IDAHO CLASS 1A DII STATE TOURNAMENT: Kendrick Tigers trounce Deary Mustangs in opening round

Mar. 1—It's hard to beat the same team twice, let alone four times.

The No. 2 Kendrick Tigers and No. 7 Deary Mustangs met for the fourth time this season in the opening round of the Idaho Class 1A DII state boys basketball tournament on Thursday at Caldwell High School.

The Tigers were firmly in control of the Whitepine League Division II rivalry, downing the Mustangs by an average of 38.3 points in their previous three meetings.

The fourth installment was the closest of the season, but the defending 1A DII champions still reigned supreme and notched a 51-25 decision over Deary.

"We played probably how you expected in the first game at the state tournament after a long road trip," Kendrick coach Tim Silflow said. "We came out a little flat, shots weren't going down, and it took a while to get our feet underneath us."

Kendrick's stranglehold on the series was threatened early as its potent fast-break offense was held scoreless for two minutes and Deary (13-9) was catering to a 6-0 lead with 5:43 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers (20-4) finally got on the board with a Wyatt Cook layup, but Deary's Blaine Clark responded quickly with a 3-pointer to give the Mustangs their biggest lead of the game, 9-2, with 4:22 to go in the frame.

Kendrick flipped a switch defensively and began to force turnovers from its full-court press, outscoring the Mustangs 13-3 to close the quarter with a 15-12 advantage.

The Tigers led the rest of the way.

"Once we got some steals and some turnovers, we got more comfortable," Silflow said. "We still didn't shoot very well, but at the state tournament, it doesn't matter how you do it; it just matters that you win."

Here are some takeaways from Deary and Kendrick's fourth and final matchup of the season:

Applying the pressure

Kendrick kept its foot on the Mustangs' throat after ending the first frame on a 13-3 run and held them scoreless for the entire second quarter.

The Tigers outscored Deary 13-0 in the second frame and were on a 26-3 run that spanned 12:22.

"I think we picked up defensively a little bit," Silflow said. "I was also kind of moving guys in and out, and that one group of Cade Silflow, Ralli Roetcisoender and Lane Clemenhagen kickstarted our defense and gave some pressure up front. Once we did that, it went a lot better for us."

After a fierce first four minutes, the Mustangs were tamed and were just 5-of-23 (21.7%) from the floor in the first half. They finished the game 10-of-43 (23.3%) from the field.

The Tigers put up 13 more shots than Deary in the first 16 minutes and were 12-of-37 (32.4%) from the field.

"I thought for the majority of the game we couldn't buy a bucket," Deary coach Jalen Kirk said. "We're talking flash the bucket, open layup, and those shots still aren't falling. I will say there were times where we'd break their full-court pressure and take a rushed shot. But even when it was a good in-rhythm shot, we struggled."

Kendrick had more looks at the basket from turnovers and winning the battle on the glass.

The Tigers' press made it hard for Deary to get the ball on its side of the court, and it played to the tune of 16 turnovers.

Kendrick outscored the Mustangs 9-1 in points off miscues.

The Tigers outrebounded Deary 38-23 and had a 12-3 edge over the Mustangs in second-chance points.

"We challenge everybody, especially down here," Silflow said. "You see some bigger guys, stronger guys, and they worked their butts off and blocked out and did a great job rebounding and getting in front."

The second frame began at a snail's pace and included several mishaps from both sides.

There were more turnovers than made shots in the first three minutes, and both squads struggled to find an edge.

Hunter Taylor drilled a 3-pointer to end a three-minute scoring drought and cushioned his team's lead 18-12.

The Tiger defense immediately forced a turnover, and Lane Clemmenhagen converted a layup to put Kendrick up double digits for the first time, 20-12, with 4:37 left in the first half.

A loss, but improvement still made

The Mustangs' 12-point first quarter was the most points they've scored in a frame against the Tigers all season.

Deary had been limited to single digits by Kendrick in 12 straight quarters. The Mustangs reached double figures in the first and final frames (10 points) on Thursday.

For the third time in four meetings, Tucker Ashmead paced the Mustangs, notching a team-high 10 points.

"This was the closest we played them all year," Kirk said. "If you told me at the start of the game that we'd hold them to 51 points, I would've said that's awesome. Unfortunately, we only scored 25, and you can't beat a quality team down here scoring three points in two quarters, and that's what killed us tonight."

Players of the game

Ty Koepp paced a balanced Kendrick scoring attack with a game-high 11 points. He added eight rebounds and three steals.

Nathan Tweit and Ralli Roetcisoender contributed eight points apiece, and Hunter Taylor had six.

Ashmead pitched in seven rebounds to go with 10 points for Deary. Lakye Taylor pitched in an additional seven boards and four points.

DEARY (13-9)

Laithan Proctor 1 0-0 2, Nolan Hubbard 0 1-2 1, Blaine Clark 1 0-0 3,T.J Beyer 0 0-0 0, Jacob Mechling 0 0-0 0, Mason Leonard 0 0-0 0, Tucker Ashmead 4 1-2 10, Dallen Stapleton 2 1-1 5, Gabe Johnston 0 0-0 0, Gabe Johnston 0 0-0 0, Lakye Taylor 2 0-0 4. Totals 10 3-5 25.

KENDRICK (20-4)

Lane Clemenhagen 2 0-0 4, Ralli Roetcisoender 3 2-2 8, Nathan Tweit 3 101 8, Wyatt Cook 1 1-2 3, Mason Kimberling 0 0-0 0, Kot Koepp 1 0-0 2, Maddox Kirkland 0 0-0 0, Carson Hogan 0 0-0 0, Anthony Lewis 0 0-0 0, Ty Koepp 5 0-0 11, Cade Silflow 3 0-0 7, Landon Sneve 0 0-0 0, Dallas Morgan 1 0-0 2, Hunter Taylor 2 0-0 6. Totals 21 4-5 51.

Deary 12 0 3 10—25

Kendrick 15 13 14 9—51

3-point goals — Clark, Ashmead, Taylor 2, Tweit, Silflow, Koepp

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalk