advantage of it. He didn’t have his best stuff but he battled.”

The bats came alive in bottom of the second, turning a 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 lead. I.F. added five runs each in the fifth and sixth innings and ended the game two innings early when Hostert got the final out of the seventh.

“That was nice because it gives us a chance to save our pitching,” Watts said.

There were plenty of heroes for the Bandits on Saturday.

No. 9 hitter Patrick Greene continued his strong regional tournament by going 4 for 4 with three runs scored and four RBIs.

“He’s kind of my little dirt ball – he does things that a lot of other guys might not do,” Watts said. “There was a time during the season when Patrick struggled, but he’s a hard worker and he got through it. And today he was fantastic.”

Colben McGuire, who pitched a complete game in the tournament opener, went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Tyler Clark had three hits and scored three runs, Lincoln Clayton was 2 for 4 with a double, three runs and two RBIs, Scott Allison was 1 for 2 with three RBIs and Kyle Durbin was 2 for 4 with a run.

Hostert gave up four earned runs on eight hits over seven innings, walking three and striking out three. He also drove in three runs.

The Bandits are now one of four teams left standing in the regional tournament. They will face Bellevue, Wash., in a loser-out game at 1 p.m. Idaho Falls will send Hillcrest High School graduate Ian Ence to the mound for today’s game.

“We still have pitching left,” Watts said. “(Washington) can swing it, but we’re deeper pitcher-wise. I think we match up well.”

IDAHO FALLS RUSSETS 15, BILLINGS SCARLETS 4
Billings 040 000 00 - 4 8 2
Idaho Falls 140 005 5x - 15 15 0
BILLINGS – Pitchers: Christian Martinson 4IP, 9H, 8R, 8ER, 3BB, 2K; Jalen Garcia 1.1IP, 5H, 7R, 3ER, 3BB, 0K; Garrett Cosgrove 0.2IP, 1H, 0R, 1K. Leading hitters: Torry Huppert 1-4 (RBI), Ian Byorth 2-4 (run), Gage Hinsz 2-4 (run), Winston Cox 2-3 (run, 3RBIs).
IDAHO FALLS – Pitchers: Kohl Hostert 7IP, 8H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 3K. Leading hitters: Lincoln Clayton 2-4 (3B, 3R, 2RBIs), Scott Allison 1-2 (run, 3RBIs), Kyle Durbin 2-4 (run), Kohl Hostert 0-2 (3RBIs), Colben McGuire 2-4 (HR, run, 3RBIs), Nate Elliott 1-5 (run), Tyler Clark 3-4 (3R), Brandon Hill 0-1 (2R), Patrick Greene 4-4 (3R, 4RBIs).

Idaho Falls Bandits second baseman Patrick Greene throws to first base as Billings Royals baserunner Nick Scanson slides in Thursday in Billings, Mont. Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette

The Idaho Falls Bandits finally showed some nerves as they opened the 2012 American Legion Baseball Northwest Regional tournament Thursday in Billings, Mont.

They also showed what they’re made of.

The Bandits hitters shook off their nerves in the seventh inning to break a 0-0 tie and pulled away for a 6-2 win over the Billings Royals at Dehler Park. The win earns them a spot in the winner’s bracket and a date with Waipahu, Hawaii, at 4 p.m. today.

Idaho Falls (35-8) entered the game having won 21 of its past 22 games, but coach Joldy Watts knew his team might feel a little pressure in Billings.

“This wasn’t just another tournament, and they played like that over the first six innings,” Watts said. “We had guys who were nervous – they were pressing.”

Fortunately, Bandits starter Colben McGuire was immune to the pressure. The right-handed dominated Billings over the first six innings, shutting down the Royals on just 63 pitches.

“He was fantastic,” Watts said.

The Bandits finally broke through in the seventh. Tyler Clark and McGuire opened the inning with singles and Patrick Greene moved them over with a perfectly executed bunt.

“That was unselfish,” Watts said.

After Lincoln Clayton popped out to first, Scott Allison fell behind 0-2 before hitting a bouncing ball over the third baseman’s head to score two runs.

“He didn’t crush it, but it found a home,” Watts said.

Billings finally got to McGuire for a run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Bandits came back with two more in the eighth. Clark smacked a hard single to left to score Kyle Durbin, and Greene took a pitch off the foot with the bases loaded to force in a run.

Idaho Falls chipped in two insurance runs in the ninth when Durbin singled up the middle, stole second and scored on an error. Joel Martin then scored on Nate Elliott’s single to left.

