Maquoketa rolls into quarterfinals

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — In the first quarter of Maquoketa's 42-14 win over Grinnell, it became apparent that the Tigers had learned from the Cardinals' previous wins over Williamsburg and Western Dubuque.

In those games, Maquoketa elected to hand the ball to running back Craig Johnson and let him take over the game. Grinnell saw that the plan resulted in a comfortable victory for the Cardinals each time, and the Tigers responded by stacking the box in the teams' 3A second round meeting, determined not to let Johnson beat them.

All that meant was that quarterback Chase Coakley beat them instead.

Given space to find his receivers, Coakley was superb, dissecting Grinnell's defense for 256 yards and three touchdowns and setting up two other drives that Johnson finished off inside the Tigers' 2-yard line. It added up to Maquoketa's 10th straight win and a trip to the 3A quarterfinals as the Cardinals eliminated the Tigers on Monday night at Goodenow Field.

“They're a good run defense, but they couldn't stop the pass very well, so we took advantage of that,” Coakley said. “Teams see on film that (Craig) is a heck of a running back, so they'll bring guys up in the box to try to stop the run. We'll let them do that and just pass over top of them.”

The Tigers (7-4) added to their woes with several mistakes in the second quarter. In a 12-minute stretch, Maquoketa (10-1) recovered two Grinnell fumbles, one of which came with the Tigers inside the red zone. On another series, the Cardinals forced a Grinnell punt and Jonathan Bopes got one block and found a lane to the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown that knocked the Tigers out of the game early.

“I think that turned the game around,” Bopes said. “From then on, our offense and defense picked it up. I actually fumbled the ball on that punt, but I saw Quennel Fowler throw a block and I saw another one in front of me and just ran.”

The Cardinals finished with three takeaways, a number Maquoketa coach Kevin Bowman was thrilled to see.

“Opportunity was knocking, and we did a good job with it,” Bowman said. “That was key for us.”

The other key was Coakley, who continued the Cardinals' theme of having someone different step up for them each week. When the Tigers tried to get back in the game in the second half with a quick touchdown to start the third quarter, Coakley answered the call with two touchdown passes to Perry Hawks, ensuring that the Cardinals would have back-to-back playoff wins for the first time ever and setting up a rematch with Union in the quarterfinals next Monday.

“Chase is one of the better quarterbacks I've seen,” Bopes said. “He's just a versatile athlete who can put the ball in spectacular spots. If we run the right routes, Chase will put the ball where it needs to be. All we have to do then is catch and run.”

Change pays off for Gbeddeh

Here's a story I wrote last week on a soccer player at Rock Island. I'm pretty pleased with the story. Enjoy.

Throughout his life, Rock Island junior defender Redemer Gbeddeh thought he was a forward. The problem was that nobody else shared that opinion.
The Rock Island coaches didn’t, which is why Gbeddeh rarely got off the bench     during his first two years of high school.
In fact, Rock Island coach Cory Dalton admits that when he was an assistant two years ago, his opinion of Gbeddeh’s skills was so low that he didn’t think Gbeddeh would ever contribute for the Rocks.
But as a junior, Gbeddeh had tired of sitting on the bench and realized his         finishing skills never were going to get him playing time.
In fact, he had lost his desire to play forward. Instead, he decided to give defense a try.
“During my sophomore year, that’s when I realized that I don’t like the forward         position, and I want to play defense,” Gbeddeh said. “So on the first day of           practice this year, when he called out the forwards, I was like, ‘Nope, I’ve got to play defense.’”
When he made that decision, everything changed.
Gbeddeh’s combination of height and strength proved the perfect fit for the Rocks’ defense, which has held nine of 10 opponents to two goals or less on its way to a 7-3 record, three wins better than the Rocks had in all of 2010.
“The way we have it set up, it’s very key to win balls in the air,” Dalton said. “Redemer is winning a ton of balls in the air. He’s starting to become more vocal, and that comes with confidence. He’s starting to understand the game and our system, and as he understands that more, he gains more confidence and becomes more vocal.”

New strategy pays off
Gbeddeh’s rapid improvement coincided with Dalton taking over as coach this season. In one of his first moves, Dalton decided to change Rock Island’s defensive strategy and emphasized denying other teams scoring chances by winning battles in the air.
As Dalton explained the formation to his team, a light came on for Gbeddeh. Immediately, he realized that the formation required strong, tall players who could get their head to the ball, which perfectly described him. Seeing that, the junior saw an opportunity.
“When the coach changed the formation, I started to progress with it,” Gbeddeh said. “It gives me more chances to win the ball in the air, because I’m a bit taller than the other players. I knew when he changed the formation that if I just learned it, I could get better because when the ball comes, all I have to do is head it.”
Gbeddeh learned so quickly that Dalton instantly realized that his initial impressions of Gbeddeh no longer were accurate. Gone was the player who produced little and let attitude impede progress as a freshman. Instead, Gbeddeh had transformed into a hard-working leader.
“I consider him a captain of the team,” Dalton said. “He doesn’t have a captain’s armband yet, but he’s the leader of that back line. We have Riley Bennett back there, who has only been playing two years, and to have Redemer to help him back there is huge. Our system is really simple, and Redemer understands that and keeps it simple.”

Soccer is a release
Dalton said Gbeddeh’s maturation is hardly uncommon for Rock Island’s players because several of the Rocks are African immigrants who came to the United States to get away from violence.
Gbeddeh comes from Liberia, a country that has fought two civil wars during his life. He was born in the midst of the first war in 1994, and his family emigrated to the Ivory Coast shortly after the second war broke out in 1999 before arriving in America in 2004.
“A lot of these guys come from tough places,” Dalton said. “We have a lot of African kids who still live tough lives, and this is their getaway. We see a lot of attitude when they first get here, and then they realize soccer is their release.
“When they shed that shield they’re hiding behind, you see somebody like Redemer, who now has an amazing attitude. He wants to learn, get better and he’s a leader. He’s matured quickly and very well.”
As a result, Gbeddeh understands the opportunity he has better than many high school students. His family has little money, but Gbeddeh still has the chance to receive an education and play the sport he loves on an organized team, neither of which would be available to him in Liberia.

Perfect fit
He hopes to become a computer technician, a goal that would be nothing more than a pipe dream in Africa.
“In Africa, the schools are not very good,” he said. “You’ve got to pay for it or go to a little school, and in America, schools are free until you get to college. In Africa, we had to get up and work in the morning just to put food on the table, but in America, you don’t have to work that much.”
Instead, he’s been able to work on his soccer skills, and has emerged as a pleasant surprise for the Rocks.
“I had no idea (the system) would be tailored so much to him,” Dalton said. “Two years ago, I didn’t think much of Redemer. Technically, he wasn’t very good, he was timid and he wasn’t as big.
“But he grew a lot, and when he grew in size, I think he grew in a lot of other ways. To right away find a guy who fits the system perfectly and has really stepped up to be the leader is an amazing surprise. We have him for another year, so he’s only going to get better, and the people around him will continue to get better.”

http://qctimes.com/sports/high-school/soccer/soccer-heads-up-move-for-rocky-junior/article_bdedd3d4-de90-11e0-b64a-001cc4c03286.html

Cornelis right at home

Thom Cornelis likes to joke that he's part of a fraternity as a sportscaster in the Quad-Cities.
He wasn't expecting to be a part of it for four decades.
"My pledge period has been pretty long," Cornelis said with a laugh. "I think I'm about ready to go active now."
All jokes aside, Cornelis really couldn't imagine things any other way. The Quad-Cities has been his home from when he was playing baseball and basketball for Rock Island Alleman.
He loves the 3 to 4 minutes he gets on his nightly sportscast for KWQC, Ch. 6, and he admits he still gets goosebumps before the annual Quad-City Times Bix 7 race that he announces every year.
His induction into the Quad-City Sports Hall of Fame on May 4 gives him the privilege of being honored in his home area, a recognition he considers the highlight of his career.
"It doesn't really seem like 40 years, because I still remember certain games and certain players," Cornelis said. "It really is a fraternity. Once you're in it, and you play in it, coach in it and cover it, I think everyone has a bond that doesn't leave.
"I've covered most of the people who are in there, and it's an honor to be included with them. I'm thrilled."
A fortunate illness
Cornelis knew from an early age that he wanted to spend his life involved with sports. In fact, he suspected broadcasting might be for him when he was a boy listening to Vin Scully call Dodgers games on the radio.
"I thought that would be the ultimate job, and he's still doing it," Cornelis said. "You see class acts like him, Dick Enberg and Curt Gowdy and think, ‘Maybe this is the way to go.'"
However, he wasn't completely sure broadcasting was the right choice until attending Western Illinois University to play baseball.
Soon after stepping on the Macomb campus, he had figured out he wasn't good enough to play baseball professionally. His plan was to earn his degree, then find a teaching job that would allow him to coach baseball or basketball.
A bout with mononucleosis during his sophomore year changed that. Since Cornelis couldn't play anymore but was at the baseball field anyway, he was asked to cover games for the school's television station.
Cornelis agreed and found that he loved it. He soon switched his major and began taking broadcasting classes, beginning a career that has spanned four decades.
"It didn't seem like a chore going to broadcast classes," Cornelis said. "It was something I looked forward to. I figured that if it's something you look forward to, you'd better stick with it."
Building events
When Ed Froehlich became the director of the Bix 7 race in 1979, the race was in its infancy and was so insignificant that it was common for interested parties to ask where the race was.
Froehlich set a goal of building the race into a big event, a vision shared by Cornelis.
"In the first year, they told me there were (84) guys, but I never saw (84)," Cornelis said. "Each year, it got a little bigger, and then when Ed Froehlich got involved, there's the straw that stirs the drink.
"We started televising live, and you can see where the race is today."
Cornelis, who was then at WQAD, helped build up what is now the John Deere Classic by inviting golfers onto his sports program for interviews. He started increasing the coverage of the race the same way, while Froehlich built up the race itself.
The race is a staple on the Quad-Cities' sports calendar, and Froehlich is grateful to his friend Cornelis for his help in building the race's prestige - as well as pleased to see him honored.
"There's nobody that has supported sports for the last 35 to 40 years in the Quad-Cities as Thom Cornelis has," Froehlich said. "He does a lot for high school and college sports. He's just as enthusiastic today as he was when he started."
The move to KWQC
By 1984, Cornelis was well-established in the Quad-Cities. He was in his 12th year at the local ABC station and was now as much a part of the Q-C sports scene as the broadcasters who once covered his games.
The area was home for him, and he had no desire to move his wife, Marcia, and four children for the sake of moving.
It was going to take a special set of circumstances to get him to leave WQAD. That was exactly what happened.
The rights to broadcast Iowa's games went up for bid in the early 1980s, and NBC emerged with the rights to cover the Hawkeyes on its affiliates in the state.
That wrinkle caused Cornelis to seriously consider KWQC general manager Ken McQueen's suggestion that he make the move across the river from Moline-based WQAD.
"In order to get the play-by-play job, it would help to be at the Iowa station," Cornelis said. "There was a change in ownership at ABC, I had a nice offer and I didn't have to uproot my family."
Cornelis also didn't have a non-compete clause, because it wasn't routinely included in broadcaster's contracts at that time. With nothing holding him to ABC, he decided his future would be better served by jumping to NBC.
He quickly found acceptance from the station that used to be his competitor.
"It was a little bit (awkward at first) because I was still the guy from across the river," Cornelis said. "But it was not (for) long. The news director, Jack Thompson, and anchor Don Rhyne were glad to have me, which was why they made an offer.
"(The awkwardness) lasted for about a week."
A different time
Through his career, the biggest change is the way Cornelis does his job.
When he started, he wasn't doing live shots at all. Instead, he would shoot video, race back to the studio to edit it before his sportscast.
Those days are long in the past.
"The technology is the greatest thing," Cornelis said. "When I started, it was a film camera, then we phased into videotape and then we were able to go live, so I could do reports from the course or the Rose Bowl.
"Now, we don't even use tape anymore. It's all on a computer with everything in high-definition. It seems like every week, they're adding a new wrinkle. When it works, it's amazing what you can accomplish."
However, Cornelis now sometimes has to accomplish more with less, because in the age of YouTube and camera phones, athletes are far less relaxed than they once were.
"They have to be, and that's unfortunate," Cornelis said. "They like to have a good time, but they get a little paranoid about it because of a person trying to get on a talk show. It's taken away from it because you don't get to know them better. They really have to trust you."
Local boys making good
In 1987, Dan Pearson arrived at KWQC as the assistant sports director, expecting he would stay for about three years and then move to a bigger market.
He never left, because he discovered he and Cornelis shared a passion for local sports that made an ideal partnership.
"We had the same philosophy," Pearson said. "We think that no sport is too small and value each story. That's one thing that we think we've done a pretty good job with. A high school can define a community, and we've done feature stories from Rock Falls or DeWitt that people have remembered."
When Cornelis looks back on his four decades of broadcasting, the big events aren't what stick out in his mind.
He's covered events as far away as Innsbruck, Austria, when he went to the 1976 Winter Olympics. But his favorite stories involve people such as fellow Hall of Fame inductee Acie Earl, who came out of the Quad-Cities.
"I remember covering his games, both at Moline and Iowa," he said. "I remember being excited and running up to interview him, and it was the same when he was drafted by the Celtics.
"There was a local boy making good, and we haven't had many that have gone on to that level. It is (a source of pride). To get to that level is few and far between, because you've really got to be special."
Through his longevity in the market, Cornelis has had the pleasure of seeing almost every special athlete the Quad-Cities has produced.
He claims longevity is the reason for his induction, but Pearson, who once saw Cornelis through a viewer's eyes while growing up, disagrees.
"The better word is enduring," he said. "He could have gone somewhere else and gone to a better market. But he's a familiar face who's been in people's living rooms more than their best friends.
"A lot of people equate those broadcasts with the happiest times of their lives. TC has been the face of that for all these years."
Why did he stay when he could have left? Family was a big reason, but it's also true that Cornelis genuinely loves his job and plans to keep doing it as long as that remains true.
"I enjoy the great people I get to mingle with on a daily basis," Cornelis said. "The coaches and athletes are just great. A lot are retired now, and there's always a story."
TIMELINE
1948 - Thom Cornelis is born in Moline
1966 - Cornelis graduates from Rock Island Alleman High School, having played basketball and baseball for the Pioneers.
1968 - Cornelis, a sophomore at Western Illinois, begins working with the campus television station covering baseball.
1972 - Cornelis accepts a job at WQAD in Moline, beginning his long career in the Quad-Cities.
1976 - Cornelis first invites golfers from the PGA Tour's Quad-City stop to come onto his sportscast, helping the event become entrenched.
1980 - Cornelis begins his association with the Bix 7 race as play-by-play announcer.
1984 - Cornelis leaves WQAD for KWQC, where he remains today.
1987 - Cornelis hires Dan Pearson as his assistant sports director, beginning a partnership that still is active.
2008 - Cornelis, then in his 25th year at KWQC, is inducted into Alleman's hall of fame.
2010 - KWQC becomes the first Q-C station to broadcast in high definition.
2011 - Cornelis celebrates 40 years of broadcasting in the Quad Cities with induction into the Quad-City Sports Hall of Fame.

Bates climbs charts with family in tow

Hope you have some time here. This one's pretty long. B.J. Bates is a really nice kid, and his family couldn't have been better.

