My cousin Kole (#25)
Congratulations to The Mackay Miners!
KarLee went with my family to Boise and got to watch the winning game!! She loves going with grandma and her aunt!! Besides hanging out with all the family, she got to do some swimming, and her favorite shopping!! Thanks to my family for being a great family!
NAMPA—The Mackay Miners nearly blew a big lead but held on to beat Garden Valley for the 1A Division II title at the Idaho Center.
The title came in coach Josh Pehrson’s second season as a varsity coach and in his first state appearance.
“I knew we had a good team, but I didn’t know maybe that this was possible,” Pehrson said. “There were a lot of tough teams we had to go through. We are a little overwhelmed right now.”
Mackay (16-8) won its sixth boys basketball title and its first in eight years. The Miners won championships in 1981, 1988, and won three straight from 1999-2001.
Junior guard Kole Krosch said he was proud to add to the Mackay legacy.
“This is unbelievable,” said Krosch, who scored a game-high 21 points. “Mackay has been known for winning titles. If feels good to hang a banner on the wall.”
The Miners almost let a blowout win slip through their fingers. The Miners dominated the first three quarters, taking a 22-point lead early in the third and carrying a 16-point lead into the fourth. Miner went on a 12-0 run at one point featuring nine straight by Krosch. The Miners shot a blistering 51 from the floor.But Mackay played lackadaisically in the fourth quarter, opening the door for a 19-5 Garden Valley run. Mackay’s big lead shrunk to two when Garden Valley’s Matt Sipple scored off an offensive rebound with 13 seconds left.
That’s when Mackay point guard Scott Smyer, who had already hit an assortment of tough jumpers and driving lay-ins, bailed out the Miners.
With seven seconds left, Smyer took the inbound and was fouled. With his father watching at home on an internet broadcast as he recovered from back surgery, the senior nailed two free throws to push the lead to four and put the championship on ice.
Smyer finished with 19 points.
“Kole Krosch and Scott Smyer have carried us all season,” Pehrson said. “Kole is the kid you want to have the all at the end of the game or when you need a basket. As for Scott, you want a senior on the line in that situation at the end of the game.”
Mackay made for an entertaining tournament. The Miners beat Summit Academy by one point in the opener. Mackay needed a steal by Krosch and free throw with three seconds left to escape Richfield in the semis.
Mackay also played the role of giant-slayers. Richfield entered the tournament with a 19-3 record and a No. 1 ranking in the media poll. Garden Valley entered the tourney at 19-3 and a No. 2 ranking.
However, like a lot of folks, the Miners never paid much credence to the opinions of sportswriters.“Heck yeah, that makes this better,” Krosch said. “Throughout this season, we’ve been the underdogs. Media rankings don’t mean anything to us. We believe we can take down any team.”
Mackay 54, Garden Valley 50Garden Valley 3 10 18 19 - 50Mackay 11 14 22 7 - 54GARDEN VALLEY (50) Casey Hileman 4, Dylan Bass 3, JC Tucker 19, Justin Pedersen 14, Marshall Breish 2, Matt Sipple 8. FG: 18-60. FT: 8-16. 3-pointers: 6-34 (Tucker 3, Pedersen 2, Bass 1.) Total fouls: 16. Fouled out: Pedersen.MACKAY (54) Dylen Hoagland 10, Scott Smyer 19, Zach Donnot 4, Kole Krosch 21. FG: 23-45. FT: 6-13. 3-pointers: 2-6 (Smyer 1, Krosch 1.) Total fouls: 17. Fouled out: Donnot.
The title came in coach Josh Pehrson’s second season as a varsity coach and in his first state appearance.
“I knew we had a good team, but I didn’t know maybe that this was possible,” Pehrson said. “There were a lot of tough teams we had to go through. We are a little overwhelmed right now.”
Mackay (16-8) won its sixth boys basketball title and its first in eight years. The Miners won championships in 1981, 1988, and won three straight from 1999-2001.
Junior guard Kole Krosch said he was proud to add to the Mackay legacy.
“This is unbelievable,” said Krosch, who scored a game-high 21 points. “Mackay has been known for winning titles. If feels good to hang a banner on the wall.”
The Miners almost let a blowout win slip through their fingers. The Miners dominated the first three quarters, taking a 22-point lead early in the third and carrying a 16-point lead into the fourth. Miner went on a 12-0 run at one point featuring nine straight by Krosch. The Miners shot a blistering 51 from the floor.But Mackay played lackadaisically in the fourth quarter, opening the door for a 19-5 Garden Valley run. Mackay’s big lead shrunk to two when Garden Valley’s Matt Sipple scored off an offensive rebound with 13 seconds left.
That’s when Mackay point guard Scott Smyer, who had already hit an assortment of tough jumpers and driving lay-ins, bailed out the Miners.
With seven seconds left, Smyer took the inbound and was fouled. With his father watching at home on an internet broadcast as he recovered from back surgery, the senior nailed two free throws to push the lead to four and put the championship on ice.
Smyer finished with 19 points.
“Kole Krosch and Scott Smyer have carried us all season,” Pehrson said. “Kole is the kid you want to have the all at the end of the game or when you need a basket. As for Scott, you want a senior on the line in that situation at the end of the game.”
Mackay made for an entertaining tournament. The Miners beat Summit Academy by one point in the opener. Mackay needed a steal by Krosch and free throw with three seconds left to escape Richfield in the semis.
Mackay also played the role of giant-slayers. Richfield entered the tournament with a 19-3 record and a No. 1 ranking in the media poll. Garden Valley entered the tourney at 19-3 and a No. 2 ranking.
However, like a lot of folks, the Miners never paid much credence to the opinions of sportswriters.“Heck yeah, that makes this better,” Krosch said. “Throughout this season, we’ve been the underdogs. Media rankings don’t mean anything to us. We believe we can take down any team.”
Mackay 54, Garden Valley 50Garden Valley 3 10 18 19 - 50Mackay 11 14 22 7 - 54GARDEN VALLEY (50) Casey Hileman 4, Dylan Bass 3, JC Tucker 19, Justin Pedersen 14, Marshall Breish 2, Matt Sipple 8. FG: 18-60. FT: 8-16. 3-pointers: 6-34 (Tucker 3, Pedersen 2, Bass 1.) Total fouls: 16. Fouled out: Pedersen.MACKAY (54) Dylen Hoagland 10, Scott Smyer 19, Zach Donnot 4, Kole Krosch 21. FG: 23-45. FT: 6-13. 3-pointers: 2-6 (Smyer 1, Krosch 1.) Total fouls: 17. Fouled out: Donnot.
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