Post Falls can't hold on vs. Eagle
Jason Elliott Sports Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 10 months AGO
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls assistant coach Kelsi DeHaas, far right, consoles Melody Kempton at the end of State 5A girls final game against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressMacky Morris of Post Falls tries to get to the basket during their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressMelody Kempton of Post Falls shoots during the last half of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players react in the last seconds of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/Press Jenna Gardiner of Post Falls shoots during the second half of a state 5A girls basketball tournament semifinal game against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa on Friday night. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players react in the last seconds of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressBayley Brennan of Post Falls drives drives down the court during their State 5A girls game against Eagle at the Fort Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday night.
LISA JAMES/ PressTyler McCliment-Call of Post Falls drives down the court during the second half of their State 5A girls basketball tournament game against Eagle at the Fort Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday night. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressTyler McCliment-Call of Post Falls drives down the court during the second half of their State 5A girls basketball tournament game against Eagle at the Fort Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday night. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressMelody Kempton of Post Falls shoots during the last half of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressMelody Kempton of Post Falls shoots during the last half of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressBayley Brennan of Post Falls drives drives down the court during their State 5A girls game against Eagle at the Fort Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday night.
LISA JAMES/ PressBayley Brennan of Post Falls scores during their State 5A girls game against Eagle at the Fort Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday night.
LISA JAMES/ PressBayley Brennan of Post Falls drives drives down the court during their State 5A girls game against Eagle at the Fort Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday night.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players react in the last seconds of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressMelody Kempton of Post Falls shoots during the last half of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressJenna Gardiner of Post Falls shoots during the last half of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players react during the last half of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressBayley Brennan of Post Falls drives drives down the court during their State 5A girls game against Eagle at the Fort Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday night.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players react in the last seconds of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players react in the last seconds of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/PressGenesis Prep players react after losing their state championship playoff game against Salmon River at Nampa High School on Friday afternoon. Genesis lost 66-51.
LISA JAMES/ PressPost Falls players react in the last seconds of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
LISA JAMES/ PressJenna Gardiner of Post Falls shoots during the last half of their final game of the State 5A girls basketball tournament against Eagle at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, ID, on Friday evening. Post Falls lost 57-54.
NAMPA — That whole wait ’til next year thing almost happened sooner than later.
Almost.
Really close.
But Abby Mangum’s 3-point play with 1:33 remaining gave the Eagle Mustangs the lead for good in a 57-54 win over the Post Falls Trojans in a state 5A girls basketball semifinal game at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa on Friday.
Post Falls (20-3), aiming for a return trip to the championship game for the first time since winning in 2013, was outscored 13-4 in the fourth quarter after leading 50-44, and leading by as much as 48-37 in the third quarter. Eagle (25-1) will make its first trip to the title game since 1998. The Trojans will face Madison (20-6) of Rexburg in today’s third-place game at Ridgevue High in Caldwell.
“With our youth, we played like a team at state for the first time,” Post Falls coach Marc Allert said. “Other times, we played really well. I was proud of how we played. The kids battled and they took us out of a lot of things we wanted to do, but the kids kept stepping up and making plays.”
Junior Melody Kempton had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Post Falls before fouling out with 1:58 remaining and the Trojans leading 54-52. Sydney Parks had 10 points and six rebounds for Post Falls.
“Sydney was huge for us in the first half,” Allert said. “She was our leading scorer and leading rebounder (10 points, four rebounds) and they did a good job on Melody in the first half, and she stepped up and hit some huge shots. She was huge in the first half for us.”
Point guard Bayley Brennan, who injured her right ankle in Thursday’s win over Mountain View, finished with 11 points.
“We wanted to win this year,” Brennan said. “We didn’t want to think too far ahead, but we wanted to get it done this year. We definitely can learn on this for next year.”
“They just turned up the pressure on us,” Allert said. “We hadn’t been in a lot of those situations. With Bayley’s ankle, she just couldn’t go by people like she normally does. And that hurt. We’ve kind of relied on her all year breaking the press, and it was something we just kind of had to work through.”
Mangum finished with 12 points for Eagle, which took its first lead since 17-15 in the first quarter on a jumper by Mangum with 4:02 remaining.
Post Falls regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Brennan to make it 54-52 with 3:47 remaining.
“They’re a really, really good team,” fourth-year Eagle coach Cody Pickett said of Post Falls. “They’re really well coached and he does a great job with them. Their players are tough and we were fortunate to come out on the positive side of things.”
Kempton had 10 rebounds in the second half for Post Falls.
“We couldn’t keep her off the glass,” Pickett said. “She had a ton of and-1s, and she’s a really good player. She was all we could handle.”
Cassidy Tiegs added 11 points for Eagle, eight coming in the second half.
“We executed well, but they just executed late in the game,” Parks said. “It hurts, but we’ve got to come back and play hard tomorrow.”
Post Falls has just one senior, who has been out for the season (except for a few seconds of playing time on senior night) with a torn ACL.
“Hopefully we’ll come back with a third place tomorrow,” Parks said. “Next year, hopefully we’ll be back and dominate this tournament.”
Post Falls went 6 for 26 from the field in the second half, while Eagle went 8 of 25, but finished 10 of 15 from the free-throw line in the final 16 minutes.
“It really came down to both team getting momentum and different times,” Brennan said. “I think they just got it at the end of the game.”
Brennan had a shot to tie it, but couldn’t get a good look at the basket as time expired.
Eagle 19 12 13 13 — 57
Post Falls 21 16 13 4 — 54
EAGLE — Mangum 12, King 9, Emerson 9, Tiegs 11, Boyd 8, McKinnie 2, Murray 6. Totals 19-57 14-21 57.
POST FALLS — Morris 0, Gardiner 3, Brennan 11, T. McCliment-Call 6, J. McCliment-Call 6, Robinson 0, Kempton 18, Parks 10. Totals 18-47 12-19 54.
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