Idahoops

20 Years Ago... 1989-90 Idaho Prep Basketball (Back to top)

Boise opened up the 1990 A-1 State Championships held in Pocatello by knocking off the Madison Bobcats 67-61. David Elmore led the Braves with 20 points, while Junior Clay Anderson topped Madison team with 17. Highland of Pocatello got a super game out of Mike Neves, who poured in 36 points in defeating Lewiston 76-64. Ken Strickler topped the Bengals with 17. Rigby got 20 points out of Scott Bidwell in defeating Meridian 78-69, despite the 16 points of Robert Craven of the Warriors. The other first round game saw Pocatello edge Borah 62-61 behind the 27 points of Jamie Boutin. Lee Area, the Lion’s sharp shooting guard threw in 22 points.

Second round consolation games saw Madison beat Lewiston in overtime 72-69. Jared Lamph’s 16 points paced the Bobcats, while senior guard Ken Strickler led the Bengals with 27. Borah got 21 points from Dustin Comstock to eliminate Meridian 56-53. Bob Gywn led the Warrior attack with 17 points. Semi-finals for the Championship bracket saw the Highland Rams upset Boise 66-63 as Mike Neves scored a team leading 22 points. James Cornwall matched Neve’s effort with 22 for the Braves. The final contest of the day was a Pocatello victory over Rigby 72-56. Jamie Boutin again led the Indian attack with 22, while Marshall Clark topped the Trojans with 18.

In the Consolation final Madison got 16 points from Trent Gardner as they blasted Borah 71-49. Dustin Comstock led Borah with 17 points. The third place contest was a high scoring affair with Rigby beating Boise 82-70. George Wilson put in 29 points, while teammate Jared Jensen supported him with 20 of his own. Senior Nate Benson paced the Braves with 25. The Championship was an all Pocatello affair as Highland and Pocatello squared off against each other. Pocatello had won the previous four games, could they win another one:

Highland (50)	FG	FT	PTS	Pocatello (46)	FG	FT	PTS
Mark Kaip	2	1	7	Stan Hales	6	0	15
Brian Ricks	2	4	8	Mike Berrey	3	1	9
Mike Neves	5	9	21	Jamie Boutin	1	1	3
Gary Anderson	1	1	4	Glen Godfrey	2	1	5
Dave Bell	1	2	4	Eric Cotton	2	3	7
				Nate Jorgensen	1	5	7

3 Pointers-Kaip 2, Neves 2, Anderson, Hales (3) Berrey (2)

The State A-2 Championships were held in Pocatello with eight teams vieing for the title. Preston jumped all over Wallace in the first game winning 78-63. Milt Yearsley led the Indian attack with 24 points, while backcourt mate Bill Golightly had 21. Wallace was led in scoring by Bruce Bailey and John Roletto with 13. Lakeland outscored Middleton 76-73 in the next game as Bob Meshew led the Lakeland assault with 23 points. Middleton’s Trevor Radford led all scorers with 24. Bishop Kelly clobbered Jerome 66-47 as Jim Potter scored 23 for the Knights, while the Tigers were led by Matt Williams with 11. Shelley outran the Bear Lake Bears 82-66 as Chad Dickemore led the Russetts with 19 points. The Bears were led in scoring by Garrick Peterson with 22.

Semi final consolation contests saw Middleton taking care of Wallace 72-54. Keith Sale led the Vikings with 28 points, while the Miners were topped by the 13 of Darrin Yost. The other contest was dominated by Jerome who eliminated the Bear Lake club by a 84-48 score. Matt Farnsworth led a balanced attack for the Tigers with 20 points, while the Bears were topped by Garrick Peterson’s 16. In the Championship bracket Milt Yearsley scored 21 points to lead Preston over Lakeland 64-57. Jim Stevens led the team from Rathdrum with 14 points. Bishop Kelly reached the finals behind their 6’8” junior center Jim Potter who poured in 33 points for the Knights in their win over Shelley 62-57. Chad Dickemore again led the Russetts with 19 points.

Keith Sale scored 17 points to lead Middleton to the Consolation Championship over Jerome 60-57. Matt Williams topped the Tiger scoring with 17. In the third place game senior Hadley Foster led the Shelley Russetts to a 54-46 win over Lakeland. Foster led the Russetts with 15 points, while the Tigers from Lakeland were led by Mark Bengston with 14. The Championship was to be a tremendous game:

Preston (67)	FG	FT	PTS	Bishop Kelly (66)	FG	FT	PTS
Jake Hamblin	5	0	11	Eric Graff	0	0	0
Doug Meek	5	0	10	Kevin Grant	1	0	2
Milt Yearsley	6	4	19	Kevin McCarthy	1	0	3
Bill Golightly	1	0	3	Mike Hagman	0	1	1
John Schumann	1	0	2	Jim Potter	9	3	21
Alan Foss	3	1	8	Curtis	1	0	2
Darren Larsen	4	3	14	Greg Hardee	12	13	37

3 Pointers- Hamblin, Yearsley 3, Golightly, Foss, D. Larsen 3, McCarthy

The State A-3 Championships will see a different champ this year as three time defending State Champs, Lapwai was upset by Challis in the first game 68-66. The game, which was held in Moscow, saw Richard Skeen and Jerrod Farr each put in 16 points for the Vikings. Winfred Perez scored 14 points for the Wildcats from Lapwai. In the second contest, Valley High School of Hazelton and Eden defeated Kamiah 70-56. David Black led the Vikings with 21, while Kamiah was led by freshman sensation Jared Mercer and Brian Wilkins with 14 each. Fruitland, coming in with an undefeated season on the line, managed to escape with a 78-71 victory over Malad. Mikkel Christensen led the Griz with 18 points, with 6’4” Todd Hubbard topping the Dragons with 31. The final contest was a narrow victory by Ririe 57-54 over Soda Springs. Cory Radford led the Bulldogs with 18. The Cardinals were led by their 6’5” senior Jeff Dorius with 16 points.