LONG GROVE, Iowa - The plethora of racing trophies that fill three-quarters of a room in B.J. Bates' family basement, highlighted by his 2010 Young Lions World Dirt Track title, might never have been possible if not for a push from his mother, Cindi.
At age 8, the North Scott junior finally was allowed to enter a go-kart race after practicing for two years.
However, he never had faced other drivers and was scared at the prospect. His father, Mel, anticipated that and asked Cindi to be in the pits as a calming influence.
Things didn't work out that way.
"I yelled at him, ‘Barry, you will get in this kart!'" Cindi Bates recalled with a laugh. "I did all the screaming."
B.J. did get in the kart and came out yelling that it was the most fun he ever had. Eight years and a world championship later, his opinion hasn't changed.
"I love it," B.J. said. "I wouldn't change a thing. I love growing up with racing and I love working on the cars. I've always worked on things with Dad, and it's brought us a lot closer as a family. It's a nice bonding time for us to share our stories."
Racing family
Racing has been part of the Bates family's life since 1981, when Mel began helping his friend Hal Russell with his races. After two years with Russell, Mel decided that if Russell could race, he could race.
Mel raced with some success for 15 years before deciding to quit when B.J. was 2. He worried about a serious injury and did not want to take that risk once he became a father.
The reprieve from the track was temporary. After all, racing is part of Cindi Bates' side of the family, too. She has attended races for years, going back to when Mel raced, and it was her mother who introduced her son to his future love.
When B.J. was 6, his maternal grandmother, Jean Mumm, took him to the track for the first time, allowing him to meet the drivers. Soon after, B.J. decided he wanted to get into racing.
A decade later, B.J. remembered being impressed with the excitement of racing and how friendly the drivers were.
"When I was little, I remember getting to meet Steve Kinser and other guys who had an impact on me," B.J. said. "To see how nice and laidback they were, it makes you want to take the time when people come up to you and stop and talk to them.
"It's a great feeling when you have a little kid come up with a Sharpie and say, ‘Can you sign this for me?' It makes you feel good, because you could have an impact."
Grand entrance
Although his mindset isn't much different, his racing and his goals have changed. Back then, he wanted to win the Rock Island Grand Prix, the first go-kart race he attended.
"I thought it was the coolest thing ever to see the karts go so fast," B.J. said. "When I got older, I always looked up to the people doing it and wanted to be one of them. The group of people who had the same motor were always competitive at the Rock Island Grand Prix, so I wanted to be like them and have my name on the list of winning the Rock Island Grand Prix."
B.J. first entered the Grand Prix at age 12, but his goal proved unattainable. In three tries, mishaps with his car cost him a chance to win, with his best finish being fifth. After his third attempt, he learned he would no longer have the chance to win the event because the Grand Prix would no longer sponsor his age division. That was when he decided it was time to leave go-karts and take the next step in racing.
The switch meant a move from asphalt to dirt and getting used to a different kind of vehicle.
The next step
The family decided the next step was a Legend car, which looks like a vehicle from the 1930's, moves easily about the track and is powered by a motorcycle engine.
The low cost and potential for success made it the right choice - although it meant Bates had to quickly develop his skills behind the wheel.
"In a go-kart, there's not much steering and little movement," B.J. said. "In the Legend car, everything was happening a lot quicker. They're snappy, and they'll move around pretty fast."
On his first night in a Legend car, B.J. got in a wreck. But as the year progressed and he got more experienced, he gained better control of the vehicle and became very competitive on most nights.
A year later, the Bates family had a new goal of winning the world title in the Young Lions division of Legends Racing. That required Bates to finish first in points over a 20-race span, which meant family trips across Iowa and Wisconsin to find races that would count.
It was a sacrifice the family was willing to make. Mel decided at the beginning of the season that the goal was realistic, so as long as B.J. wanted to pursue the goal, he and Cindi were glad to do whatever it took to make it happen.
Several times, the family made a pilgrimage north to Wisconsin to find a dirt track where B.J. could earn points, usually arriving home at 3 a.m. At meals the next day, Mel would dissect the race with B.J., focusing on what could be improved the next time he got behind the wheel.
"He gets a little irate with me if I tell him he was wrong (immediately after the race)," Mel said. "We usually work it out. Near the end (of the year), he was getting to where he was doing everything right."
The work and study sessions paid off. B.J. admitted that he didn't begin to believe it was possible until he had enough races under his belt to qualify for the world title, but once he did, he attacked his goal with even more determination. He achieved so much success that when the national championship race took place in Springfield, Mo., his closest competitor for the world title didn't show because B.J. already had locked up the title.
The goal he and his family spent two years working toward was his.
"We did whatever it took to win," B.J. said. "We were determined to do it and tried to get as many dirt points as I could.
"It was a lot of work, and when the day finally came and I finally did it, it was a sigh of relief. It was nice."
Strong support
B.J. won't be defending his title this year, instead choosing to step up another series to late model racing. Late models are bigger cars raced by some of the top drivers, and the jump has the family hoping that B.J. can stay competitive as he gets experience facing better drivers in a different car.
If the past is any indication, it shouldn't take long for B.J. to feel at home.
Trophies and ribbons of multiple sizes and colors adorn the family's trophy room, filling all four walls. A few are from Mel's racing days, but most have B.J.'s name on them.
Father and son don't even joke about who's the best racer in the family is. Mel admits it's not a contest.
"He's had a lot more success than I had," Mel said. "I blame that on me, because I get his cars better. But he's said he can't do it without me and I can't do it without him."
Racing has become something B.J. wouldn't trade for anything because of the impact it has had on his life and the support he receives from the community.
He freely admits that racing has made him a better person because it forced him to develop a good work ethic, a trait that shows up in his studies at North Scott, where he is an honor student.
Beyond that, the community has been very supportive, with some of his friends going as far to head out to some of the local races.
That has made a huge difference to B.J. and made his experience something he can treasure without it running every aspect of his life.
"Everybody knows that I race, and everybody knows that on Friday and Saturday, that's what I'm going to be doing," he said. "Everybody is pretty understanding and pretty flexible. I love that people are so understanding, because if they weren't, all I would do is race and I wouldn't do anything else."

Eaker household divided on soccer pitch

This story actually came from a parent's complaint about another paper. Brian Eaker let it slip that he coached Alleman and his daughter Taylor played for Moline, and I jumped on it. Great story.

