Mike Schlatter is best known as a Hailey banker, but Schlatter also made a shrewd investment Tuesday night in the continued success of the Jivaro Headhunters basketball team on which he has played for 10 years.
Call it an investment in energy, and timely baskets.
Schlatter scored all nine of his points in the second half as Jivaro (13-3) captured its fourth consecutive Blaine County Recreation District men’s basketball league championship by a 58-42 score over Redfish Technology (12-6).
The closest thing to a dynasty that the local Outlaw League has ever seen, Jivaro Headhunters achieved the first-ever four-peat in league annals that go back 40 years. “Not bad for a bunch of old guys,” Schlatter said afterward.
Jivaro leading scorer Jeff Stedman (12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals), who topped the Headhunters with a double-double in the title game, said about Schlatter’s clutch contributions, “Mike contributed energy, hit shots when we needed them and played great defense—an all-around great game.”
The Headhunters led virtually the whole way in Tuesday’s championship game of the eight-team double elimination tournament at Hailey’s Community Campus gym. Redfish cut the lead to 27-23 late in the first half, but Jivaro restored an eight-point halftime lead at 31-23 and then pulled away.
Jivaro, an 18-year-old league franchise appearing in the Outlaw League title game for the 13th time in 14 years, had its usual core of veterans like Stedman, Buddy Peterson, Dan Willett, Ron Harrison and Schlatter.
But, for one reason or another, it was tough for the Headhunters to come up with a consistent lineup during the three-month league season. So they had to rely upon talented newcomers like Allan Moorer, Joshua Garland and Wood River High School sophomore Gunner Gibson.
“We never seemed to start or finish a game with the same five players this season,” said point guard Stedman.
But the league’s best defensive team (51.0 ppg) came up with a seven-player rotation that wore down Redfish Tuesday. Three Headhunters scored in double figures, and nearly five. They out-rebounded Redfish 32-21. They had 10 assists, and made eight 3-pointers to three for the Tech gang.
Peterson (11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 6 assists) drilled three 3-pointers and continued his long legacy of never knowingly committing a foul. Gibson (9 points, 2 rebounds) showed the ability to mix it up that may benefit the Wood River boys.
Garland (10 points) smoothly lifted his shots over the Tech defense. Moorer (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots) was the most athletic player on the floor—once saving a ball from going out out-of-bounds and racing back to somehow block a shot during the same sequence.
Willett (2 points) and Harrison (2 rebounds) chipped in.
Leading Redfish Tech, which won four of its six tourney games, were Logan Fredrickson (13 points, two 3-pointers, 2 steals, 3 assists), Pat Woodbury (6 points, 9 rebounds), Eric Stumpner (6 points, 3 boards), Mike Bellamy (5 points, 4 rebounds) and Logan Knight (7 points, 5-for-6 free throws).
The Headhunters have now won six league titles in seven years—and nine overall. Jivaro boasts a 100-14 league record over a seven-year span, including 59-5 the last four years.
Here are the outcomes of the Outlaw League finals since 2000:
2014: Jivaro Headhunters 58-42 over Redfish Technology.
2013: Jivaro Headhunters 55-50 over Coeneo/Merrick Construction.
2012: Jivaro Headhunters 71-41 over Sturges Productions.
2011: Jivaro Headhunters (16-0) 64-54 over Coeneo.
2010: Growing Concern 63-62 over Jivaro Headhunters
2009: Jivaro Headhunters 73-68 over Rocky Mountain Hardware/Soundwave.
2008: Jivaro Headhunters (17-0) 72-54 over Sturges Productions.
2007: Sutton & Sons 68-63 over Growing Concern.
2006: Johnny G’s Subshack 68-48 over Jivaro Headhunters.
2005: Phoenix Bar & Grill (16-0) 72-58 over Jivaro Headhunters.
2004: Sturges Productions 66-59 over Jivaro Headhunters.
2003: Jivaro Headhunters 67-64 over Croy St. Exchange.
2002: Jivaro Headhunters 69-49 over Croy St./Sun Valley Brewing.
2001: Jivaro Headhunters 62-44 over Casino/Lefty’s.
2000: Sutton & Sons 66-52 over Sun Valley Brewing/Croy St.
BCRD Men's Basketball League
Final regular-season standings
| TEAM, SPONSOR |
RECORD. |
OFF, AVG. |
DEF, AVG. |
| 1—AMBL |
1-Nov |
878 (73.2) |
660 (55.0) |
| 2—Jivaro Headhunters |
3-Sep |
734 (61.2) |
642 (53.5) |
| 3—Redfish Technology |
4-Aug |
751 (62.6) |
656 (54.7) |
| 4—Rocky Mtn./Soundwave |
5-Jul |
745 (62.1) |
725 (60.4) |
| 5--5B Roofing/SV Services |
6-Jun |
762 (63.5) |
739 (61.6) |
| 6—Thornton/Muleshoe |
7-May |
639 (53.3) |
712 (59.3) |
| 7—SV Auto/Growing Conc. |
10-Feb |
615 (51.3) |
782 (65.2) |
| 8—Power Engineers |
0-12 |
615 (51.3) |
823 (68.6) |
City tournament standings
| TEAM, RECORD |
REC.. |
OFF, AVG. |
DEF, AVG. |
| Jivaro Headhunters (9-3) |
Apr-00 |
205 (51.3) |
157 (39.3) |
| Redfish Technology (8-4) |
2-Apr |
285 (47.5) |
284 (47.3) |
| 5B Roof/SV Services (6-6) |
2-Feb |
173 (43.3) |
186 (46.5) |
| Thornton/Muleshoe (5-7) |
2-Feb |
209 (52.3) |
210 (52.5) |
| AMBL (11-1) |
2-Jan |
227 (75.7) |
186 (62.0) |
| Rocky Mtn./Soundwave (7-5) |
2-Jan |
185 (61.7) |
203 (67.7) |
| SV Auto/Growing (2-10). |
0-2 |
98 (49.0) |
111 (55.5) |
| Power Engineers (0-12) |
0-2 |
145 (72.5) |
190 (95.0) |
CITY TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Sem-final—Redfish Technology 43, 5B Roofing/SV Services 31 (Pat Woodbury 18, Papas Paredes 10)
Championship game—Jivaro Headhunters 58, Redfish Technology 42
Jivaro Headhunters swingman Joshua Garland (right) shoots over the defense of Redfish Technology’s David McCue (left) during Tuesday’s Outlaw League title game won by Jivaro 58-42 on the Hailey hardwoods. Photo by Roland Lane