The first team eliminated was Kamiah as they were knocked off by their second district rival Lapwai 53-51. Paris Leighton led the Wildcats with 16 and the Kubs were topped by Jared Mercer with 24. Malad sent Soda Springs home by knocking of the Cardinals 58-42 behind the 16 points of sophomore Justin Jones. Micah Rigby was the Soda Springs scoring leader with 12. In the Championship semi-finals, Valley held off a very determined Challis club 65-60. The Vikings of Valley were led by Bernard Mussman with 20 points, while Jerrod Farr led the other Vikings with 23. Fruitland’s perfect season came to an end as they were knocked off by the Ririe Bulldogs 55-52. Nathan Burnside and Chad Johnson led the Bulldogs with 12 points each. Eric Race scored a game high 22 for the Grizzlies.

Malad won the Consolation Title as they defeated Lapwai handily 64-44 as Todd Hubbard scored 20 points, with Carlo Chimburas leading the way for Lapwai with 11 counters. Fruitland got back on their winning ways with a 75-62 victory of Challis in the third place game as Eric Race led them with 19 points. Richard Skeen of the Vikings has an outstanding game pouring in 28 points including 5 three pointers. The Championship game pitted the Valley Vikings against the Ririe Bulldogs with the winner being:

Ririe (64)	FG	FT	PTS	Valley (50)	FG	FT	PTS
Nathan Burnside	6	2	15	Chuck Springer	6	1	18
Justin Wheeler	1	3	5	David Black	1	1	4
Kenny Burnside	2	0	4	Brian Hardy	2	0	4
Jerry Cook	6	4	17	Blake Mitchell	4	3	12
Cory Radford	3	0	6	Bernard Mussman	4	2	12
Brian Newman	1	1	3
Chad Johnson	2	6	10
Jessie Woods	1	2	3

Three Pointers-N. Burnside, Cook, Springer 5, Black, Mitchell, Mussman 2

The 1990 State A-4 Championship was held at Moscow where first round action started with Castleford whipping Marsing 72-47 as the Huskies started very slow, being down 13-0 before they could finally find the bottom of the bucket. Jeremy Burgess led a balanced attack for the Wolves with 18 points. Tim Ahaus 18 points for Marsing in the loss. Midvale knocked off defending champ Shoshone 51-42 as Robert Wolfe scored 15 points for the Rangers. Alex Ugalde led the Indians with 15. Mackay edged Worley in overtime 60-57 behind Brad Lambson’s 19 points. The Huskies were led by the 24 points of Sam Abrahamson. The final contest saw Zario Zigler score a state A-4 record 48 points to point the way for Highland of Craigmont over Garden Valley 95-71. Chris Chesnut led the Wolverines with 24 points.

Second day action saw Marsing eliminate Shoshone 56-55 as Jamie Wood scored 22 points for the Huskies. The Indians were led by Alex Ugalde with 31. Shoshone played the two games without their leading scorer, Joe Messick, who severely sprained his ankle before their first game with Midvale. Worley also was sent packing by Garden Valley 60-55 as Chris Fenton scored 17 points, the Huskies were led by junior Ed Wolfe with 28 points. Castleford advanced to the Championship game, defeating Midvale in overtime 79-69. Jeremy Burgess led the Wolves with 22 points, while Kirk Grothaus nailed seven three pointers on his way to 24 points. Highland of Craigmont received 20 points from Jeff Hottinger as they defeated Mackay 56-44. Mackay was led by their 6’8” senior center, Darin Anderson who put in 18 points for the Miners.

Garden Valley held off a Marsing charge to win the Consolation Championship 64-62 as Chris Fenton hit on five three pointers to lead the Wolverines with 27 points. Marsing got 21 points from Jamie Wood, while sophomore teammate Tim Ahaus had 20 points, eighteen of them coming from the free throw line. Third place belonged to the Midvale Rangers with a 68-64 win over Mackay. Kevin Hooper had 27 points, while teammate Kirk Grothaus added 22. Mackay was led by big Darin Anderson with 26.

The State Championship game turned out to be a rout for one of the teams:

Castleford (64)	FG	FT	PTS	Highland-Craigmont (46)	FG	FT	PTS
Erik Allred	8	5	23	Greg Smith	1	0	2
Jeremy Burgess	3	0	9	Jeff Hottinger	5	5	15
Steve Lott	4	0	10	John Watson	5	5	15
Bill DeBoer	4	0	8	Zario Zigler	3	0	8
Bruce Hahn	3	1	7	Kirby Duman	1	0	2
Hulse	1	0	2	Ryan Hasselstrom	0	0	0
Travis Lammers	0	0	0	Stacy Hunt	0	0	0
Pasquale	1	0	3

Three pointers- Allred 2, Burgess 3, Lott 2, Pasquale, Zigler 2

IDAHO PREP HAPPENINGS IN 1990
Top prep scorers for the year were in A-1 Trent Rose, Skyline 22.4, Jamie Boutin, Pocatello 20.1; A-2 Jeff Nearing, Bonners Ferry junior 23.8, Jim Potter, Bishop Kelly junior 21.7; A-3 Todd Hubbard, Malad 24.1, Jared Mercer, Kamiah freshman 22.3; A-4 Evan Nebeker, Murtaugh 24.5, Ed Wolfe, Worley junior 23.2 , Jamie Wood, Marsing 23.2.

High games of the year were turned in by Todd Hubbard of Malad who threw in 50 points against Soda Springs. Zario Zigler of Highland of Craigmont had the second high game with 48 , but saved it for the perfect time at the State Tournament against Garden Valley.

College players who saw action during the season were Jeff Sanor–Boise/Boise State; Mike Winger–Coeur d’Alene/Gonzaga; Ed Gorder–Snake River/Weber State; Pete Eisenrich–Borah/Boise St.; Tommy Connor–Borah/Utah; Andy Toolson–Twin Falls/BYU.