Billings threatened in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a run and putting two baserunners on with two outs. Watts went to the mound to remove McGuire but was rebuffed.

“I went to get the ball from Colben and he didn’t really give it up,” Watts said. “He wanted to finish it, and that’s the kind of kid I want.”

McGuire got the final out and the normally mild-mannered Bandits rushed out of the dugout to celebrate.

“It wasn’t just a good job, nice game,” Watts said. “This was a big game and they enjoyed it. The boys are really taking in the idea of representing our city and our state. On the scoreboard it says Idaho – it doesn’t say Idaho Falls or Bandits. They’re embracing it, and I’m so honored to be their coach.”

Idaho Falls High School standout Anthony Brady will pitch for Idaho Falls today against the same Hawaii team that won the Northwest Regional title last year. Watts said his team respects Hawaii, but they aren’t afraid.

“We like our chances,” he said.

IDAHO FALLS BANDITS 6, BILLINGS ROYALS 2
Idaho Falls 000 000 222 - 6 11 2
Billings 000 000 101 - 2 8 1
IDAHO FALLS – Pitchers: Colben McGuire (W), 9 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Leading hitters: Scott Allison 1-4 (2 RBIs); Kyle Durbin 2-4 (2 Rs); Kohl Hostert 1-4 (R); Joel Martin 1-1 (run); Nate Elliott 2-4 (RBI); Tyler Clark 2-3 (R, RBI); Colben McGuire 1-3 (R); Patrick Green 1-2 (RBI).
BILLINGS – Pitchers: DJ Baxter 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K; TJ Jacobs (L) 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Leading hitters: Hunter Kovash 2-4; Chance Ackeman 1-3 (R); Nick Scanson 2-3 (R); Matt Shelhamer 1-4 (RBI); TJ Jacobs 2-3.

“I’m watching my 9-year-old son start a game,” Bridges said. “The game of baseball is fun, and that’s something I’ve always tried to tell my team. The umpire says ‘play ball’ before every game. He doesn’t say ‘work ball.’ It’s important to remember that.”

Bridges’ teams have been successful through the years. The Tigers won the 5A state title in 2002, and earned a spot in this year’s tournament after a four-year absence.

In the end, Bridges said it was time to step aside.

“I’m kind of an old dinosaur,” he said. “It’s time for younger legs. I pulled a calf (muscle) coaching third base this year, so it’s time. I think it will be good for the kids to hear a different voice.”

Bridges starred at Coeur d’Alene High School and was a three-year starter at Eastern Washington University before getting into coaching. He was a graduate assistant at Eastern Washington, spent a year at North Idaho College and then coached an American Legion team in Coeur d’Alene before getting the job at Idaho Falls.

He said winning and losing was never on his mind.

“I’ve always been a kid guy,” Bridges said. “I never really worried about the scoreboard. The game of baseball is great — you can’t hide on the field. And it’s always nice to see young kids handle things like men.”

Bridges is also proud of the number of players the Tigers have sent to play college ball as well. Four players from this year’s team will be members of college teams next year, the most of any area school.

“I think through the years coaches at the next level have learned what to expect from this program,” he said.

Skyline coach Brett Taylor played and coached against Bridges.

“He was a great guy to see how to do things,” Taylor said. “He was always finding opportunities to teach a kid. They could be down 10 runs and he’s still teaching. As a young coach you’re always trying to find something to borrow from another coach. He’s the guy (I would borrow from.)”

The 6-foot-tall Brooks grabbed a rebound in traffic, turned and banked in a shot just before the buzzer sounded, lifting Hillcrest to a wild 80-78 win over Shelley in a 4A District 6 loser-out game Tuesday night in Ammon.

“He’s amazing,” Baldwin said. “At 6-feet, if that, he’s amazing in there.”
Brooks, who scored four of Hillcrest’s final five points, said he was just glad the shot left his hand so quickly.

“I saw the rebound and adrenaline took over,” Brooks said. “I grabbed it, kind of hucked it up and it went in. I wasn’t sure I got it off in time.”

Brooks was the final hero, but he was far from the only hero.

Shelley hit seven of its first eight 3-point shots, led 27-16 after the first quarter and appeared to be running away with the game.

“Of course you’re a little worried,” Baldwin said. “My biggest thing is don’t give up.”

