There was a buzzer-beating, heart-stopping moment Saturday at the end of Carey School's great run in the State 1A Division 2 boys' basketball tournament—a determined run that nevertheless left Carey as Idaho's best prep basketball school still without a state title.
It was a moment on The Idaho Center court in Nampa that said volumes about Carey's proud hoops tradition (five straight 20-win seasons, 367-134 in 20 seasons since 1991) and the heart of its players.
Carey (23-3) didn't quite pull out a final second victory over the Nezperce Indians (20-5) in the championship game.
Struggling to get its shots all game against the fierce Indian defense, the Panthers trailed by as many as 16 but somehow made it close. Third last year, Nezperce won the game 57-56 for its first state championship since 1979, and third overall.
The scenario was this: Carey, down 29-13 early in the second quarter, plugged away and fought off turnovers (18), erratic free throw shooting (52%) and a 12-minute stretch of absolutely no field goals in the second half to trail Nezperce 54-47 with 42 seconds left. Then, the shooting came alive.
Junior Blair Peck drilled the eighth of 10 Carey 3-pointers of the game from the top of the key for a 54-50 score at 0:42. With 13 seconds, senior Trevor Peck launched a 32-foot 3-pointer that had more hang time than Cat Creek snow kite fliers before dropping in, 56-53.
Finally, with two seconds remaining and still trailing 57-53, Carey had the inbounds pass from the sideline in its offensive end. There was only one possible way for Carey to tie the game—hit a 3-pointer and get fouled in the process.
Understandably, the unanimous message from coach Dave Baldus and the standing-room-only Nezperce bench and the entire Indian crowd was pretty much the same—whoever fouls the 3-point attempt gets to walk home the entire 310-mile distance from Nampa to Nezperce in northern Idaho near Orifino.
Nobody fouled Trevor Peck. Carey's ninth-leading all-time scorer pushed up another rainbow that swished into the Nampa net and brought an enormous grin from Carey head coach Dick Simpson.
The coach could have been disappointed and forlorn because Carey's season and state quest were done. Instead, Simpson realized the hurdles his team had fought through in only the second state championship game trip for Carey. It was an uphill fight all the way. And he felt nothing but pride.
"You know, someone asked me, how do you get the kids to play with that much heart, day-in and day-out?" said Simpson, indicating the answer had more to do with the Carey community and its support and the desire of the players rather than anything he had done.
"The kids just weren't going to give up," he added.
So, time ran out on Carey, close but no cigar. But what a run it was! Start with Thursday's resounding 73-51 first-round triumph over reigning state champion and arch rival Mackay. Continue with Friday's incredible 61-59 overtime victory over league rival Dietrich in one of the hardest-fought games you'll ever see.
And cap it with Saturday's one-point championship game decision that went to a Nezperce team with nine seniors and four starters back from last year, when Nezperce walloped Carey 64-44 in the first-round of the 2009 state meet at Caldwell.
"We played Carey in the first game last year so we knew they could shoot well from the perimeter," said Nezperce coach Baldus. "Last year we got the jump on them (35-15 half). We didn't think we could do that this year because Carey is more experienced. Today was a game of runs. We had a huge one (16-1) in the first half."
Nezperce senior guard Damon Leitch (game-high 27 points) drilled three straight 3-pointers over the Carey zone defense—erasing Carey's early 5-0 lead. When the Panthers countered with a man-to-man defense, Nezperce attacked close to the hoop with its stable of tall, veteran seniors. The Indians simply out-sized Carey.
When Carey looked up, they trailed 29-13. But the Panthers answered with a 9-0 run of their own, led by three 3-pointers by Blair Peck, and 6-3 senior Wacey Barg (8 points, 10 rebounds) toughened up underneath. At half, it was 33-28.
The battle resumed big time in the third quarter, Brett Adamson (12 points) nailing two 3-pointers and Carey finally creeping into a 38-37 lead when Trevor Peck (a team-high 16) cashed in an 18-footer. But then, the 12-minute field goal drought started for Carey and never really seemed to end.