30 Years Ago... 1979-80 Idaho Prep Basketball (Back to top)

The 1979-80 A-1 State Basketball Tournament was held at Meridian High School. The opening game was a Skyline massacre of the Minico Spartans. The Grizzlies knocked off the Minidoka County crew 58-33 with Cleve Lewis leading Skyline scorers with 20 points, while Bob Jesse led Minico with 14. Craig Spjute scored 13 points as Boise High defeated Bonneville 54-50. Rich Webb and 6'6" Brent Walker each scored 12 points for the Bees. Capital got 16 points from Jeff Hebert and Jeff Carter to beat Coeur d'Alene 62-47. Mike Robb put in 18 for the Vikings. In the final game of the day, Highland beat Mountain Home in the final seconds 41-40. Phil Jensen led Ram scorers with 19, while Paul Masten paced the Tigers with 10.

Second day action saw Minico nip Coeur d'Alene 56-55 behind the 13 points of Bob Maloney. Mike Robb scored 28 points to pace the Vikings in the loss. The other consolation game was won by Mountain Home 78-76 over Bonneville. Roy Collier had 24 for the Tigers, while Bonneville was topped by Rich Webb with 25. In the Championship semi-finals, Boise moved on as they defeated Highland 54-43 behind the 20 points of Craig Spjute. Rick Kolsen led the Rams with 14. Jeff Hebert scored 11 points as Capital squeaked by Skyline 33-32. Eric Ludlow and Nick Olsen led the Grizzlies with 8 each.

Roy Collier scored 15 points to lead Mountain Home to the Consolation Championship over Minico 64-58. The Spartans got 11 points from Jeff Miller. The third place game was won by Skyline over Highland 41-35. Cleve Lewis led the Grizzlies with 12 points, while the Rams got 15 from Rick Kolsen. The Championship game was to be a dandy between cross-town rivals Capital and Boise, the winner was:

Boise (46)	FG	FT	PTS	Capital (44)	FG	FT	PTS
Mark Owen	2	4	8	Scott Ahlstrom	5	2	12
Mark Lung	2	0	4	Jeff Hebert	5	0	10
Craig Spjute	7	2	16	Jeff Carter	5	4	14
John Swanson	1	1	3	Doug Burnside	1	2	4
Mike Eisenmen	1	1	3	Greg Hagood	1	0	2
Doug Tate	5	2	12	Tom Zimmerman	1	0	2

Reed Gymnasium in Pocatello was the scene of the A-2 State Tournament. Kent Sullivan scored 19 points in the first game as St. Maries gunned down Preston 64-44. Todd Thomas, the Indians 6'7" center, led his club with 11. Moscow, entering the tournament with a 10-14 record upset the Madison Bobcats 54-50 with Steve Steele and Bret Dirks each scoring 16 points for the Bears, while Madison was led by Trent Siddoway with 16. Bishop Kelly grabbed a 56-50 victory over Kellogg as Mark DuVall scored 14 for the Knights. The Wildcats were led by Alex Flores' 20. Wrapping up the first day of competition saw Tracy Orr score 27 points to lead South Fremont to a two overtime win over Payette 70-69 to push the Pirates into the consolation bracket. Mark Adams scored 24 points, with help from John Boyle, who scored 22, but it wasn't enough.

Consolation semi finals saw the Bobcats of Madison dumping Kellogg from the tournament by a 76-47 score. Robert Lee led the winners with 23, while the Wildcats got 16 from their dynamic guard Alex Flores. The other contest went to Preston, who managed to knock off a tenacious Payette Pirate team 72-66. Todd Thomas led the Indians with 25 points, while Mark Adams countered with 23 for the Pirate offense. Championship semis saw St. Maries barely nudging out a win against South Fremont 78-76. Kent Sullivan put in 21 for the Loggers, while the Cougars got 18 from John Weaver.

In the other contest Moscow pulled off their second straight upset of the tournament, edging Bishop Kelly 53-51 behind the 22 points of Steve Steele. The Knights were paced by Jess Asla, Mike DuVall and Scott Lawrence with 12 points each. The Consolation Championship saw Madison holding off a determined Preston team 63-61. Madison had a 42-27 lead at the half, but the Indians nearly got there, but just fell short. Dave Schiess led the Bobcats with 20 points, while Todd Thomas continued his great tournament with 27 points and 14 rebounds. South Fremont finished up a rare State appearance with a third place victory over Bishop Kelly 67-59. Tracy Orr scored 27, while junior John Weaver backed him up with 24. Jess Asla kept the Knights in the game, as he shot 84% from the field, finishing up with 32 points on 16 field goals.

In the Championship game, could Moscow keep up the way of Cinderella against a tough St. Maries team:

St. Maries (66)	FG	FT	PTS	Moscow (68)	FG	FT	PTS
Brian Sines	6	2	14	Barry Kees	0	0	0
Kent Sullivan	8	0	16	Jeff Helbling	0	0	0
Jay Sines	2	0	4	Steve Steele	4	8	16
Jeff Martin	0	0	0	Wynn Mosman	6	2	14
Pat Maher	0	2	2	Brad Williams	3	5	11
Rieger	0	0	0	Larry Lathen	0	1	1
Jim Metzger	1	1	3	Bret Dirks	6	10	22
Mike Bayley	0	0	0	Greg Scott	0	2	2
Marc Maher	3	0	6	Keith Hertel	0	0	0
Dan Roe	0	0	0	Dan Monson	0	0	0
Mike Dustin	3	1	7	Bob White	0	0	0
Tim Jeramias	3	8	14	Steve Mahaffy	1	0	2

The College of Southern Idaho In Twin Falls was the setting for the State A-3 Championship, which had some exciting first round games. Lapwai edged Melba 45-44 in the first game as Jamie White scored 18 points to pace the Wildcats in the win. Brian Mickelson led the losers with 14 points. Sugar Salem scored 10 points in overtime to defeat Filer 71-65. Ron Clark paced the Diggers with 27 big points, while 6'8" Jay Decker led the Wildcats with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Westside defeated Glenns Ferry 48-43, getting 12 points from Kevin Cornia. The Pilots got 12 points each from Steve Hughes and Tim Black. The only lopsided game was the final one which saw Fruitland beat Teton 75-58. Big Randy Nichols scored 19 points while pulling down 14 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. Layne Hastings and Bron Rammell led the Redskins with 14 points each.

Filer sent Melba home early eliminating the Mustangs 57-47 behind the 16 points of Erik Peterson, the same as the Mustangs Randy Potter. Glenns Ferry sent Teton home in the other consolation game 71-68 as Steve Hughes poured in 22 points. Bron Rammell led the Teton charges with 22 of his own. Sugar Salem again went into overtime, this time being two of them. They managed to hold off a game Lapwai Wildcat club 70-69. Ron Clark again led the Diggers with 17, while Jamie White led his club for the second straight game with 19. The other semi-final took another two overtimes to settle the outcome. Fruitland prevailed 63-62 as 6'7" Randy Nichols scored 18 points for the Griz and the Pirates were topped by sophomore Paul Smart with 19.

Steve Hughes led his Glenns Ferry Pilot club with 25 points as they defeated Filer 66-61 for the Consolation trophy. Mark Farmer led the Wildcats with 15. In the third place contest Westside outran Lapwai 84-69 as Mackay Moore and Kris Baird each scored 19 points. Scott Williams led the Wildcats with 25, teammate Jamie White added 21. In the Championship game Fruitland was hoping to cap off a perfect season as they put their 25-0 record up against the talented Sugar Salem Diggers:

Fruitland (75)	FG	FT	PTS	Sugar Salem (68)	FG	FT	PTS
Ryan Holt	3	1	7	Ron Clark	10	3	23
Scott Auker	4	4	12	Robert Dalling	9	0	18
Randy Nichols	9	6	24	James Thomas	2	0	4
Dave Coleman	7	2	16	Grant Hawkes	3	0	6
Larry Zeigler	6	0	12	Robert Blaser	1	0	2
Vince Carlson	0	0	0	Mark Blaser	2	0	4
Byron Jennings	0	2	2	Marty Garn	1	0	2
Kelly Heneggler	1	0	2	Phil Rassmussen	4	1	9
				Duane Boone	0	0	0

The State A-4 Championships centered around 8 clubs all looking for the title at Lewiston's Booth Hall. Nezperce defeated Bliss 47-40 as Craig Bradley led the Indian's attack with 21 points, the Bears were led by Lou Wilkins with 21 of his own. Clark Fork got an early lead and coasted to a 70-61 victory over Salmon River behind the 22 points of Drew Westfall. Eric Barnard led the Savages with 19 points. Culdesac managed to hold off Mackay 40-39 to win their first round game. Mike Bettinson led the Wolves with 15 points, the Miner's Shane Rosenkrance topped his team's scoring with 12. The final game saw Murtaugh knocking Council into the consolation bracket with a 47 -42 victory. Kip Gunnell scored 15 points for the Red Devils, while Matt Edmunson and Tim DeHaas topped the Lumberjacks with 12 each.

Bliss was eliminated by Salmon River in the second round 45-40, the Savages were led by Marty Gill with 18 , two more than Lou Wilkins of Bliss. The other consolation contest saw Mackay outscoring Council 63-48. Gerry Nelson led the Miners with 18 points, while Tim DeHaas topped the Lumberjacks with 16. Culdesac, making their first State appearance since 1964, surprised Murtaugh 46-44 in the first semi-final, but it took two overtimes. Mike Bettinson, a 6'3" senior four year starter led the Wolves with 21 points. Paul Graff led the Red Devil scoring with 14. Lonn Leitch scored 28 points with help from teammate Craig Bradley (23) points as Nezperce advanced to the Tournament Championship by defeating the Wampus Cats of Clark Fork 82-70. Bob Hays scored 24 points, teammate Drew Westfall added 22 in the loss.

The Consolation final saw Mackay hold off Salmon River 61-59, despite 24 points from the Savage's Marty Gill. Shane Rosenkrance, a smooth 6'4" senior led the Miners scoring with 18 points. Clark Fork defeated Murtaugh 69-59 for third place as the Wampus Cats got 18 points from Bob Hays. Roy Nebeker, the Red Devils fine 6'1" freshman led his club with 21 points. The Championship game was an all District two affair between Culdesac and Nezperce, who split 4 games on the year , now for the tie-breaker:

Nezperce (45)	FG	FT	PTS	Culdesac (49)	FG	FT	PTS
Chris Braun	0	0	0	Mike Bettinson	6	2	14
John Marker	3	2	8	Gene Albright	4	1	9
Lonn Leitch	9	3	21	Mike Summers	0	1	1
Craig Bradley	4	1	9	Larry Vincent	8	4	20
Dana Schmitz	0	0	0	Brad Styner	1	1	3
Kurt Braun	0	2	2	Tracy Haag	1	0	2
Scot Schlader	1	0	2	Larry Sullivan	0	0	0
Drew Leitch	1	1	3

Some Idaho prep happenings during the year; Lou Wilkins of Bliss had the high game of the year pouring in 24 field goals and three free throws against Carey for 51 points. The second high was by Marc Perron of Dietrich with 49 points against the Richfield Tigers. Leading scorers on the year were, A-1 Jeff Wright, Burley (21.85); Junior Mike Robb, Coeur d'Alene (21.48); A-2 Jeff Wright, Orofino (20.73); Robert Goodenough, Soda Springs (20.73); A-3 Tony Stone, Homedale (23.00); Junior Robert Buxton, Butte County (21.39); A-4 Marc Perron, Dietrich (27.00); Eugene Beitz, Rockland (21.18).