MOLINE -- When Randy Bollman accepted the job as the girls soccer coach of Rock Island Alleman, his first call was to his longtime friend Brian Eaker.
Bollman and Eaker had coached together for years, and Bollman wanted Eaker on his staff. Since Eaker's job at AT&T wouldn't allow him to be a full-time assistant, Bollman offered him a spot coaching the Pioneers' goalkeepers.
The one issue was how Eaker's daughter, Taylor, would react. Taylor is a senior captain for Moline's soccer team, and Brian had no desire to miss her final year of high school soccer and even less to coach against her in a Western Big Six game.
However, Taylor decided the opportunity was too good for her father to pass up, especially since she will be playing in college at Mount Mercy next year.
With his daughter on board, Eaker accepted the job and will now watch his daughter face off against his team when Moline visits Alleman at 6 p.m. tonight.
"It's a little different in our household," Taylor said. "It's different seeing him get ready to go to his game wearing Alleman stuff and then changing his attire for my games, but I'm used to it by now."
The change hasn't been drastic for the Eakers because Brian decided when he took the job that Taylor would be his first priority.
While the Maroons have struggled with consistency and sit at 4-3-1, one hardly could blame Taylor. She has continued to show the form and versatilty that have made her one of Moline's most important players.
"She's a four-year starter and a senior captain," Moline coach Rick Sanchez said. "She brings a lot of experience and dictates the tempo for us. We played her at sweeper at the beginning of the year, and now we've got her running up top at midfield, so her versatility has been a big plus."
That combination landed her a spot at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for next year.
"It's not far from home and I can play soccer there," Taylor said. "Plus, I want to do nursing, and they have an excellent nursing program. It all fit in."
Taylor said this game will be a little different than past games against Alleman not only because of her father coaching, but because she also knows Bollman well.
Brian Eaker won't be on the sidelines for this game. When he took the Alleman job, he told Bollman he would have to watch this game from the parents' section, which Bollman understood.
Eaker said he will watch as both a parent and a coach, but his loyalties will not be divided.
"I'll always root for Taylor no matter what," Brian said. "In the offset of that, I'll be keeping a close eye on (keeper) Samantha Glackin and making sure she's doing the (right) things."
Bollman expected nothing less. The reason he wanted Brian was that he knew Brian is a quality goalkeeping coach who loves helping kids, something his young team sorely needed.
"Brian has a true passion for the game," Bollman said. "Everything he tries to do, that love comes through to the girls. That's no different than my philosophy, and that's exactly why I wanted him here."
Both Eakers are looking forward to next season, when Taylor will play in the fall at Mount Mercy.
Along with the fact that they won't have to face each other, college soccer plays in the fall, which will allow Brian to focus on Taylor during her season and spend the spring helping Bollman rebuild the Alleman program.
"That will be really exciting," Brian said. "I'll be able to attend more games with the Alleman team and see what we haven't been able to work on.
"With Taylor going to playing in the fall, I'll get a taste of the college matches, and I can bring that back to the girls. That's the most rewarding thing (of coaching)."

Dunson takes the long road to find his place

I really enjoyed talking to this kid, Dodie Dunson of Bradley. I felt so bad that he got hurt the next day against Idaho State. But here's his story.

When most Division I basketball players transfer to another university, the reasons are related to basketball. That wasn’t the case for Bradley guard Dodie Dunson.

    He didn’t leave Iowa State after his freshman year because he wasn’t playing enough, or because he clashed with Iowa State coach Greg McDermott. On the contrary, he enjoyed every minute of being a Cyclone. The problem was with Iowa State University.

    “Actually, (it was) academics,” Dunson said. “They didn’t have an academic program for me to continue to be successful. But the basketball part was great. The coaching staff did a great job getting me through. I just thought it was best for me at that time (to leave) because academics were more important than basketball.”

    The problem for Dunson at Iowa State was the same thing that has plagued him his entire life. He suffers from a severe form of dyslexia and has to work extra hard to keep up with his schoolwork.

    But despite that handicap, two years after leaving Ames, Iowa, Dunson’s now a senior captain for the Braves, who will host Idaho State today in Peoria, Ill., and appears to have everything in his life the way he wants it to be. He’s taken the long way to his destination, but he couldn’t be happier about where he is now.

    “What my father told me is whatever you can believe, you can achieve,” Dunson said. “I stuck with that. It’s just amazing to me, but hard work pays off. It’s just focusing on trying to do what you can do and go from there.”

    FROM THE BIG 12 TO JUNIOR COLLEGE   

    At Iowa State, Dunson realized that he could not hope to continue the way he had during his freshman year. He had studied so much that McDermott wasn’t sure how he was able to handle both classes and playing basketball.

    “It was very tough worrying about doing well in the classroom and focusing on basketball at the same time,” Dunson said.”

    The reality was that Dunson couldn’t, and Iowa State did not have the facilities in place he needed to overcome his disability. But he still wanted to play basketball once he got his studies in order. That led him to spend a year at Vincennes (Ind.) University, a junior college.

    “It was more of an easier pace,” Dunson said. “The classes weren’t as hard, but I did take a lot of basic courses to get my general studies to prepare me to get back into another Division I (school).”

    In the meantime, Dunson joined the Trailblazers’ basketball team. After playing in historic buildings such as Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., and Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., he was playing his home games in a small gym in a southwestern Indiana town of less than 20,000.

    But Dunson wasn’t worried about that while leading the Trailblazers to a 28-6 record. The year was about setting himself up for his future.

    “When you come in from a Division I, it’s kind of hard to juggle everything and manage your time right,” he said. “By the time I got here (to Bradley), I was fine.”

    FINDING HIS PLACE

    When it came time for Dunson to pick where he would spend his remaining two years, he knew exactly what to look for. Basketball wasn’t his primary concern.

    “Academics really sold me,” he said. “The way they had things set up for my learning disability, they had a learning specialist and a lot of things that were going to help me get through school. Basketball just took care of itself. I wanted to find a good program, but academics was the most important thing.”

    With the support he needed finally available to him, Dunson was able to flourish academically. In his first semester at Bradley, he elected to major in social work and earned a 3.5 grade point average. He was even better his second semester, earning a 4.0. While the support helped, none of the success would have been possible without Dunson’s work ethic.

    “He’s done it the old-fashioned way,” Bradley coach Jim Les said. “He works extremely hard. I think he’s a guy who takes a lot of pride in his schoolwork. He’s a guy that’s willing to spend hours on end to make sure that he has his academics in order. You love to see that type of hard work rewarded.   

    “A guy like that who has to overcome some obstacles gets a 4.0, and Bradley is not an easy school. There aren’t easy classes that he can take. He produces not for any other reason than he just works his tail off and takes great pride in his academics.”

    That’s because Dunson’s one of the rare college basketball players who truly is a student-athlete, rather than someone who is only in college to play basketball and sees classes as secondary.

    “It has to work both ways,” Dunson said. “The basketball, I can’t complain about the coaching staff and players. But if you really think about it, without academics, you can’t play, and they have a great program for me and my disability.”

    HARD WORK REWARDED

    Dunson’s hard work off the court didn’t go unnoticed by his new Bradley teammates. Prior to his junior season, before he had ever played a game as a Bradley Brave, the Braves voted him to be one of their team captains for the 2008-09 year.

    “I think it has a lot to do with his approach,” Les said. “He goes about things the right way. Before anybody can lead or be a captain, you have to take care of your own backyard and make sure you’re doing everything correctly. I think our guys recognized that when he arrived on campus. That garnered the respect to be captain.”

    That his teammates could do that without knowing him meant the world to Dunson.

    “I thought they had a lot of respect for me,” Dunson said. “They’d heard of me, but coming in, it was an honor to me, them putting me as a co-captain of the team. I worked hard for it, and a lot of players believed in me on the team.”

    The Braves still have that belief. Dunson enters his senior year in his second year as a captain for Bradley, and has a chance to see his hard work rewarded further.

    Earlier this year, Dunson was announced as a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award, given to a college senior in every sport for his or her character, work in the community, work in the classroom and skills in his or her chosen sport.

    It’s something his coach would love to see him recognized for.

    “It’s tremendous,” Les said. “I can’t say enough about him as a person. When you preach as a coach about hard work and dedication to academics, all the things that we talk about, he embodies those characteristics. It’s great to see him rewarded for that success.”

    Given what he’s had to overcome, it would have been easy for Dunson to feel he’d been cheated in life. Instead, he sees what he has and takes the opposite viewpoint.

    “I’m very fortunate,” Dunson said. “Bradley happened to be a great program that had something for my disability. Once it got a little easier for me in the classroom, it became easier to play on the court because I could focus on both ends.

    “I just think it’s a blessing. If you believe it, you can achieve it. I’ve just believed ever since I was little, and that’s how I got here today.”

Road woes plague Big Sky

This was my first Big Sky notebook. I'm so grateful that these coaches helped me out.

Winning on the road isn’t something Idaho State’s men’s basketball team has to worry about this week with two home games on the schedule.

Given the struggles the Big Sky has had in that department this year, Bengals’ coach Joe O’Brien is just fine with that opening.