Kaden Miller didn’t let that happen. The Knights’ 6-2 senior came off the bench to hit three of four 3-point attempts and added a driving bucket in the final 30 seconds to help Hillcrest close the gap to 41-37 at halftime.

“He’s money from the 3-point line,” Brooks said of his teammate. “In practice, he hits everything.”

Shelley took control again in the third behind a dominating effort from junior McKay Cannon. The Russets point guard shredded the Knights for 14 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to put Shelley ahead 66-58 with eight minutes to go.

“He went crazy in the third,” Baldwin said.

The Knights slowed Cannon in the fourth quarter with a box-and-one defense, limiting him to two points as they slowly pulled themselves back into the game. Hillcrest took its first lead since the first basket of the game when Tyson McDonald hit a layup with 3:55 left. Shelley went ahead 74-71 when Cannon passes led to Kaden Michaelson buckets on back-to-back possessions. Hillcrest then outscored Shelley 9-6 over the final 2:35 to pull out a win and keep its season alive.

Cannon led Shelley with 24 points and seven rebounds, Michaelson added 23 points and eight rebounds and T.J. Stommel finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Shelley ends the season 14-10.

“I thought my kids played outstanding,” Shelley coach Dave Hadley said. “I thought we did everything we needed to do to win, they just did one more thing than we did.”

Miller led the Knights (14-10) with 22 points while McDonald and Brooks each had 16, Scott Baldwin chipped in 11 and Blake Phippen added eight points and eight rebounds.

Hillcrest advances to a winner-to-state, loser-out matchup at league-champion Madison a 7 p.m. Thursday.

Miller said the plan is simple.

“This game’s over with,” he said. “We’ve just got practice hard tomorrow and prepare.”

HILLCREST 80, SHELLEY 78
Shelley 27 14 25 12 - 78
Hillcrest 16 21 21 22 - 80
SHELLEY (78) – Edgar Mendoza 3, T.J. Stommel 11, Chad Leckington 9, Christian Cather 5, Kaden Michaelson 23, McKay Cannon 24, Christian Mendoza 3. FG: 28. FT: 11-12. 3-pointers: 9 (Mendoza 1, Stommel 2, Leckington 1, Cather 1, Cannon 4). Total fouls: 16. Fouled out: none.
HILLCREST (80) – Tyson McDonald 16, Kaden Miller 22, Taylor Brooks 16, Blake Phippen 8, Tanner Austin 7, Scott Baldwin 11. FG: 29. FT: 15-20. 3-pointers: 7 (Miller 4, Austin 2, Baldwin 1). Total fouls: 11. Fouled out: none.

That’s exactly what he got Saturday night.

Skyline built a big lead early, fell behind by as many as seven in the second quarter then took advantage of a strange string of plays to top the Tigers 63-59 and win a 5A District 5-6 loser-out game at Skyline High School.

“It was a game of momentum swings,” Shippen said. “And we kind of weathered the storm.”

The Grizzlies were still in the middle of the storm with just less than two minutes left, holding a two-point lead with Tyson Dennert at the line shooting two foul shots. Dennert missed both, but Austin Landon poked the rebound free and Shippen called timeout from the sidelines.

“Landon really crashed the boards hard tonight,” Shippen said. “It was a hustle play, and we knew it would come down to 50-50 balls.”

After the timeout was given, Idaho Falls senior Sean McCarthy was called for a controversial technical foul, putting Braeden Mitchell at the line and giving Skyline the ball. Mitchell calmly knocked down both shots, then added two more free throws a minute later to seal the win.

“I just stepped up there with confidence and thought about knocking them down,” Mitchell said. “My shot felt really good tonight.”

The back-and-forth sequence was fitting for the night and the season series. Skyline beat Idaho Falls three times in four meetings, but all but one of the games came down to the wire.

“We know each other very well,” Shippen said. “We know what the other’s going to do.”

Skyline took the early edge, building a 10-5 lead following Austin’s putback and stretching it to 17-7 on Dennert’s drive just before the end of the first quarter.

But Idaho Falls found its stroke a couple of minutes into the second quarter when Max Carlson and Austin Jones combined for 11 points during a 13-3 run that put the Tigers ahead 24-21. I.F. pushed the lead to 32-25 on McCarthy’s hoop and foul shot in the final minute. It would have been bigger, but Scott Allison hit a pullup 3 with 15 seconds left in the half. Skyline’s final lead was the biggest for either team in the second half.

McCarthy led all scorers with 17 points while Daniel Craig had 14 and Jones added eight points and eight rebounds as the Tigers finish the season 8-14.