Some Idaho products playing college ball were Scott Goold, Highland (Idaho State); Dale Wilkinson, Highland (Idaho State); Jeff Brudie, Bonneville (Idaho); Reed Jaussi, Idaho Falls (Idaho); Dan Forge, Lewiston (Idaho); and Bennett Ross, Coeur d'Alene (Idaho). Brudie averaged 9.8 points and Goold averaged 6.4 points for the Bengals.

40 Years Ago... 1969-70 Idaho Prep Basketball (Back to top)

The 1970 State A-1 Tournament was held at Capital High School in Boise. First round games started with Boise knocking off Moscow 77-61. Steve Swanson and Charles LeDuc each scored 25 points. The Bears were led by Nick Johnson with 26 points. Pocatello edged Meridian 60-56 in the second contest with David Cleaves leading Ram scorers with 23, while teammate Harris Hendrickson added 20. Raynor Rumpel paced the Warriors with 16. Minico defeated Sandpoint 70-56 with star center Jim Boatwright pouring in 22 points with 13 rebounds in the win. Randy James led the Bulldogs with 13. The final game of the night saw Don Hutt score 25 points for the Borah Lions as they cruised by Idaho Falls 60-42. Tom Moriarty led the Tigers with 10 points.

Semi-final action in the consolation bracket saw Meridian defeating Moscow in a shoot-out 81-78. Tom Hedstrom led the Warriors with 21 points and Moscow’s Nick Johnson again leading the Bears with 30. In the other consolation contest Idaho Falls throttled Sandpoint 85-55. Jack Robinson and Tom Moriarty led the Tiger scoring attack with 17 points each, with Roy Jacobson putting in 13 for the Bulldogs. In the championship semi-finals, Highland edged Boise 63-61, led by junior Rick Cutright with 21 points. Steve Swanson topped the Braves with 18. In the final contest, Minico crept by Borah 55-51. Jim Boatwright led the Spartans with 22 and Don Hutt again paced the Borah attack with 28 points.

The consolation final saw Idaho Fall put all five starters in double figures, led by Tom Moriarty’s 18. Meridian was led by Norris Dancer with 12 as they fell to the Tigers 65-55. The Third place game ended 61-58 as Boise High knocked off rival Borah. Steve Swanson led the Braves for the third straight game with 16, while Don Hutt did likewise for the Lions with 18. The Championship game was a dandy; Jim Boatwright played his last game for the Spartans and poured in 39 points, but was it enough:

Minico (77)	FG	FT	PTS	Highland (81)	FG	FT	PTS
Randy Ketterling	4	0	8	Craig Avery	1	1	3
Mike O’Donnell	3	2	8	Ted Tomlinson	2	2	6
Darrell Dietz	4	1	9	David Cleaves	9	6	24
Jim Boatwright	13	13	39	Rick Cutright	6	4	16
Powell	1	2	4	Green	0	4	4
John Fennell	4	1	9	Harris Hendrickson	11	1	23
				Peavier	2	0	4
				Gerlach	0	1	1

The State A-2 Tournament was held in Pocatello with 8 teams ready to claim the title. The first game was captured by Wood River who defeated Preston 55-53. Daryl James put up 18 points for the Wolverines, while Bob Godfrey led the Indians with 21. The next game featured the Post Falls Trojans against the Shelley Russetts. The Russetts got their fast break going and trounced the Trojans 96-61. Merrett Harker led Shelley with 22; Bub Bowen led the Trojans with 17. Aberdeen captured the next contest defeating Orofino 66-50. Brock Driscoll and LeRoy Hayes led the Tigers with 19 each, with Rick Chase leading the Maniacs with 11. The final contest saw Gary Aldous and Eric Nelson score 18 points each to lead Salmon over Bishop Kelly 71-57. Nick Ysursa paced the Knight scorers with 19.

Semi-final contests were first up in consolation Preston out ran Post Falls 78-71. The Indians were topped in scoring by Tom Dunn with 21 points; Bub Bowen was red hot for Post Falls with 33 points in a losing effort. Stellar guard Nick Ysursa led the Bishop Kelly Knights past Orofino in the other consolation game 84-62. The Maniac’s Norm McIver and Rick Chase led their club with 13 each. Daryl James scored 21 points for Wood River, but it wasn’t enough as Shelley outscored the Wolverines 70-55 to reach the finals. The Russetts were led in scoring by Brad Bowen with 20 points. In the other semi-final, Salmon made it an all 6th District Final by knocking off Aberdeen 68-59. Mark Heald and Steve Beller led all Savages with 17 points each. Aberdeen was led by Wes Tieszen with 15.

Bishop Kelly won the Consolation championship 77-70 over a game Preston club as Pete Even led the Knights with 20 points, while Bob Godfrey poured in 28 for the losers. Third place went to the Aberdeen Tigers as they beat Wood River 77-62. Brock Driscoll led the Tigers with 20 points, while Rick Aldinger topped Wood River with the same amount. An all 6th District match-up for championship went like this:

Salmon (55)	FG	FT	PTS	Shelley (63)	FG	FT	PTS
Loren Arfmann	3	0	6	Brad Bowen	5	5	15
Mark Heald	5	1	11	Alfred Arpin	2	3	7
Steve Beller	4	6	14	Curtis Thompson	5	1	11
Eric Nelson	4	3	11	Sid Page	4	3	11
Gary Aldous	6	1	13	Merritt Harker	8	3	19

The 1970 A-3 State Tournament was held at Lewiston, with the first game going to the Sugar Salem Diggers 73-64 over St. Gertrude’s Academy of Cottonwood. George Lawson led the Diggers to the win with 23 points. Lindy Hinkelman showed his magic, scoring 36 for the losers. Stan Zatica scored 19 points as Homedale clipped IHM Academy 68-54. Art Webb led the IHM crew from Coeur d’Alene with 18 points. New Plymouth barely nipped Grace 60-59 in the next contest, with Scott Justice leading the Pilgrims with 19 and Jeff Hill and Phil Carter each nabbed 15 points for the Red Devils. The final game saw Wendell beating a tough Genesee squad 62-58. Kirk Dennis scored 27 points for the Trojans, while the Bulldogs were topped by Fred Morscheck’s 20.