Nezperce disguised a lot of different defensive looks. Carey had to think. Baldus said, "We kept switching. We must have used five different defenses—man-to-man, a 2-3 match-up, two different half-court traps and a full-court trap. We tried to keep them out of their flow."
The Indian success on defense didn't necessarily translate into success on offense. After shooting 39% in the first half, Nezperce shot poorly (23%) in the second half, made only 6-of-11 free throws in the fourth quarter and committed four turnovers in the fourth. Carey's defense was tough, too.
Senior Dillon Simpson, the youngest of 10 children of coach Dick Simpson and his wife Deenie, went head-to-head with Leitch of Nezperce, who didn't score in the fourth. But Carey's shots were just off. Coach Simpson said, "It's the little things that get you. We couldn't get the shots to fall."
Simpson coached all seven of his boys on the Carey court, and had all 10 of his children in attendance Saturday morning in Nampa—watching Carey outscore Nezperce 46-36 in the final three quarters but never managing to wipe out Nezperce's 21-10 first-quarter lead.
He said, "It's all in a stop and a score. I'm a firm believer that defense and rebounding wins championships. And Nezperce rebounded very well."
Overtime cliffhanger with Dietrich
Carey shot well (35%, 5-for-12 3-pointers) and rebounded well in Friday's 61-59 overtime win over a hot-shooting Dietrich squad (44%) that had lost to the Panthers by 29 and 19 points in the season. The nip-and-tuck game featured 12 ties and 10 lead changes.
Simpson said, "That was probably the best Dietrich has played all year, and they put two great games together (including the Blue Devils' 70-53 win over Kootenai in the opening round Thursday). They definitely had chances to win."
Dietrich, seeking its first state championship in 44 years, had a great start Thursday at Caldwell High School—out-rebounding Kootenai (12-11) by a 55-29 margin and shooting 40% for the game in a 70-53 victory. Kolton Hubert (20 points, 8 rebounds), Andrew Rocha (16 points, 18 boards) and Jay Liu (19 points) led the way.
And the Blue Devils (19-10) stayed with Carey the entire semi-final game led by senior Kolton Hubert (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals), senior Walter Hansen (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists), senior Dylan Perron (8 points, 3 assists) and senior Andrew Rocha (7 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals).
"Both teams played hard and I think Dietrich played like they had nothing to lose," said Simpson. "I knew they'd give us a game. They tried to take the outside shot away from us, and we didn't capitalize inside. At times, the kids play not to lose. Our post play—at times it seemed like we were trying too hard to make the those shots."
Carey led 5-0 two minutes into the game, but Dietrich answered with a 10-2 run fueled by Hubert's six points in the first quarter. Early on, the Panthers tried to establish their offense close to the hoop. They have five different scorers in the first eight minutes of play.
Hubert stayed hot in the second quarter with five more points, but Dillon Simpson picked up the scoring slack with eight points of his own—and trusty bench player Tyler Chavez banged some heads in the paint for three huge rebounds. At half, Carey led 23-22.
With Brett Adamson and Trevor Peck hitting for five points apiece, Carey's 8-0 run at the end of the third quarter turned a 27-25 deficit into a 33-27 lead—and that was Carey's biggest lead of the game. But 3-pointers by Dietrich's Hansen and Rocha near the end of the quarter narrowed the lead to 35-33. Hansen, with 19 of his 21 points after half, was on fire.
"Dietrich shot well. They had some good post moves," said Simpson.
Hansen's slice to the basket culminated a 9-2 Blue Devils run that put Dietrich ahead 42-37 with five minutes remaining, then Hansen hit a spinner in the paint for a 44-39 cushion at the 4:23 mark. To Carey's credit, though, the boys kept their heads and played tough defense to stay in the game.
Simpson said, "We got a couple or three stops to change the momentum. We made Dietrich come out and guard us and tried to create a mismatch—Blair Peck penetrating his man for us."
