Melba and Coeur d'Alene girls basketball both capture district titles

NAMPA, Idaho - They don’t really want to talk about it.

But being the state’s only remaining unbeaten team is pretty hard to ignore.

The Melba girls basketball team extended its impeccable mark to 23-0 following a 54-44 win over rival Cole Valley Christian in the Class 2A District III Championship game Tuesday evening at Ridgevue High School.

The Mustangs repeated with their fifth title over the past seven years. They’ll now head to state that begins Feb. 16 at Bishop Kelly High School as the No. 1 seed and unquestionable favorite.

"The undefeated part doesn’t mean a whole lot to us," Melba coach David Lenz said. "We don’t really talk about it."

That’s because the Mustangs have been here before.

Five years ago, they entered state with the exact same record only to have to settle for a third-place trophy after losing to Soda Springs in the semifinals. Like that squad, Melba has won nearly all of its games in dominating fashion. It has beaten opponents by more than 26 points per game.

The Mustangs have dominated outside of their own classification, as well. They’ve knocked off the likes of defending Class 1A Division I champion Lapwai, perennial Class 3A power Parma and multiple Class 5A teams, including Mountain View, which is only two years removed from a state championship.

"I would call them historically good," Cole Valley Christian coach Matt Beglinger said. "For the most part, I would put them up against anybody in the state. They’re playing with confidence right now. When you get experience, talent and confidence coming together, it’s pretty tough."

The Chargers (18-5), who’ve played the Mustangs in seven consecutive district title games now, did pose a bit of threat early and late.

They jumped out to a 10-5 lead a little more than three minutes and trailed by just two at 17-15 with 5:35 to go in the first half.

But then Brooklynn Dayley happened. The junior guard kick-started and ended a 7-2 run right before the break. She got it going with a reverse layin before draining a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Mustangs a 24-17 advantage heading into the locker room.

"We were talking before the game, I’ve never really done that before," Dayley said with a laugh. "So hitting that it was like, ‘That’s what it feels like.’"

In a first half where senior star wing Kendall Clark went just 2-of-13 from the field, Dayley made up for it by scoring 13 of her 16 points. She also finished with five assists and three rebounds.

"I was so proud of her," Clark said. "She put in a ton of work in the offseason to get her shot looking good.

"She hit a couple 3s for us, which was big. She’s always our floor general. And when it gets messy in the key, she’s always the one to pull it out and reset our offense. I thought she did a great job keeping us settled."

But Clark returned to form when the team needed her the most.

After spending nearly the entire third quarter up by double digits, including by 15 points going into the final frame, Melba had to withstand one last gasp by Cole Valley Christian. The Mustangs’ lead was suddenly cut to eight at 45-37 just two minutes into the fourth quarter following a 9-2 run by the Chargers.

Clark, a Northwest Nazarene University signee, quickly squashed that momentum, though. She sank back-to-back layups to put the lead back up to double figure just a minute later. Cole Valley Christian didn’t get the deficit back under 10 until there was 35 seconds remaining. But by that time, the game was all but over.

Clark, who was recovering from the flu, recorded nine points in the fourth quarter alone to finish with a game-high 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

"There’s no secret that Kendall is probably the best player in the state in the 2A," Lenz said. "She just needed to settle down."

The Mustangs, who won the first state title in program history two years ago, will now attempt to become the first team since Bonneville in 2020 to have a perfect season.

However, you didn’t hear it from them.

"Our coaching staff has done a really good job of making us look past the unbeaten title," Clark said. "We’re not looking forward, we’re not looking towards a championship or the next game. We’re just looking at every opponent because anything can happen at the state tournament."

Junior post Gabby Olmstead led three different players in double figures for the Chargers with 13 points. Ninth grade guard Trinity Holsinger and junior forward Hadley Frass - the only returning starter from last year’s state championship winning team - added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

"If you would have told me we would be 18-5 heading into state, I’m not sure I would have believed you," Beglinger said. "So I’m really proud of the girls. They have fought really hard."

COEUR D’ALENE FEELS ‘RELIEF’ WITH THIRD DISTRICT TITLE IN FOUR YEARS

Nicole Symons was trying to hide it.

But the Coeur d’Alene High girls basketball coach’s nerves were pretty evident. It was hard to blame her. A year ago her team seemed like a shoe-in for a third consecutive district title and state berth. However, it ended up with neither.

Symons doesn’t have to worry anymore, though. Her group secured its spot at the Class 5A championships with a third district championship in four years following a 56-35 win over Lake City on Tuesday.

"After what happened to us last year, it was a little bit of a relief," Symons said. "We were able to finish the job that we started."

Senior Madi Symons and junior point guard Teagan Colvin outscored the Timberwolves (18-5) themselves with a combined 36 points.

Symons, a University of Wyoming signee, led the way by shooting 50% from the field for a game-high 19 points. Ten of those points came in the third quarter. Colvin finished right behind with 17 points. Twelve of those came from the free throw line.

It capped the 11th consecutive win for the Vikings (21-2). They haven’t lost to a team from Idaho this season. Their only two blemishes came at December’s Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas to renowned California programs Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei.

All but two of their wins have come by double figures, including a 28-point win over Rocky Mountain, which is playing for the Class 5A District III championship Thursday. They have an average margin of victory of more than 27 points this season.

"We had Skylar Burke and Madi Symons last year, but then we were pretty young. Having two kids who are good is great, but you gotta have more than that," Nicole Symons said. "So, I just think we’re just so well-rounded this year in all positions. The experience we have with the amount of basketball these girls have played in high school at a high level and our IQ as a team is a lot higher this year. So we’re able to handle some adversity that we kind of struggled with last year."

Junior Avery Waddington and senior Emberlyn Reynods tallied 10 points apiece for Lake City, which never rebounded from an 18-6 first-quarter deficit.