In the nonconference schedule, only Montana, Northern Arizona and Weber State recorded a win in a true road game. The other six Big Sky teams went a combined 0-35 away from home, a mark littered with close losses and not-so-close losses.

“I think there’s a comfort level,” O’Brien said. “Teams are comfortable playing in front of their fans, the familiar surroundings. Everyone in our league has an impressive home record, but Sacramento State has yet to win a road game, Portland State has yet to win a road game, we have yet to win a road game.”

O’Brien said that puts a large emphasis on the home games. Sacramento State coach Brian Katz took a different view.

In his eyes, the Big Sky’s struggles on the road suggest that the league is open for someone to make a move toward the top. His philosophy has always been that good teams win on the road, and the fact that two-thirds of the league haven’t won a road game yet confirms his belief that the league will be parity-driven after the top teams.

“If you can’t win on the road, you’re probably not that good,” Katz said. “We’ve had two that we could have won, but in my opinion, the first thing you look at and judge teams on is their road record. That kind of tells me who they are.”

Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras, whose team has gone on the road and won, attributed most of the league’s struggles to having to play up and how difficult it is to win on the road in general.

He cited a game played on Monday night, when Pittsburgh beat Connecticut by 15 at home. Although the Huskies were undefeated and ranked fourth in the country, they hadn’t yet played a true road game and did not handle the new experience well.

“It’s hard to win on the road in Division I basketball,” Adras said. “All of us in the Big Sky go play road games. In the RPI, it dumbfounds me how you can put the Big West ahead of us when they have teams that haven’t won a thing this year, and Montana’s beaten UCLA and Oregon State. 

“It’s a little misleading as to how good our teams are. I think Idaho State would be much better if they’d played seven home games as opposed to seven road games in nonconference.”

Of course, having experienced success away from Flagstaff, Ariz., Adras admits it’s greatly helped his Lumberjacks.

“I feel good about the fact that we’ve won three road games this year,” he said.

 

LIFE AFTER LILLARD

Losing all-conference guard Damian Lillard could have been devastating for Weber State, but the Wildcats have found a way to adjust, beating Southwest and playing Brigham Young tough in a loss.

The question is whether Weber State can sustain that progress.

“We’re still trying to find our way a bit, because Damian was such a big part of everything,” Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. “I think they’re adjusting fine. They understand they’ve all got to pick it up a bit. Initially, when you have an injury like Damian’s, everyone rides on emotion, and then it kind of sinks in.”

Guard Scott Bamforth had stepped up well in Lillard’s absence, and Rahe hopes more of his players can similarly elevate their game. 

Rahe said that the Wildcats will apply for a medical redshirt for Lillard. Because he played in nine games, the Wildcats would have to play at least 30 games for the junior to be eligible. Two games in the Big Sky tournament would clinch that mark, and Rahe said the Wildcats could add a game to reach 30.

 

EXPERIENCE COUNTS

With almost its entire roster back, Northern Arizona was a popular pick among the coaches to have a strong season.

So far, the Lumberjacks have lived up to expectations and made their experience a strength. Adras said that’s because his team entered the year prepared after a teaching year.

“A year ago, I’d try to explain things to our guys, and they were looking at me like a deer in headlights,” Adras said. “Now when I talk about things, (they respond), ‘Yeah, I remember that, let’s do what was successful’. That comes through when we prepare for opponents now.”

An example came when the Lumberjacks went to Arizona and played the Wildcats to a five-point loss. Adras said his team was comfortable in a hostile environment because it had been there before.

“It’s a whole different thing when you’re coaching a veteran team as opposed to a young but talented team,” he said. “The talent’s there, but there’s other things you have to be prepared for.”

A different kind of calling

This was a favorite of mine. Dwight Richins was great to deal with. It was published June 25, 2010.

SHELLEY — For the past three years, Shelley football coach Dwight Richins and Athletic Director Dave Hadley have had an annual conversation about Richins’ future at the school.

It had nothing to do with Richins’ passion or performance. He loves his job at Shelley, and he has built the Russets into a state power, winning four 3A state titles in seven years. 

But Richins is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, and Hadley wanted to be prepared should the military call Richins into duty.

Each year, Richins told Hadley that he had nothing to worry about, because he was too old and not physically fit enough for the Army to send him overseas.

Through 2009, Richins was correct. This year, at age 50, he wasn’t.

Earlier this month, the Army Reserves told Richins that he would be deployed for one year to serve in a logistics mission in the Middle East, which will begin on Aug. 1. When the coach got the news, his feelings were mixed.

“I’ve been in the military for 28 years,” Richins said. “A lot of my friends have been deployed, and my own son (Tyler) has been deployed. You feel like you’ve been left out, so part of me is excited to be able to contribute and do my part.

“The other part is saying good-bye to home, family, good friends, my football team and the people I work with. The great things you enjoy in life will not be there. I’ve got grandkids coming, and I’m going to be apart from that.”

Richins doesn’t yet know where he will be going or the specifics of his mission. All he knows are basics about his mission and that he will be serving in either Afghanistan, Kuwait or Iraq.

The detailed information will be revealed to him when he reports for training, which will start on Monday in South Carolina.

“An example would be if they contracted 20 people to work, I have to make sure they fulfill the contract,” Richins said. “I’ll be auditing, doing paperwork and making sure there’s a smooth transition between the contractor and the government. It’s a logistics mission, so it will mostly be supplies.”

The hardest thing for Richins to do leading up to his departure was telling the people who mattered most to him. The first was his wife, Allyson, and his four children, sons Tyler, Shane and Chase, and daughter, Aubrey.

Allyson thought Dwight was past the age where the military would call him into action. But she has prepared herself for the possibility since Dwight first joined the military in 1982.

The Richins had been married for a little more than a year when Dwight decided to enter the service voluntarily and make some money. That began a 28-year relationship between the Richins family and the military that has seen Tyler and Chase follow Dwight into military service.

“It’s something that has always been in the back of my mind,” Allyson Richins said about her husband’s possible deployment. “I was a little surprised, but not really. It’ll be hard, but hopefully we can do what we do, and the military has been good for us for all these years.”

Although Dwight knew his wife would support him completely, he also knew that seeing her husband and her youngest son leave for military service in the same year (Chase, a 2010 Shelley graduate, recently left for basic training in Oklahoma) would be hard on her. That’s why he was glad that Tyler, who now lives in Rexburg, and Shane would be around to help her.

After talking with his family, one of the first people Richins told was Hadley, who doubled as one of his assistants on the football team.

The athletic director had prepared for the possibility, but he was caught off-guard when Richins told him the news.

“I was really surprised,” Hadley said. “As we got ready to go to (Idaho State’s football) camp last week, he came in and told me before he even told our principal. We’ve talked about (the future) and I’m going to be the head coach for one year, and we’ll leave the staff pretty much as it is.”

Hadley said the staff’s experience should make it easier through the transition period. Every Shelley coach has been on the staff for five years, and Hadley hopes to bring in Tyler Richins to fill the position vacated by his father. 

Although Hadley said he will make some small changes, the Russets shouldn’t have to learn a new system.

“I’m glad we don’t have a new head coach coming in,” said running back Aaron Adams, who will be a senior at Shelley this fall. “I know my teammates and I don’t want to learn a new offense and a new defense. We’re just going to stick to what we know. We’ve grown up with that offense and defense since fifth grade, and we don’t want to change it for our senior year.”

Adams and the Russets found out about their head coach’s deployment at the Idaho State football camp, and like everyone else, they were surprised that the man called “Mr. November” for his five state championships at Teton and Shelley wouldn’t be there to coach them in 2010, when Shelley will compete in 4A for the first time.

“For me, it’s definitely an honor to serve,” Richins said. “I don’t look at it as a sacrifice, I look at it as a privilege. We’re fighting them over there so they don’t fight us here. I’m excited about it, and I’m worried because I want to do a good job and serve the best I can.”