Dennert scored 15 points, Mitchell had 13 and Austin added 11 for the Grizzlies (11-12), who will play at top-seeded Highland for the district title on Tuesday in Pocatello.

SKYLINE 63, IDAHO FALLS 58
Idaho Falls 7 25 10 16 – 58
Skyline 17 11 15 20 – 63
IDAHO FALLS (58) – Anthony Gardner 5, Stephen Hart 1, Daniel Craig 14, Max Carlson 7, Sean McCarthy 17, Austin Jones 8, Casey Davis 6. FG: 21. FT: 11-15. 3-pointers: 5 (Craig 1, Carlson 1, McCarthy 1, Jones 2). Total fouls: 25. Fouled out: Jones.
SKYLINE (63) – Landon Austin 11, Scott Allison 8, Ryan Cooper 5, Tyson Dennert 15, Joel Martin 8, Henry Russell 3, Braeden Mitchell 13. FG: 17. FT: 23-36. 3-pointers: 6 (Allison 1, Cooper 1, Dennert 2, Martin 1, Mitchell 1). Total fouls: 15. Fouled out: none.

His game yells something very different.

The 6-foot junior forward was perfect from the field, scored 20 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to lead the third-seeded Knights to a 79-58 home win over sixth-seeded Blackfoot in the first round of the 4A District 6 boys basketball tournament Tuesday night.

Brooks hit all nine of his field-goal attempts, none from more than eight feet away, and showed off a variety of floaters, jump hooks and up-and-under moves against bigger defenders.

“He’s a good inside player for us,” Hillcrest coach Don Baldwin said. “I wish he was 6-5, but he gives us a lot for his size.”

Brooks grew up a guard, and only moved inside when he moved to Ammon prior to high school.

“They taught me some post moves and I kind of rolled with it,” Brooks said. “It comes pretty naturally.”

Brooks wasn’t the only Knight who made a living close to the basket Tuesday. Hillcrest made 30 field goals, and 22 of them came from inside the foul line.

“We moved the ball better,” Brooks said.

“We were crisper,” Baldwin said. “We ran our offense better than we have been.”

The improved execution started early. Hillcrest scored its first field goal 1:40 into the game (on a Tanner Austin drive) and led 11-2 when Brooks hit a layup a of couple minutes later.

The Knights stretched the lead to 35-23 at halftime. Austin did much of the early damage, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the opening 16 minutes.

Hillcrest opened the second half just as well as it started the game, scoring the first seven points to build a 17-point lead. The margin hovered in that neighborhood for much of the quarter before Hillcrest put the game away with an explosive two-minute stretch that included a jumper from Austin, a driving layup by Scott Baldwin and back-to-back 3-pointers by the same duo.

“Coach teaches us to get the ball to a guy if they’re hot,” Brooks said.

Keith Moore scored 15 points, Trae Pilster had 12, Paul Cannon scored 11 and Colby Pearson added eight for Blackfoot (8-13). The Broncos are off until Saturday, when they’ll face the loser of Thursday’s game between top-seeded Madison and fourth-seeded Shelley.

Blake Phippen scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Tyson McDonald scored eight points and Kaden Miller chipped in seven for the Knights (12-9). Hillcrest will play at second-seeded Rigby on Thursday in a winners-bracket game.

Brooks said Tuesday’s win could give the team the confidence it needs to pull a second-round upset.

“We’ve been playing together for a long time and we know each other so well,” he said. “Hopefully, we can make a run.”

HILLCREST 79, BLACKFOOT 58
Blackfoot    7    16    17    18    -    58
Hillcrest    15    20    24    20    -    79
BLACKFOOT (58) – Tanner Norton 2, Trae Pilster 12, Colby Pearson 8, Paul Cannon 11, Jaron Katseanes 6, Keith Moore 15, Gabby Maldonado 2, Jaxson Archibald 3. FG: 17. FT: 21-31. 3-pointers: 3 (Moore 2, Pearson 1). Total fouls: 17. Fouled out: Cannon.
HILLCREST (79) -  Tyson McDonald 8, Kaden Miller 7, Taylor Brooks 20, Blake Phippen 12, Tanner Austin 22, Tyler Patterson 1, Scott Baldwin 5, Jaden Hunsaker 4. FG: 30. FT: 14-20. 3-pointers: 5 (Miller 2, Phippen 1, Austin 1). Total fouls: 24. Fouled out: none.