After Trevor Peck knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 44-42 game, Blair Peck stole the ball on defense and made the second of two free throws at the other end. Shane Bingham did the same, hitting the second charity, tying the game 44-44.
Then Blair Peck took over—driving for a foul and making two free throws, pulling up from 13 feet and driving the lane for a 50-48 Carey lead with 58 seconds left. Peck (11 points) made all seven of his fourth-quarter points in the final 3:24. But Kolton Hubert made an 18-footer for a 50-50 tie and the game went to a four-minute OT.
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Falling behind again 53-50 midway through the session, Carey went smaller and quicker and Brett Adamson made two charities at 2:09. The Panther defense forced a Blair Peck steal. He passed to Trevor Peck, who buried a 3-pointer for a 55-53 Carey lead at 1:31. Then, a huge rebound by Dillon Simpson forced a foul by Hansen, and Simpson made both free throws at the other end.
That made the score 57-53 with 1:10 remaining. Blair Peck and Adamson each made two more free throws to put it away. Carey was 8-for-8 from the line in overtime, and 16-for-20 for the game. A putback by Hansen at the buzzer made it close, but Dietrich had to settle for a berth in Saturday's third-place game. And Murtaugh (19-6) won that game 52-50.
Simpson said about the Dietrich outcome, "I'm proud these kids kept their composure and didn't panic at the end of the game. It's a whole new season when you get to state, and I was glad we were able to settle it on the floor."
There were four Carey players in double figures—Dillon Simpson (13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 assists), Brett Adamson (12 points, 2 steals, 2 assists), Trevor Peck (11 points, 2 boards, 2 steals, 2 assists) and Blair Peck (11 points, 4 boards, 5 steals, 4 assists). Wacey Barg (6 points, 7 rebounds) also played a big role, as did Tyler Chavez (5 points, 6 boards) and Shane Bingham (3 points, 4 rebounds).
Against Mackay Thursday, Carey shot 42% for the game including a red-hot 55% in the second half to beat the consolation champion Miners (20-3) by 22 points. Mackay star Kole Krosch (22 points, 10 boards) had his struggles offensively, shooting 6-for-23 including 2-for-10 from the 3-point range. Mackay shot 27% for the game and committed 15 turnovers.
Simpson said about the, "I think the kids felt they could beat Mackay, although I didn't know we could dominate. The kids came ready to play."
Carey whipped the Miners 73-51 Thursday at Caldwell High School with leading scorer Adamson (16.0 ppg, 17.3 ppg state) scoring a season-best 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting, plus 6-for-6 at the line. Adamson finished with 416 points and 780 in his two-year career.
Other Carey stats from the Mackay game: Blair Peck 16 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals; Dillon Simpson 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals; Wacey Barg 8 points and 8 boards; Shane Bingham 4 points and 3 rebounds. Carey shot a heady 13-16 from the line and had 11 different players.
Adamson's running mate, second-leading scorer Trevor Peck (12.0 ppg), finished his three-year varsity career with 912 points for ninth place on the all-time Carey list. Peck nailed 146 career 3-pointers.
Final statistics: 23-3 (10-0 home, 13-3 away). Offense: 1,612 points (62.0 ppg, 7 points higher than last year). Defense: 1,187 (45.7 ppg, same as last year). Individual scoring: Brett Adamson 416 points (16.0) with 25 double-digit games; Trevor Peck 311 (12.0) with 18 games in double figures; Blair Peck 239 (9.2); Wacey Barg 186 (7.2); Dillon Simpson 153 (5.9); Shane Bingham 71; Tyler Chavez 70; Jacy Baird 62; Caleb Cenarrusa 28; Tyler Willis 28; Joey Laidlaw 23; Brad Peck 13; and Brandon Dilworth 12. 3-pointers (148-for-476, 31%): Trevor Peck 51, Brett Adamson 42, Blair Peck 38, Shane Bingham 7, Dillon Simpson 7, Tyler Willis 2, Caleb Cenarrusa 1. Free throws: 278-450, 62%, better than 52% last year. Opposition free throws: 234-438, 53%.