Hadley couldn’t disagree more about whether Richins is making a sacrifice.

“I appreciate his perspective, because he says he’s been getting paid to practice for 28 years,” Hadley said. “Now it’s time for him to perform. But anyone willing to serve our country and do those things is very admirable. Our kids are going to go out on Friday night with coach Richins in their heart and the sacrifice he’s making.”

As the days dwindle until Richins’ departure, he finds himself appreciating the smallest things more than ever before. 

On Friday, he sat in his office looking at photographs from his years at Teton and Shelley, realizing how much he will miss his current life.

Richins was asked what he would miss most.

“Everything I do, from getting a soda at the convenience store to driving down the road looking at green grass and green trees feels good,” he said. “I know I probably won’t get that where I’m going. It makes me appreciate everything we have here that we take for granted, such as going to a nice restaurant or wearing civilian clothes.

“I’m going to miss the little things. I look at these pictures and get sentimental. It’s going to be hard. But it’s time to make new memories and new relationships, so I’m looking forward to that, too.”

Bengals melt down in Sacramento

I've not been putting stories on here much lately. I'm going to change that, and I'm going to start by putting up a favorite from my time in Idaho. This was on Jan. 27, 2011.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The start of Idaho State's 74-63 loss to Sacramento State wasn't pretty. The finish was even worse, and Idaho State coach Joe O'Brien wasn't around to see it.

    Idaho State scored a mere two points in the first 11 minutes of the game, allowing Sacramento State to build a 15-point lead. The Bengals spent the entire game trying to recover.

    In the final two minutes, Idaho State assistant coach Cory O'Brien picked up a technical foul for disputing an official's call, then Joe O'Brien picked up two more technicals and had to be escorted off the court.

    The final tally for the Bengals (6-14 overall, 2-6 Big Sky) was six technical foul shots for Sacramento State's Sultan Toles-Bey, one fan ejected from the game along with O'Brien and their third consecutive loss at Hornet Gym on Thursday night.

    The opening minute summed up the Bengals' night perfectly. On the Bengals' second possession of the evening, Idaho State point guard Broderick Gilchrest found himself alone under the Hornets' (5-15, 2-7) basket for an easy shot.

    Gilchrest missed the shot, and center Deividas Busma missed the putback attempt. The Bengals' play fell off after that, and the Hornets took full advantage.

    “We missed eight to 10 layups in the first half,” Idaho State assistant coach Tim Walsh said. “If you miss layups, it's going to be hard to score because eventually, they're going to start taking things away. Then we let it affect things on the other end and had transition guys running by us. We had our backs to the wall after that.”

    While the Bengals stewed about what went wrong, Sacramento State coach Brian Katz went for a swim. He promised his players that he would jump in the pool if they earned a two-game winning streak, and delivered on his promise after his players frustrated Idaho State at every turn.

    “I thought we got really good defense in the first half,” Katz said. “In the first half, we executed the scouting report almost to a T. We (allowed) no transition, contested Busma and limited shots.”

    The Bengals found a way to solve the Hornets' defense in the second half and nearly got themselves back into the game because the Hornets made several mistakes. But Idaho State shot just 64 percent from the free throw line, and sealed its fate with the late explosion.

    With the Bengals trailing 61-55 and 1:02 remaining, Gilchrest drove toward the basket and was brushed on a layup attempt. The officials ruled that the contact was incidental and gave the ball to the Hornets when the ball went out of bounds, which set off the Bengals' coaches.

    After Cory O'Brien yelled that there was no way the call was correct, Joe O'Brien launched into a tirade. He charged center court screaming at the officials and had to be restrained as he was ejected from the contest.

    The three technicals ended any chance of Idaho State completing its comeback after what Walsh said was a great second-half effort.

    “After the first five or six minutes of the second half, we did a really good job,” Walsh said. “You have to give the kids credit, because they kept competing. They don't quit, and they're going to come out Saturday and give us their best effort.”

    Kenny McGowen led Idaho State with 17 points, while Duro Bjegovic paced the Hornets with 18 and was one of four Sacramento State players in double figures.

Illinois all-stars' team game edges Iowa

By Dan Angell
dangell@qctimes.com
ROCK ISLAND — In the days leading up to Illinois’ 72-65 victory over Iowa in the girls’ high school all-star game, Victoria May of Riverdale hardly could contain her excitement.
For years, she and teammate Lauren Ickes spent the winter playing against friends Shelby Steger of Kewanee Wethersfield and Ella Teel of Ridgewood. This time, they would all be playing together against eastern Iowa’s best and spent the week talking about finally getting that chance.
When they stepped on the court on Monday night, they quickly made up for lost time.
May scored 20 points, Steger added 11 and Illinois played like a team that had been together all season instead of for just one day in beating Iowa at Augustana College.
“It was so exciting,” said May, who was named most valuable player. “We all clicked. (Coach Gary Altman) picked two teams, and we all clicked on both teams. He kept switching it up, and nothing didn’t work. It’s amazing how we can get out there and have that connection.”
Despite both teams having just one practice before Monday night, neither side had much trouble developing chemistry. Every player on both sides scored in the game, and May was the only player on either squad to play more than 21 minutes.
Steger said that was because every player in the game was talented and knew what winning required.
“Good players know how to jell fast,” she said. “We really bonded quickly.”
The result was that Illinois was able to neutralize Iowa’s size advantage. With Moline’s Marquisha Harris missing the game because of a choir event in New York, Illinois had no players taller than 5’11”, while Iowa boasted 6’2” Megan Hayes of Bettendorf and 6’1” Stacey Clark of Pleasant Valley.
Hayes led Iowa with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but Illinois answered with defense and quality 3-point shooting.
Illinois shot 45 percent from the arc and came up with several key shots to hold off Iowa. After May hit her first 3-pointer of the game with 11 minutes left in the first half to put her team ahead 14-13, Illinois did not trail again.
Despite the loss, Hayes was in good spirits afterward, although she struggled with the fact that her high school career had ended.
“It’s an honor to play with these girls and wear the uniform one more time,” Hayes said. “But it’s always hard when your season is over. I can’t believe high school (basketball) is over.”
May had the same thought.
“It’s very surreal,” she said. “That was the last game I’ll ever play with this jersey on, and it’s sad. But that was a good way to go out.”

Rockland comeback falls just short

  CALDWELL — As soon as teammate Ty Colton's final shot bounced away in Rockland's 56-55 loss to Salmon River, Rockland senior Colton Christensen covered his head with his jersey.

    This was not the way the story was supposed to end for the Bulldogs. This had been the season their nine seniors dreamed about, and nobody thought it would end with a loss in the quarterfinals.

    The problem was that Rockland had dug its hole too deep.

    The Bulldogs outscored Salmon River 16-5 over the final 3:19 of the game, but twice failed to get the basket they needed to take the lead as their state championship dream ended against the Savages on Thursday afternoon at Caldwell High School.

    “We let them jump out on us in the third quarter,” Rockland coach Dan Ralphs said. “We got down 12 (51-39), and you can't do that in a state tournament. The kids played their hearts out and dug themselves back in, but it was too little, too late. If we had another minute or two on the clock, the outcome could have been completely different.”

    Actually, another five seconds would have made a world of difference for the Bulldogs (16-3). Rockland had a chance to win the game after Salmon River's Jake Manley missed a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining, but the fact that the Bulldogs were out of timeouts cost them.

    After the Savages (17-6) knocked the ball out of bounds, the Bulldogs were down to 3.7 seconds left to set up a winning shot. All Colton had time to do was drive toward the hoop and hope for a bank or that senior forward Matt Nelson would be able to get a rebound and have time for a putback.

    Nelson did get the rebound, but it came a second after the buzzer had sounded, sealing the Bulldogs' fate.

