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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Idaho state girls basketball: Timberlake comes up short in semifinal loss to Parma

By Jordan Rodriguez For The Spokesman-Review

The Timberlake girls basketball team is no stranger to the big stage. The Tigers have appeared in six of the previous eight 3A State championship games, winning back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.

But Friday night at Skyview High School, the Tigers met their match. In a tightly contested state semifinal, it was Parma that made the key plays down the stretch, outlasting Timberlake 54-44 to reach the state final in Nampa.

Parma (23-2) will attempt to dethrone defending champion Sugar-Salem (23-2) at 2:50 p.m. Saturday in the Ford Idaho Center. Timberlake (21-3) will face Homedale (13-11) in the 10 a.m. third-place game at Skyview High.

“We made some runs at them, but they made the key buckets when they needed them,” Timberlake coach Matt Miller said. “This is a disappointing finish for us. We’re better than we played tonight.”

Sophomore guard Taryn Soumas led Timberlake with 21 points, hitting seven 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Brooke Jessen added nine points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers, but the night ultimately belonged to Parma and Montana State-bound senior Madison Jackson.

“We’re a tiny little school that wants to prove everyone wrong,” Jackson said after finishing with 21 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.

“Her athleticism is unparalleled,” Miller said of Jackson. “She did a good job of staying aggressive and finding her shots, even though we were giving her a lot of attention defensively.”

With Jackson and junior forward Adyson Harris leading the way, Parma raced to a 14-8 lead after one quarter. But the Panthers couldn’t pull away, in part because of seven missed first-half free throws.

Timberlake closed the gap to 23-21 at halftime, and Taylor Suko beat the third-quarter buzzer to keep the Tigers within a bucket, 35-33, heading into the fourth.

But in the final period, Parma found a way to make the clutch plays. Jackson sank two huge fourth-quarter jumpers, and her teammates hit open shots when she drew extra defenders. Harris outbattled the taller Timberlake frontcourt to finish with 12 points and 10 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

“It’s a shame someone had to lose that game,” Parma coach Michael Calkins said.

“I thought both teams battled it out, and we were fortunate enough to make a couple more shots than they did.”

The Panthers also found success with their full-court trap, forcing 14 turnovers – several of which came late and helped put the game out of reach.

“I think the toughest part was the pressure they put on us,” Soumas said.

“We had some panicky passes. But we played our butts off, and I know we’ll come out and play and play our butts off again and win that third-place trophy.”

Consolation round

Lake City 63, Rigby 54: Bridget Rieken scored 21 points and the Timberwolves (21-4) topped the Trojans (18-9) in a 5A State consolation-round game at Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. Klaire Mitchell and Brooklyn Rewers scored 14 points apiece for Lake City, which faces Meridian (15-13) in the consolation final on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ridgevue HS.

Hillcrest 51, Lakeland 35: Maycee Stenquist scored 15 points and the Knights (14-11) eliminated the Hawks (10-13) in a 4A State consolation game at Timberline HS in Boise. Lauryn Cooper and Katy Ryan had 10 points apiece for Lakeland.

Bonners Ferry 34, Buhl 28: Jerzie Pluid scored 12 points and the Badgers (18-7) beat the Indians (10-16) in a 3A State consolation-round game at Skyview HS in Nampa. Bonners Ferry plays Snake River in the consolation final on Saturday at 9:15 a.m.

Genesis Prep 59, Rockland 40: Bella Murekatete scored 19 points with 16 rebounds, Rachael Schroder added 19 points and the Jaguars (13-11) topped the Bulldogs (20-6) in a 1AD2 State consolation-round game at Nampa HS. Genesis Prep plays Kendrick in the consolation final on Saturday at 9:15 a.m.