Rebounding: Simpson 231, Barg 193, Trevor Peck 101. Assists: Simpson 95, Adamson 66, Blair Peck 49, Trevor Peck 48. Steals: Simpson 67, Blair Peck 46, Trevor Peck 43. Blocked shots: Simpson 37, Barg 13.
Career points: Trevor Peck 912, moving past Mike Cenarrusa (884) into ninth place on the all-time list; Brett Adamson 780 (with 80 3-pointers), moving past Ty Simmons (775) into 14th place; Dillon Simpson 424; and Wacey Barg 361.
400-point single-season scorers: With 416 points, Brett Adamson has joined a select list of Panther players with 400 single-season points including Rich Payne (485 in 1996), Tim Tingey (448 in 1989), Cameron Cook (421 in 1994), Ty Simmons (483 in 2004), Alex Peterson (402 in 2000 and 435 in 1001), D.J. Simpson (460 in 2008), Tony Howard (418 in 2001), Tadd Green (471 in 2006) and Tyler Cook (422 in 2006).
Carey, Dietrich players fill All-Northside boys
Carey High School boys' basketball coach Dick Simpson shared the Northside Conference "Coach of the Year" honor with Murtaugh's Adam Johnson as the 2009-10 All-League teams were revealed Monday.
Players from Carey, Murtaugh and Dietrich—the 2-3-4 teams in last weekend's State 1A Division 2 tournament—dominated the All-Northside first and second teams.
In the following list, 17 of the 19 picks are seniors, and the two underclassmen are identified that way:
First team: Brett Adamson, Dillon Simpson and Trevor Peck of Carey; Manuel Pacheco and sophomore Humberto Pacheco of Murtaugh.
Second team: Michael Lezamiz of Richfield; Kolton Hubert and Andrew Rocha of Dietrich; Cole Erkins of Bliss; Zach Cummins of Murtaugh.
Honorable mention: Wacey Barg and junior Blair Peck of Carey; Paul Davis of The Community School; Alex Cortez of Bliss; Jose Rivas of Richfield; Dylan Perron and Jay Liu of Dietrich; Matt McClimans and Zach VanEsch of Magic Valley Christian Academy.
State tournament notes
PANTHER NOTES—There were six state championship games played Saturday at The Idaho Center in Nampa and northern Idaho teams won four of them. In the other state boys' brackets:
Twin Falls (24-3) claimed its first 4A championship, third overall and first since the school's 5A title of 2006 by a 52-37 score over Moscow (18-7); and 5A Post Falls (22-4) captured its first state championship since 1963 over Eagle (24-2), the final score in the nightcap 68-60;
In another one-point outcome, Firth (21-5) secured its fourth consecutive 2A championship and fifth overall by a 46-45 score over Kamiah (18-6); Priest River (22-3) was the 3A winner, the school's first state title, by a 79-65 margin over Salmon (20-6); and 1A Division 1 winner Prairie (26-1) took its first state championship since a 2A crown in 1982 by 52-48 over Castleford (23-2).
Nezperce (3.521 GPA) was the Academic State Champion for 1A Division 2 and the Dietrich Blue Devils won the class Sportsmanship Trophy......Of the six 2010 Academic State Champions, three also won state titles on the court—Nezperce, Twin Falls and Prairie.
