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Lapwai Wildcats get revenge, win 13th state boys basketball Lewiston Tribune March 3, 2024 IDAHO CLASS 1A DI STATE CHAMPIONS: Lapwai Wildcats get revenge, win 13th state boys basketball title Lapwai wins 13th boys basketball state title, ties Borah for most in Idaho By Trevan Pixley Sports staff Mar 3, 2024 There?s something to be said about delayed gratification and the feeling one gets when the ultimate goal is achieved. The Lapwai Wildcats boys basketball team was on the verge of a third consecutive Idaho Class 1A Division I state championship victory on March 4, 2023, until it ran into an unexpected speed bump ? the Lakeside (Plummer) Knights, which dethroned Lapwai in overtime, ending a 62-game win streak in the process. The loss put the Wildcats? dynasty on pause, but they ?worked 365 days to get better for this one game,? according to coach Zachary Eastman, and they wanted that game to be a state title rematch against the Knights. No. 1 Lapwai got its wish on Saturday in the 1A DI championship game against No. 3 Lakeside at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, and its hunger for redemption was on display. The Wildcats led the entire way and notched a 67-54 win over the Knights to reclaim their spot as the top team in 1A DI. ?These boys have worked hard since they lost that game on March 4,? Eastman said. ?They came into the gym at 6 a.m. and worked all year for this game, and now we?ve done it, and it?s time to go back to our community and have fun together.? Lapwai?s win was its 13th state championship triumph, which ties Borah for the most in the state. Here?s how the 1A DI title tilt played out: Wynott save your best for last? Senior guard Kase Wynott, who is Idaho?s all-time high school career scoring leader, fielded another legendary performance on Saturday. The Utah State commit contributed 46 points, a career-best at the state tournament and was three points shy of an event record. Wynott was efficient in his final game in white and powder blue, finishing 13-of-29 (44.8%) from the field, 5-of-13 (38.4%) from deep and 15-of-17 (88.2%) at the free-throw line. On defense, the senior was tasked with guarding Lakeside?s best player, Tyson Charley, and held him to 11 points on 4-of-14 (28.5%) shooting. Wynott finished his career with 2,962 points. ?He?s just been a generational talent,? Eastman said. ?You?re not going to be able to coach a lot of Kase Wynotts, so it?s been awesome to have him on our team for four years. He?s been a great person to coach, and I see his hard work and dedication to a winning program. Kase not only got a scoring title this year; he?s going to go down in the Lapwai history books as a legend.? A grand defensive effort The Wildcats (25-2) have been forming their scouting report on the Knights (17-4) for about six months and played mostly man-to-man defense in an attempt to eliminate the long ball. This forced the Knights to drive inside and the Wildcats did a solid job of staying home and keying in on their man. ?The two things we talked about were drive, no middle,? Eastman said. ?We wanted to make them drive because they have a lot of good passers and they score a lot off of drives and kicks. The guys had to play strong defense and force them to shoot over us.? Lakeside was held to 54 points, well below its season average of 79.5 per game, and was a lowly 1-of-12 from beyond the arc. Put a pin in it early The Wildcats got off to a sweltering start, thanks in part to Wynott and Ahlius Yearout. The pair of upperclassmen scored Lapwai?s first 12 points to pull ahead 12-4 with 4:09 left in the first quarter. The duo combined for 31 of the Wildcats? 37 points in the first half. Lapwai opened the game on a 6-0 run and kept the Knights at arm?s length for the majority of the 32 minutes. Subscribe and save on a digital rate Lakeside pulled to within 14-10 with 2:21 remaining in the first quarter with a mid-range jumper from Charley. That?s as close as the Knights would get the rest of the way. Lakeside went on a mini 7-2 spurt with 5:48 left in regulation to cut its deficit to 57-48. Knights senior Brutus Sijohn missed a triple on the ensuing possession that would?ve breathed life into his team. But instead, the Wildcats went on an 8-3 run to take a 65-51 advantage with 2:45 left in the game. ?We knew they?d go on their run, and we needed to score with them," Eastman said. ?If we were going to score with them, we needed to play defense and just play Lapwai basketball.? A cultural impact Both teams reside on a Native American reservation, and the pregame was filled with tradition. There were dancers and a performance of the Nez Perce flag song before tip-off. ?It was nice to see two Native American schools as the top two teams in 1A basketball,? Eastman said. ?The tribal flag songs before the game meant a lot to both communities because it showed a little insight into Nez Perce and Coeur d?Alene history and how important basketball is to our culture.? Players of the game/stats of note The Wildcats outrebounded the Knights 40-25. Yearout notched a team-high 11 boards to go with 13 points for a double-double. Chris Bohnee pitched in an additional 10 rebounds to go with three points. The senior forward played all 32 minutes and was a ?big reason? behind Saturday?s victory, according to Eastman. ?He stepped up big time throughout the state tournament,? Eastman said. ?He almost had a triple-double in the last game and had a lot of putbacks. We always say there?s going to be one person that steps up during the state tournament, and that was Chris Bohnee.? Both teams took care of the basketball on Saturday. Lakeside only committed one turnover, and Lapwai had five. The Wildcats outscored the Knights 14-6 in second-chance points. Lapwai was 20-of-47 (42.6%) from the field, and Lakeside was 17-of-53 (32.1%). LAKESIDE (17-4) Hallah Peone 0 2-2 2, Brutus Sijohn 5 7-8 17, Blaze Callahan 2 0-2 4, Liam Hendrix 0 6-6 6, Tsones Nomee 0 0-0 0, Qwincy Hall 3 1-1 7, Beau Jones 0 0-0 0, Preston Spotted-Horse 2 0-0 4, Josua Kee 1 1-3 3, Tyson Charley 4 2-2 11. Totals 17 19-24 54. LAPWAI (25-2) Julius Barros 0 0-0 0, Joseph Payne 1 0-0 3, Farrell Hayes 1 0-1 2, Triston Konen 0 0-0 0, Marcus Guzman 0 0-0 0, Quenten Kipp 0 0-0 0, Vincent Kipp 0 0-1 0, Christopher Bohnee 1 1-1 3, Ahlius Yearout 4 0-0 13, Ahlius Yearout 4 5-7 13, LaRicci George-Smith 0 0-0 0, Kase Wynott 13 15-17 46. Totals 20 21-27 67. Lakeside 8 12 21 13?54 Lapwai 17 20 18 12?67 3-point goals ? Charley, Wynott 5, Payne
Date: March 2, 2024
Time: 11:30am
Venue: Idaho Center
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