Semi finals, first in consolation, saw Lindy Hinkelman have another great day for St. Gertrude’s with 32 points to slide past IHM Academy 65-63. Art Webb again led the team from Coeur d’Alene with 18 points. Grace defeated Genesee 48-45 in the other losers bracket game. Brock Hurt led Grace with 14 points and Mike Egland led the Bulldogs with 14. On the winners side of the Semi-finals, Homedale slipped past Sugar Salem 66-64, as Paul Pearson paced Homedale with 26 and George Lawson topping the Diggers with 19. Wendell reached the Championship game as they handled New Plymouth 74-64. Craig Thompson paced the Trojans with 30 points, and the Pilgrims were led by Scott Justice with 18.

The Consolation Championship saw the St. Gertrude’s crew from Cottonwood winning it over Grace 68-60. The Academy were led by Gary Rehder with 23 points, Grace, from the 5th District was paced by Jim Hubbard 18. Third place was all Sugar Salem as they raced past New Plymouth 92-61. Lynn Briggs led the high scoring Diggers with 26 points; Alan Meyers led the Pilgrim scorers with 20. The Championship was an all Trojan affair, with Wendell meeting Homedale. Junior Paul Pearson poured in 40 points, but was it enough:

Wendell (67)	FG	FT	PTS	Homedale (60)	FG	FT	PTS
Craig Thompson	6	5	17	Gary Vance	0	0	0
Kirk Dennis	8	2	18	Ross	0	0	0
Ralph King	4	4	12	Stan Zatica	3	4	10
Gary Rost	5	2	12	Dan Uranga	2	2	6
Brad Sisson	1	4	6	Vern Henson	2	0	4
Rod Adams	1	0	2	Paul Pearson	13	14	40

The State A-4 teams met in Burley to decide who would wear the 1970 State A-4 crown. Action got underway as Murtaugh won a tough battle with Clark County 44-38. Greg Stanger and Mark Howard each scored 11 points for the Red Devils, while Bruce Small and Greg Kator paced the Cowboys with 12 each. Clark Fork ran past Notus, defeating them 89-63 with Jim Lowther pacing the Wampus Cats with 36 points. Chuck Weymouth let the Pirates with 29. Oakley demolished Midvale 86-57 behind Randy Hardy’s 22 points. The Rangers were paced by the 16 points of Roger Cada, The final game saw a State Tournament record set by Bud Abbott of Troy who tossed in 38 points to lead his team past Hagerman 64-55. The Pirates were led by sophomore Doug Butler with 21 points.

Clark County sent Notus home with a 60-51 victory, as Bruce Small scored 35 points for the Cowboys, while Chuck Weymouth again led the Pirates with 20. In the other consolation semi-final, Hagerman knocked off Midvale 63-59 with Russ LeMoyne pouring in 28 points. Roger Cada led the Rangers with 17. In the Championship semi-finals 6’6” Rusty Rounsaville led the Clark Fork Wampus Cats past Murtaugh 65-59 with 24 points. Mark Howard let the Red Devils with 21 points, and sophomore teammate John Flynn scored 20. In the final contest, again the Oakley Hornets had no problem with the Troy Trojans defeating them 89-61. The balanced attack for the Hornets was led by Steve McClaws with 15 points, while Bud Abbott again had a big night for Troy with 22.

The Consolation championship was won by the Hagerman Pirates 46-38, defeating Clark County. Russ LeMoyne led Hagerman with 17, while Bruce Small led the losers with 13. Murtaugh won the 3rd place contest defeating Troy 77-66, getting a big night out of Greg Stanger with 26 points, with help from teammate Mark Howard with 23. Bud Abbott led Troy for the third straight game with 21. The Championship game saw Clark Fork trying to go through an undefeated season, unless Oakley has other ideas:

Oakley (58)	FG	FT	PTS	Clark Fork (48)	FG	FT	PTS
Bud Poulton	2	2	6	Jim Lowther	10	1	21
Kim Martindale	1	1	3	Doug Berkey	3	0	6
Byron Crafton	4	2	10	Rusty Rounsaville	2	0	4
Randy Hardy	5	7	17	Bob Lowther	3	5	11
Steve McClaws	4	5	13	Yaryan	1	0	2
David Egbert	3	1	7	J. Miller	2	0	4
Dutch Robinson	0	0	0	White	0	0	0
Lynn Simmons	1	0	2

Some of the other prep happenings during the year saw Eugene Stroebel of Kuna scoring 53 points in a contest only to see his team lose. Nick Ysursa of Bishop Kelly also had a big game pouring in 46. Jim Boatwright of Minico led all scorers in the state with 28.28 PPG. Others having big years were Carey Toone, Pocatello, Nick Ysursa, Bishop Kelly (22.64), Bub Bowen of Post Falls (22.23), Eugene Stroebel, Kuna (25.58), Lindy Hinkelman, St. Gertrude’s (23.31), Brent Monroe, Elk River (26.14) and Rick Valentine, Garden Valley (25.73). All of them were seniors.

Gary Elliott of Sandpoint was the leading rebounder and second on the team in scoring as he wrapped up an outstanding career at Washington State University. Rob Ross of Moscow saw a lot of action at the Univ. of Idaho; a couple of his teammates were Keith Hessing of Capital and Adrian Wegner of American Falls. Fred Trenkle of Shoshone was a starting guard for the Idaho State Bengals.