Nezperce coach Dave Baldus had nice things to say about 5-11 senior guard Damon Leitch. In the championship game Leitch scored 27 points on 7-for-16 field goal shooting (5-for-10 3-pointers) and 8-for-12 free throw shooting, in 31:33 minutes of action. Of that 27-point total, 19 came in the first half. Baldus said, "Damon is a shooter. He stays after practice all the time, and he's been practicing for this game for 10 years. He was ready today, in fact, that's about as well as he has shot the ball. Carey left him open in the first half and he made his shots." Last year Leitch scored 53 state tournament points as Nezperce (15-11) earned the third-place trophy. This year, Leitch tallied 11 in his team's opening-round 54-39 victory over North Gem, 16 in the semi-final 52-39 win over Murtaugh and 27 against Carey—for a grand total of 54 points (18.0 ppg). Twice a loser to State 1A Division 1 champion Prairie this season, Nezperce (20-5) ended its season on a six-game winning streak. The Indians averaged 58.7 ppg and yielded 45.8 ppg. Last year Nezperce set a State 1A Division 2 tourney record of 58.3 ppg in three games. This year the Indians scored 54.3.
Idaho Mountain Express publisher Pam Morris was on hand at The Idaho Center Saturday because her father, Richard Morris of Pocatello, was being honored as a member of the Idaho High School Activities Association's 2010 "Legends of the Game" recipient—the 1946 American Falls Beavers boys' basketball team. Under the coaching of Ron Pierson, that 1946 Beavers team (32-1) played in and won more games than any other boys' team in the history of Idaho. Richard Morris was a Class B All-State team player that year. Surviving members of the team were saluted at halftime of Saturday's 5A championship game. This is the 10th year that the IHSAA has conducted a "Legends of the Game" recognition program, honoring one girls' basketball and one boys' basketball team each year. Team members receive commemorative plaques and medallions. Their schools receive a United Dairymen of Idaho championship banner to hang in the gymnasium.
Carey is 18-12 in its last eight state trips. The Panthers made their 14th state tournament trip in 18 years. Ninth-year coach Simpson is 196-43 and will be shooting for the 200-win mark next season.
Carey seniors Dillon Simpson, Brett Adamson and Trevor Peck were chosen to compete in Tuesday night's 2A/1A All-Star game at Declo. They were on the North team coached by Dee Lewis of Declo. Their teammates were Michael Lezamiz of Richfield, Tyler Briggs and Dane Janak of Declo, plus Shoshone players Josh Olsen, Andrew Sortor and Justin Santana. On the South team coached by Dan Winn of Castleford were Taylor Thacker and Cade Powers of Raft River, Ethan Tverdy and Oscar Vargas of Castleford, Manuel Pacheco of Murtaugh, Michael Crane and Ross Arellano of Glenns Ferry, Dylan Brooks of Hagerman, Zane Jesser of Lighthouse Christian, and Hunter Wadsworth of Oakley.
In addition, Dillon Simpson was selected for the 5A-1A East-West All-Star game Thursday, March 11 at Twin Falls High School gym. He is a member of the East team coached by Dee Lewis. His teammates are Tyler Briggs and Jeremy Jenkins of Declo, Michael Lezamiz of Richfield, Shad Hubsmith and Colton Johnson of Minico, Manuel Pacheco of Murtaugh, Bill Blauer of Burley, Nick Dame of Kimberly and Taylor Thacker of Raft River. On the West team coached by Dan Winn are Jon Pulsifer, Brennan Lancaster and Marcus Jardine of State 4A champion Twin Falls, Gary Koopman of Wendell, Bryce Beard of Filer, Gus Callen and Kameron Pearce of Jerome, J.D. Leckenby of Buhl, and Ethan Tverdy of Castleford.
Carey's only other appearance in the state championship game on The Idaho Center court was in 2001, when Kris Krosch scored 24 points to lead Mackay past Carey 73-46. Watching Saturday's game was Carey's leading scorer that year, Ales Peterson, now a Boise-based realtor and father of two daughters.....Out of the eight teams in the Division 2 field, only four had won state titles—six-time winner Mackay (2009, 1999-01, 1988, 1981), three-time winner North Gem (1995, 1961, 1957), two-time winner Nezperce (1978-79) and 1966 champ Dietrich.
Senior Wacey Barg was a strong force for the state runner-up Carey Panthers during Saturday’s State 1A Division 2 championship game won by the Nezperce Indians 57-56 at The Idaho Center in Nampa.