    “We had Matt in the right spot, but it was too late,” Ralphs said. “Ty got off an off-balance shot, which wasn't what we wanted.”

    Christensen had 19 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Nelson added 10 and Tyrell Turley finished with eight after hitting two 3-pointers in the final minute that gave Rockland a chance to pull off the miraculous comeback. Manley had 15 points to lead Salmon River.

    Rockland will play Castleford at 6:15 p.m. tonight at Caldwell in the consolation round. The Bulldogs are in the rare position of being a consolation team with a purpose, since they will be trying to extend Ralphs' 37-year coaching career by one more game.

Regardless of whether that happens, Ralphs left proud of his players.

    “I think everybody there saw that these kids have big hearts and aren't going to quit on anything,” Ralphs said. “They fought all the way, and I was proud of them. We just waited a little too long to get our engines going.”

Bruins end Diamondbacks' season again

    BOISE — With 1:34 remaining in Century's 42-31 loss to Twin Falls, Century coach Cody Shelley chastised his team for its lack of perspiration, telling the Diamondbacks that if they weren't tired, something was wrong.

    Something was wrong, but it was because this just wasn't the Diamondbacks' night.

    Whether it was Ty Ravsten saving a wild pass — only to see it end up chased down by Twin Falls' Jayson Welker because none of his teammates were around to grab the ball — or the Diamondbacks' numerous missed layups and putbacks, nothing went Century's way as Twin Falls (19-7) ended its season in the 4A quarterfinals for the second consecutive season on Thursday night at Borah High School.

    Shelley thought that the Diamondbacks' failure to score in the second quarter ended any chance they had at a win. The Diamondbacks (13-10) managed just one basket in the eight-minute frame, a putback from Jeffrey Scott Andrews, and were outscored 10-2 in the quarter.

    “That was a big turning point in the game,” Shelley said. “Against a team that runs a Princeton-style offense, when you give them an eight-point lead, their possessions turn into 30 or 45 seconds. You almost have to play error-free to get back into the game.”

    The Diamondbacks did not. Twin Falls' patience forced Century to get overly aggressive, leading to defensive mistakes that left the Bruins with several open looks at the basket. Tyler Wolters had most of them, scoring 14 points and hitting all four of his attempts from the 3-point arc.

    Century did manage to contain Twin Falls star Eric Harr, holding him to just eight points, but it didn't matter because most of the Diamondbacks' jump shots never made it to Boise.

    Century senior Zachery Cuttlers tried to make up for the off-nights the rest of his teammates had by scoring 19 points, but no other Diamondback scored more than five points.

    “It's my senior year, and I didn't want to lose,” Cuttlers said. “This is the last chance I'll ever have, but shots weren't going in, we weren't playing together and the defenses quit on us. Everything was going bad.”

    Outside of Cuttlers, the Diamondbacks shot 4-for-25 and missed several easy layups.

    Before the week, Century's players said they hadn't forgotten last season, when they lost three times to a much more talented Twin Falls squad that ended up the eventual state champions.

    That only made Thursday night hurt more because the Diamondbacks thought the game was there for the taking and they hadn't taken advantage of the opportunity.

    “I don't know what to say,” Cuttlers said. “It's tough because we thought we had it. Maybe we got a little too cocky when we came into this, and it got into our heads and we let it slip by us. We should have had it, but we didn't play well together.”

    Century will play Bishop Kelly in a consolation game at 3 p.m. today at Borah.

Pirates eliminate No. 1 ranked Kubs

BOISE — With 2:35 remaining in West Side's 42-36 victory over Kamiah, West Side guard Kyler Austin knew he didn't have much time to react when Kamiah center Eric Hill got the ball in the low post.

    West Side led 36-27, so Austin had no desire to commit a foul and give the Kubs a chance to cut into the lead. But he also wasn't about to give up the easy bucket. All he could do was stand his ground and hope for the best.

    A second later, the whistle blew and Austin had the result he wanted. He'd drawn the offensive foul and Hill was out of the game. The mentality to do anything to win proved to be the difference as West Side (18-6) returned to the 2A state semifinals by beating Kamiah (22-2) on Thursday night at Capital High School.

    “We knew that Kamiah was a tough team, and in order to beat them, we were going to have to play our butts off for the whole game,” Austin said. “Our mindset was to outhustle them for 32 minutes.

    “(West Side) coach (Tyler) Brown really pounded it into our heads that they were a solid team, and we were going to have to be tough and smart. Part of being tough is being able to take charges.”

    Before the game, Brown told his team that rebounding and containing Kamiah junior guard Jack Nygaard were the keys to the game. The Pirates executed the plan to perfection.

    Nygaard finished with 15 points to lead all scorers, but he had to shoot 5-for-18 from the field to do it, and most of his points came after West Side had established a comfortable lead.

    “Nygaard can really shoot it, and their other kids really look for him to score,” Brown said. “As he goes, they go. I'm proud of my kids for playing. We knew we had to stop him and limit his points.”

    Meanwhile, West Side handled Kamiah on the glass, outrebounding the Kubs 36-25 and grabbing 25 defensive rebounds.

    “If something is really important to coach Brown, he writes it three times,” West Side forward Tanner Smart said. “(Rebounding) was the main thing he had written three times. It was the same as our last play-in game, do or die. If we lose, our ultimate goal is out of the picture.”

    Smart made sure the Pirates' goal of finally winning an elusive state championship was still in play by scoring 13 points to lead West Side. Six of those points came during a 90-second stretch when Kamiah started to gamble with a press to try to get back in the game, leaving Smart open for his teammates to find him.

    “My teammates did an amazing job getting the ball into me,” Smart said. “To return the favor, I've got to score for them.”

    West Side returns to the state semifinals, but for the first time in five years, longtime nemesis Firth is not around to block their path. The Cougars lost on Thursday night to New Plymouth, ending their four-year run as 2A state champions and setting up a meeting between West Side and New Plymouth tonight at 8 p.m.

    The Pirates hoped that they would be the ones to end Firth's reign, but going through the Pilgrims is fine with them.

    “Our mindset the last week is that (if) you win, you move on, and (if) you lose, you go home,” Austin said. “We don't want to go home. We've worked too hard to even consider it. We've got two more games in West Side jerseys, and we're going to do everything we can to take these jerseys off with pride.”

Bengals' season ends with loss

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Things got so bad for Idaho State during its 84-68 loss to Montana State that at one point in the first half, the Bengals were playing with only four men on the court.

    Things weren't going any better when the Bengals had all five players in the game.

    After hanging with Montana State for a half, Idaho State threw away the opening possession of the second half and things went downhill from there as the Bengals ended their season with a blowout loss on Wednesday night at Worthington Arena.

    “The motivation was not the same as Monday night was, but this was another opportunity to play basketball,” Idaho State coach Joe O'Brien said. “I think some kids listened to that, but some other guys were less than what we needed. We don't have the luxury of having some guys play well and some guys not playing well.”

    As a result, Idaho State (9-20, 4-12 Big Sky) provided the perfect opposition for Montana State's seniors Erik Rush, Bobby Howard and Danny Piepoli, all of whom made their last home game a night they would treasure forever.

    Piepoli led the Bobcats (13-17, 7-9) with 22 points, while Howard and Rush each added 20 to combine for 62 points, 17 more than Montana State even scored in the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 24.

    “We came out of the locker room and just didn't defend,” O'Brien said. “It's a difficult situation when there's not something out there to achieve and shoot for. My hat's off to their three seniors. They played their last home game the way seniors are supposed to, and I'm glad they're gone.”

    Broderick Gilchrest closed out his career at Idaho State with 23 points, but still felt responsible for Idaho State's poor finish to the season, even if he never stopped giving his best effort.

