One look at Hillcrest’s record might give the impression that the Knights had an OK, maybe even decent season.
The two-time 4A state champions compiled a record of 50-3 over the previous two seasons and earned a pair of championship banners for the first time in program history.
But 17-6 this year?
Surely something is amiss.
“Coaches always tell us this time of the year is when we need to be playing our best basketball,” senior Talan Taylor said of the team’s early struggles and recent surge.
Coach Dave Austin doesn’t necessarily look at the team’s 4-6 start as struggling. The purpose of playing in the Owyhee tournament and then going to California to play in the Damien Classic, regarded as one of the toughest tournaments in the country, was to get physically and mentally prepared for another run at a state championship. The grind in December was meant for the bigger picture in March.
“For us to be tested I thought our kids did a great job,” Austin said. “I thought those games really prepared us for districts and (the state tournament). We’ve now been battle tested and we know we can come through.”
The Knights lost all three games at the Owyhee tournament and lost three of four in California. Star center Isaac Davis was hampered with an ankle injury so the team had to make adjustments
“Losing those games wasn’t the worst thing for us,” Taylor said. “It definitely helped us a ton and that’s why we are where we are right now and going into state is what we wanted.”
The Knights have won 13 straight, 12 by double figures, as they begin their quest to 3-peat.
“We started to roll, and it was hey, we got this,” Davis said. “We struggled at the start of the season but we came together and we trust each other. I feel like we’re ready for it.”
“It” is making another title run. The Knights are seeded second and will have to get by district foe Blackfoot in Thursday’s opener. Rival Pocatello, which Hillcrest has defeated in the last two state title games, is the No. 1 seed and in the upper half of the bracket, setting up what could be a potential championship game matchup. Again.
“We knew it was going to be hard ... and we’re very grateful to have this opportunity,” Davis said.
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