50 Years Ago... 1959-60 Idaho Prep Basketball (Back to top)

The 1960 AAA State Tournament was held in Pocatello with 16 teams participating. 1st game went to Buhl who defeated Madison 45-32 with Mike Willer scoring 14 points for the winners, while Madison was led by Tom Fujimoto with 8. Minico knocked off Nampa 50-34 with Leon McBride leading the Spartans with 11, and Bill Cunningham scoring 15 in a losing cause. Pocatello beat Lewiston 55-36, the Indians being led by Dave Alvord and Doug Linde with 12 points each. Joe Dreps led the Bengals with 8. Idaho Falls outscored Caldwell 33-28 with their big 6'7" junior Gary Cook notching 20 points, Bill Huizinga scored 11 for the Cougars. Coeur d'Alene swamped Burley 66-46 as Vikings had their 6'6" junior Tom Moreland score 16. George Moffitt led the Bobcats with 18. Sandpoint edged Malad in a barn burner 76-74. Ed Zaklan led Sandpoint with 22, while Lamont Harrison led all players with 29. Bonneville beat Moscow 56-27 with Leonard Sorenson leading the way for the Bees with 15, while the Bears were led by Birchmier with 11. The final game of the opening round pitted Mountain Home against Blackfoot. The Tigers prevailed 46-37 with Clinton Bays scoring 15 for the Elmore County crew, while Doug Dillard led the Broncos with 11.

2nd Round Consolation games started with Madison edging Malad 60-57. Vaughn Jenkins led the Bobcats with 14 points, with Lamont Harrison topping Malad with 14 of his own. Nampa knocked off Lewiston 43-34 with Larry Willcuts leading the Bulldogs with 21 and Dave Barton topped the Bengals with 8. Burley barely got by Caldwell 49-46, led by Rick Church with 22 for the Bobcats, and Bill Huizinga leading the Cougars with 12. The final consolation game saw Blackfoot defeating Moscow 50-44. Ray Goodwin led the Broncos with 20 and Doug Lyons leading Bear scorers with 14. In the Championship bracket Sandpoint topped Buhl 63-36. Mike Zaklan led the northern crew with 22, with the Indians being led by Gary Matlock with 12. Minico beat Pocatello 57-49, led by Leon McBride with 17. Pocatello was led by the 14 points of Doug Edwards. Idaho Falls had a barn burner with Coeur d'Alene before winning 46-43. Gary Cook led the Falls crew with 17 and Bob Emehiser topping Vikings with 12. The final contest was Bonneville destroying Mountain Home 48-23. Rod Elliott led the Bees with 16, while Harmon led the Tigers with 6.

Third round action with the consolation games were Blackfoot narrowly defeating Madison 64-60. Doug Dillard led the Bingham county squad with 16, with Hemming pacing the Bobcat scoring with 13. The other consolation game saw Nampa knocking off Burley 55-40 with Larry Willcutts burning the nets for 28 points while Rick Church paced Burley with 11. Semi final championships saw Bonneville whipping Sandpoint 68-47. Brent Armstrong paced the Bees with 17 points. Jim April led the Bulldogs with 13. The final game a close contest between Idaho Falls and Minico. The Tigers beat the Spartans 45-40 to set up an all Bonneville county final with the Bees. Jon Knoll and Ken Fillmore led the Tigers with 12 points each. Leon McBride, Darrell Dickson, Gary Anderson and Merlin Vilhauer each scored 9 for the Spartans.

The consolation contest belonged to Blackfoot as they defeated Nampa 44-41. Doran Merkley scored 16 for the Broncs, while Bill Cunningham led the Bulldogs with 14. Now for the State Championship:

Bonneville (38)	FG	FT	PTS	Idaho Falls (48)	FG	FT	PTS
Duncan	0	0	0	Gary Cook	6	9	21
Rod Elliott	6	2	12	Ken Fillmore	5	1	11
Brent Armstrong	2	3	7	Hymas	2	1	5
Hansen	0	0	0	Jon Knoll	2	1	5
Leonard Sorenson	2	0	4	Watson	3	0	6
Robison	0	0	0	Jerry Knoll	0	0	0
Stephens	6	3	15	Erickson	0	0	0

All state players were Gary Cook, Idaho Falls 6'7" Junior, Rod Elliott, Bonneville, Brent Armstrong, Bonneville, Ed Zaklan, Sandpoint and Leon McBride, Minico.

The 1960 AA State Tournament was held in Coeur d'Alene with 4 teams providing the fireworks. In the 1st round St. Maries beat Westside by a 69-63 score. 6'1" junior Ed Haskins was on fire throwing in 39 points, mostly from the corners. DeVere McKay, a 6'3" center paced the Pirates with 21. In the other semi final, Dan DeGroat scored 18 points to lead his Homedale Trojans past Mullan 60-52. Denny Almquist led the Miners with 22 points.

The third place contest was taken by the Westside crew 62-47 over Mullan as DeVere McKay and Cal Porter each scored 14 points, while Mullan's Dale Hegbloom poured in 29 in a losing effort.

Homedale (48)	FG	FT	PTS	St. Maries (62)	FG	FT	PTS
Leslie	0	2	2	Ed Haskins	5	16	26
Bergeson	0	0	0	Hayhurst	3	3	9
Frazier	5	4	14	Lang	1	1	3
Uranga	4	3	11	Rogers	2	1	5
Dan DeGroat	7	5	19	Ed Bradbury	4	1	9
Spath	1	0	2	Speisman	0	0	0
				Fiebeck	0	0	0
				Brady	0	2	2
				Seelig	2	0	4
				Harlan	2	0	4
				C. Bradbury	0	0	0

The 1960 State Class A Tournament was held at Gooding with 4 teams representing trying to capture the crown. The first game saw Mackay defeating Castleford 57-49. The Miners were led by their center Don May with 30 points, Randall Brewer led the Wolves with 19. The other opening game saw the Troy Trojans beating Grand View 55-48, led by Loren Parr with 25, while Larry Harris led the losers with 19.