    “I was going to play hard to the end regardless,” Gilchrest said. “But as a team, I'm sorry for the performance we put on. We weren't playing for anything but pride, but to let that go is unacceptable. That's a lack of caring about the game to hold your pride. I didn't want to go out there and not play with pride, and I was proud of a couple of the younger guys for the way they responded.”

    The problem was that the Bengals didn't get enough of those guys to respond, allowing the lead to get as large as 69-44 when Piepoli hit the fifth of his six 3-pointers with 9:51 to play. After that, the only suspense was when Montana State coach Brad Huse would allow his seniors a moment of glory.

    Freshman Andre' Hatchett had 11 points for the Bengals and was the only one of the players returning next year to score in double digits. He said O'Brien blamed himself for the finish, but he disagreed because O'Brien wasn't the one playing in the game.

    “I felt like there was no energy tonight out there,” Hatchett said. “Some guys just weren't ready to play. We tried to win for the seniors in their last game, but I think mentally, people had given up already after the Northern Colorado game.

    “It's been tough going from winning a state championship last year to not making the tournament. We have to stay focused to turn this thing around next year.”

Chiefs can't stop Murtaugh

AMERICAN FALLS — With 4:30 left in Sho-Ban’s loss to Murtaugh, things appeared to be heading in the Chiefs’ favor.
    They had used a 7-0 run to cut the Red Devils’ lead to 38-36 and had a chance to push the lead even further when guard Shawn Running Horse got a look and fired a 3-point attempt.
    But Running Horse’s shot clanged off the side of the rim, and Murtaugh made sure that two points was as close as Sho-Ban was going to get. A minute later, Murtaugh forward Humberto Pacheco rebounded a miss and put it in, and the Chiefs’ offense disappeared.
    Sho-Ban did not score in the final 5:10 and its season ended one game short of reaching the 1A Division II state tournament on Saturday at American Falls High School.
    “It was hard for us to come by baskets tonight,” Sho-Ban coach Pete Conway said. “We had some momentum right there, but it seemed like all night, when we needed a big basket, there seemed to be a lid on the hole.”
    Conway and the Chiefs (15-9) had to be feeling that way in the final minute of the third quarter when Andre Graves made a steal and fed Lonzo Coby for a layup. Coby’s shot inexplicably rimmed out, keeping Murtaugh ahead 35-27.
    Coby would end the quarter with a basket, but the damage of the missed shot came when the Chiefs came up two points short of tying the score.
    Cole Takes Horse led Sho-Ban with 11 points, but he and his teammates had no answer for Pacheco, who finished the game with 30 points. When the Chiefs managed to slow him down in the second half, Austin Stanger had 13 points to fill the void.
    “We tried to face guard him and deny him the ball,” Conway said. “But he’s able to get open on his own without screens. Humberto stole the show tonight.”
    Sho-Ban’s other problem was that Murtaugh learned from an earlier loss to the Chiefs and set its strategy to slow them down. When the Chiefs couldn’t make baskets, their hopes of a state bid were foiled.
    Still, Conway was proud of what his team accomplished.
    “They shouldn’t have anything to hang their heads about,” he said. “We won three games last year, and (this year) we were one win away on consecutive nights from making it to Caldwell.”

Pirates sail to state tournament

By Dan Angell
dangell@journalnet.com
    AMERICAN FALLS — As soon as the buzzer sounded in West Side’s 60-43 win over Butte County, West Side junior JD Cook high-fived teammate Dallas Turnbow and broke into a big smile.
    He had certainly earned it.
    Cook scored 24 points and made sure that West Side’s season would continue as the Pirates clinched their fifth straight trip to the 2A state tournament on Saturday at American Falls High School.
    “We really wanted to focus on rebounding and playing defense,” Cook said. “The offense comes when you’re playing good defense.”
    The southern Pirates (18-6) weren’t happy about the way they rebounded on Thursday night in a win over Wendell. This time, West Side made rebounding the key to its game plan, then executed it almost to perfection.
    Once Butte County found itself limited to one shot, it got desperate and began to play at a tempo that was too fast for it to handle. That was exactly what West Side was waiting for.
    Several Butte County mistakes turned into easy steals for West Side’s quick backcourt, with the lead growing as big as 46-26 in the fourth quarter when Cook finished a layup after a Butte County turnover.
    “Our goal was to keep them off the glass and then make sure we executed and ran a little bit,” West Side coach Tyler Brown said. “We wanted to attack the basket, and it paid off for us in the first half. All in all, we played a pretty good game defensively.”
    Tanner Smart added 12 points for West Side, most of which came inside. With West Side’s defense flustering Butte County, interior baskets became plentiful and allowed West Side to play with a double-digit lead for almost all of the final three quarters.
    “We came out with some energy and urgency,” Smart said. “Something clicked in our head that said it’s do or die time, and we had to give it our all.”
    After playing its way into the state tournament with two victories, the Pirates won’t get a break when they reach Boise. Their state tournament will open at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday at Capital High School against Kamiah, which lost the state title to Firth last year by a point.
    However, Cook saw a positive in the fact that the Pirates had to take the back door to get back to the state tournament.
    “At the district tournament, we were in a little bit of a slump,” Cook said. “These last two games have helped us get back on track. It’s probably the best thing that’s happened to us. We have a tough bracket, but we’ve figured things out and we’re ready to go.”

Bengal men fall short of Big Sky tournament

By Dan Angell
dangell@journalnet.com
    After several frustrating finishes and close losses, the final play of Idaho State’s 77-74 loss to Northern Colorado provided the perfect conclusion for the Bengals.
    With 6.7 seconds left, Idaho State drew up a play to free senior guard Broderick Gilchrest, hoping for a similar result to the Feb. 12 win over Northern Arizona in which Gilchrest nailed the 3.
    The problem was that Northern Colorado had the 3-point arc defended almost perfectly, and Gilchrest couldn’t get an open look. By the time the senior found space to get a shot off, Northern Colorado guard Chris Kaba’s right arm was there to swat it away and the Bengals’ last hope of reaching the Big Sky tournament died on Monday night at Holt Arena.
    While the Bears celebrated moving one win away from winning the Big Sky regular season title, the Bengals could only wonder what might have been if they hadn’t come up short so often at the end.
    “That’s the story of the conference season,” Idaho State coach Joe O’Brien said. “That’s probably the fifth game in the conference season that we were that close to going the other way. I hope the experience that the returning players have been through sinks in and next year they utilize it.”
    The Bengals (9-19, 4-11 Big Sky) ended up falling short again because they were unable to build off their momentum in the second half. When Idaho State ripped off an 18-6 run to take a 64-60 lead, it appeared the Bengals might pull off the surprising upset.
    Instead, Idaho State missed five of its next six shots. From that point on, Northern Colorado (18-10, 12-3) took over the game. After using the opportunity to regroup, the Bears ripped off a 13-4 run capped off by a 3-pointer from junior Elliott Lloyd that proved to be the decisive blow.
    “It was just guys executing and stepping up,” Northern Colorado coach B.J. Hill said. “We drew up that play for Elliott Lloyd out of a timeout, and he banged it. For a kid that’s been struggling enough to have enough confidence to shoot that says a lot about him.”
    Lloyd had just five points, but that shot allowed the Bears to win the game from the free throw line. Devon Beitzel led all scorers with 28 points, 16 of which came from the stripe.
    Gilchrest finished with 26 points in his final game at Holt Arena, but his last game in Pocatello was anything but memorable in his eyes. Minutes after the loss, he despondently sat in the stands, trying to come to grips with the fact that his senior season would end on Wednesday at Montana State.
    “I felt for the guys last year who went out to the same way,” Gilchrest said. “We (the seniors) all pleged that we were going to do something different. We were going to make the tournament and not go out with a bitter taste in our mouths, but the season’s ending the same.
    “We stayed together, but we couldn’t pull it off.”