CALDWELL, Idaho — Grace got a monkey off its back.

The Grizzlies’ boys’ basketball team had lost to Lapwai in the Class 1A-Division I semifinal round in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

On Friday at Caldwell’s Vallivue High School, Grace turned the tables.

The Grizzlies held the Wildcats to 9.5 percent shooting in the first half, then fought through a late Lapwai rally to claim a 57-48 victory and earn their spot in the state final for the first time since 2003. Meanwhile, Lapwai now has been beaten at this point in consecutive years after back-to-back championships.

Grace, riding an 11-game winning streak, meets Ambrose of Meridian at 10:30 a.m. Pacific today at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. Lapwai and Whitepine League Division I foe Potlatch will square off at 10 a.m. Pacific here for third place.

“We’ve been losing to them for the last four years,” 16th-year Grizzlies coach Rory Lloyd said. “They were 3-for-3, and this was the fourth time. It’s a monkey-off-the-back situation, for sure.”

Lapwai (21-4) scored nine of its 13 first-half points from the free-throw line and trailed by 10 at intermission. It was 2-for-21 from the field.

The Grizzlies (16-10) capitalized, preventing second-chance opportunities and scoring often in transition.

“We were getting the shots we wanted, they’d been falling all year, but it’s just the way basketball goes,” first-year Lapwai coach Zachary Eastman said. “Turnovers hurt us big, and we didn’t come out with that fire.”

The Wildcats, who came back from a 16-0 deficit Thursday in blowing past Oakley, didn’t have the same steam. But they did get close, going from down 18 late in the third to trailing 43-36 with about five minutes to play. Kross Taylor hit a 3-pointer and there was a foul underneath, so Lapwai retained possession. Star sophomore guard then Titus Yearout followed with a jumper.

But Lapwai got no closer as Grace — which shot 46.5 percent to Lapwai’s 29 — continued to answer with poised offense and free throws.

“Grace did a great job handling the pressure,” Eastman said. “You could tell they have some players who’ve been in situations like that.”

Yearout took charge late, tallying 16 of his 22 points in the second half. Taylor netted three clutch 3s down the stretch, finishing with 14 points. Lapwai forced 11 backcourt turnovers in the second half, scoring quickly to inch closer.

A conventional three-point play from Yearout on a layup gave Lapwai and its roaring fanbase the momentum headed into the final period.

“You can’t get complacent with Lapwai, they’re very good,” Lloyd said. “They can put some points up in a hurry. … I tell the kids, ‘This thing ain’t over until the buzzer rings.’ Every possession mattered. We got defensive stops, rebounds, took care of the ball on both ends and hit our free throws.”

Lapwai was outrebounded 40-23. A lack of offensive boards was key in Grace’s controlling of the game’s tempo.

As was junior guard Gage Stoddard, who scored a game-high 30 points on 10-for-21 from the floor and 8-for-10 at the line.

“I was most proud of my confidence tonight,” Stoddard said. “I’ve never played in a gym so crazy, but to know I can do it, that’s awesome.”

Stoddard netted a stepback 3 to beat the first-quarter buzzer. He then scored four quick points on drives to open the second and furnish an 11-point lead. Lapwai, trying to respond, rushed shots, and watched as several trickled off the rim.

“When you rely on a shot and it’s not falling, sometimes, as a young player, you just wanna see it go in so badly, so you keep trying it,” Eastman said. “If our shots aren’t going, we have to start moving the ball and get it inside.”

In the third, Grace consistently forced Lapwai into offensive fouls, and wasn’t overwhelmed by the Wildcats’ traditional 2-2-1 press, which played a major role in the win against Oakley.

This time, for the first time, the Grizzlies had it under control.

“The excitement was unreal,” said Lloyd, soaked from a celebratory water shower. “They had a goal to come here, to perform, to take a state title.

“Got the monkey off our back a little bit.”

OF NOTE — Six of Grace’s 10 losses came to larger schools in Wyoming, Nevada and Utah. The Grizzlies were unbeaten in High Desert Conference play.

“We’ve focused on playing higher talent, so we can raise to that level,” Stoddard said.

GRACE (16-10)

Gage Stoddard 10 8-10 30, Ivor Gibbs 5 0-0 12, Trevor Judd 0 0-0 0, Stockton Lloyd 2 3-3 7, Paysen Anderson 0 0-0 0, Jacob Smith 0 1-2 1, Jordan Mansfield 3 1-7 7. Totals 20 13-18 57.

LAPWAI (21-4)

JC Sobotta 0 0-0 0, Terrell Ellenwood-Jones 0 2-2 2, Titus Yearout 6 9-11 22, Kross Taylor 5 1-1 14, Lydell Mitchell 2 0-0 4, Robert Denunzio 0 0-0 0, Simon Henry 0 0-0 0, AJ Ellenwood 2 2-3 6. Totals 15 14-17 48.

Grace 14 9 14 20—57

Lapwai 6 7 12 23—48

3-point goals — Stoddard 2, Gibbs 2, Yearout, Taylor 3.

Clark may be reached at cclark@lmtribune.com, on Twitter @ClarkTrib or by phone at (208) 848-2260.