Consolation game was a Grand View win against Castleford 54-42. Lynn Harris led the Grand View crew with 17, while Paul Buffington led the Wolves with 14. The State final saw:

Troy (58)	FG	FT	PTS	Mackay (50)	FG	FT	PTS
Dick McGahan	5	4	14	Don May	6	4	16
Farley	0	0	0	Lambson	2	0	4
Port	1	0	2	Schmidt	1	5	7
Max Powell	2	2	6	Anderson	1	4	6
Erickson	0	0	0	Cloward	5	3	13
Loren Parr	9	3	21	Olsen	1	0	2
Strong	0	0	0	Kahler	1	0	2
Lynd	0	0	0	Fullmer	0	0	0
Carlson	0	0	0
Lyle Wilkinson	4	0	8
Milton	0	0	0
Dennis Nelson	2	3	7

The Idaho Vandals had a couple of players on their roster from the Gem State, Gary Floan of Orofino and one of their top scorers was Junior Rollie Williams of Kellogg.

60 Years Ago... 1949-50 Idaho Prep Basketball (Back to top)

The 1950 State Class A Tournament first round scores. Caldwell edged Sugar Salem 44-43 with Hugh Stringfield scoring 19 points and Donald Rydalch leading the Diggers with 15. Lewiston defeated Jerome 42-35. Dick Dodel led the Bengals with 15, while Weight of the Tigers scored 10. 6'4" Stan Wilcox poured in 26 points to lead Coeur d'Alene to a 53-39 victory over Rupert. Rupert was led by junior Abby Uriguen with 19. The final game of the evening went to Nampa, as they cruised past Preston 58-39. Buster Eoff scored 15 for the Bulldogs, while Preston was paced by Bert Therrill with 10.

Second day scores in consolation were Jerome edging Sugar Salem 38-36. Dick Bubak led Jerome with 13 points and Sugar was led by Norman Thomas with 14. The other loser bracket game went to Preston, who knocked off Rupert 48-46. Robert Fulton, 6'4" junior, led Preston with 16 pt, while George Hayes led the losers with 15. In the winners bracket, Lewiston defeated Caldwell 41-33, paced by Tommy Flynn's 19 counters, while the Cougars got 16 from Hugh Stringfield. The final game belonged to Nampa, who defeated Coeur d'Alene 43-35. Jay Dean was high scorer for the Bulldogs with 12, and C.W. Totten paced the Vikings with 16.

Preston defeated Jerome for the Consolation prize 39-31. Robert Fulton scored 16 for team from Preston, while Brackenbury led Jerome with 8 points. The championship contest was taken by Nampa who defeated Lewiston 52-34.

Nampa (52)	FG	FT	PTS	Lewiston (34)	FG	FT	PTS
Vern Stephens	4	1	9	Grimm	0	0	0
Buster Eoff	3	1	7	Dick Dodel	0	2	2
Dean	2	3	7	Johnson	0	0	0
Dale Huss	3	0	6	Tommy Flynn	2	4	8
Wayne Blickenstaff	8	2	18	Jack Fairley	7	2	16
Roberts	1	0	2	Powell	0	0	0
Johnson	0	0	0	Nelson	0	0	0
Day	1	0	2	Gary Barton	2	4	8
Finkbeiner	0	0	0
Hallberg	0	1	1

The 1950 State Class B Tournament got underway with Fruitland knocking off Rathdrum 52-36. Don Moore scored 19 for the Grizzlies, while Darrel Sheldon put in 10 for Rathdrum. Heyburn High ran past Post Falls 64-41 with Keith Uscola scoring 23 points, Ben Holmen put up 14 for Post Falls. Genesee slid past McCammon 42-37 with Jim Sather leading the Bulldogs with 17 points. William Crump and George Bowman led McCammon with 11. The final game of the day saw Orofino defeating Butte County 56-35. Pat Hayes led the Maniacs with 15 points. Butte was led by Jim Hopla with 7.

Second day action saw Butte Co. and McCammon moving on in consolation play. Butte Co. defeated Post Falls 50-33 with Parsons putting in 14 for the winners, Huggins led Post Falls with 14 of his own. McCammon trounced Rathdrum 55-32. Kay Stephenson led with 15 points while Rathdrum was paced by Delbert Wachtel. Semi final games included an Orofino win over Heyburn 61-39. Pete Nygaard scored 20 for the Maniacs, while Keith Uscola again led Heyburn with 15. The other semi final saw Genesee drubbing Fruitland 45-36, with the Bulldogs being led by Jim Sather with 11, and Don Moore pacing the Grizzly scoring with 17.

The consolation game had McCammon coming out on the long end of Butte County 55-34. George Bowman paced Bannock county squad with 17, while Butte was led by Pete Jones with 10. The championship was won by Orofino over Genesee 45-33.

Members of the All Tournament team were Pat Hayes of Orofino, Jim Sather of Genesee, George Bowman of McCammon, Keith Uscola of Heyburn and Don Moore of Fruitland.

Orofino (45)	FG	FT	PTS	Genesee (33)	FG	FT	PTS
Pete Nygaard	6	1	13	Nelson	0	1	1
Pat Hayes	2	4	8	Jim Sather	5	2	12
George	1	0	2	Gehrke	1	1	3
Fauterlay	0	0	0	Tom Ochs	1	3	5
Charles Brown	4	2	10	Rex Eikum	1	3	5
Hutchinson	2	2	6	Jim Springer	1	1	3
Williams	1	2	4	Bennett	1	2	4
Gilmer	1	0	2

The Idaho State Bengals had eleven Idaho players on the roster for the 1949-50 season. They included the leading scorer, a sophomore 6'5" Dewey Cunningham of Downey High School at 10.0 points a game. Wesley Leach (8.9), Auburn Howell, Wallace Farnes (4.1), Byron L. Jones (4.5) and Parr Sainsbury all hailed from hometown Pocatello. Others were Leon Morris (5.0) American Falls, Lyle Anderson, McCammon, Melburn Clark (8.2) American Falls, Curtis Cowman, Rockland, and Ray Newman of Meridian.