Skip to main content

Coeur d’Alene wins double-OT thriller over Boise, advances to Idaho girls basketball state title game

Watch highlights and check out photos from Coeur d’Alene's wild victory

BOISE - The Coeur d’Alene girls basketball team has been through a lot over the last few years.

So what’s an extra eight minutes?

But the Vikings overcame it all on their way to making their first state final in nearly a decade. They beat Boise 51-50 in a Class 5A Idaho state semifinal double overtime game that featured 15 lead changes and seven ties.

No. 1 Coeur d’Alene (23-2) will play No. 7 Rocky Mountain (18-8) in the 5A state championship at 8 p.m. Saturday inside the Ford Idaho Center.

“It means a lot,” said Madi Symons who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. “When I came in as a freshman, we hadn’t won a league game yet. So just being able to be in this position and having this opportunity, it’s crazy and we’re hoping to get it done tomorrow.”

The Vikings, who lost in the semifinals two years before not even qualifying for state last season with a district tournament collapse, appeared headed for another heartache.

A pair of free throws by junior forward Avery Howell, who has more than 20 Division I offers from the likes of Minnesota and Oklahoma State, made it a two-possession game at 41-36 with 51.6 seconds remaining. But Teagan Colvin wasn’t going to let that happen again.

The junior point guard, who has 20 plus offers herself, including Penn State and Arkansas, immediately drove the length of the floor for a layin about six seconds later. She then took advantage of Maizy Kluksdal missing two frees that kept it at a one-score game. Colvin sprinted down the court again, only this time pulling up and swishing a 3-pointer to suddenly knot the game at 41-41 with 21.3 ticks left.

“She’s a gamer. When the game’s on the line, she wants the ball in her hands,” Coeur d’Alene coach Nicole Symons said. “ … She’s invaluable in her IQ and her ability to when we’re kind of unraveling to kind of come up with a shot. So it’s pretty impressive for sure.”

The shot ended up forcing overtime after the 5-foot-7 Colvin managed to get a hand on the 6-0 Howell’s potential winner. She ended up forcing a second overtime after jarring the ball loose from Avery Patricco in the closing seconds of the first four-minute extra period.

But Colvin wasn’t quite done yet.

She scored six of her team’s eight points in the second overtime. Four of those points came when running mate Madi Symons, who she’s played club with for the Northwest Blazers since sixth grade, fouled out with 1-minute and 59 seconds left in a 45-45 tie game.

The Brave (22-3) took the lead right away at 47-46 on a free throw by Patricco. However, it was short lived after another driving layup by Colvin 14 seconds later. The Vikings never trailed again. Colvin made sure of it by helping to extend the lead to three points on two separate occasions. She sank a pair of free throws to extend it to 49-46 with 1:19 to go. Colvin then found Kelsey Carroll, whose wide-open layup put the advantage at 51-48 with only 20.3 seconds remaining.

It all capped a 28-point night for Colvin. She finished 11-of-21 from the field, including going 4-of-9 from 3-point range.

“For me, it’s all for the team,” Colvin said. “All of us have better games and today was my day. So I’m really happy that I could have it today.

“Everyone’s doing their job. We’re all getting it done. I’ve just been really happy to play well and get us going to this championship tomorrow.”

Boise still had one final shot to force yet another overtime, though.

But Patricco’s 3-point attempt barely hit the side of the backboard. Kaity Haan got the rebound, but missed too. Howell was eventually able to lay it in. Although by the time the basket went in, it basically left the Brave with no time remaining at 0.4 seconds. So the Vikings secured their first state title game appearance since 2014 by just chucking up the ensuing inbounds pass to midcourt as time expired.

“It was a bummer to miss out last year and then being down here (the year before) we fell short. It’s overwhelming as a coach,” Nicole Symons said. “But I’m more nervous than they are, I think. They just handle it. They thrive in the chaos. They thrive under the pressure.

“How fun to have a chance to bring the trophy back home. It’s been a long time (Post Falls in 2018), since the north has had it.”

Howell recorded her 17th double-double of the year with 25 points and 24 rebounds. Haan had her best game of the season by nearly notching a double-double herself of 21 points and eight boards.

But outside of those two, Boise only had one other field goal. It also went 0-for-10 from beyond the arch. The Brave came into the game shooting 36% from 3. They will play Timberline (21-6) in the third-place game at noon at Ridgevue High School.

“We definitely had our opportunities,” Boise coach Kim Brydges said. “Any time you’re gonna play a game that goes into overtime, you’re gonna have opportunities.

“I told the girls, I’m not disappointed with them, I’m disappointed with the outcome. But they fought. They battled. And it just came down to one more possession for the other team.”

PHOTO GALLERY

(All photos by Loren Orr)

boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202341
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202339
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202338
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202340
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202334
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202330
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202332
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202333
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202335
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202336
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202337
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202329
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202331
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202328
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202326
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202327
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202324
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202320
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202321
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202319
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202323
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202322
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202325
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202318
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202315
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202316
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202314
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202317
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202310
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20236
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20233
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20238
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202313
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202312
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 202311
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20235
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20237
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20234
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20232
boise coeur d'alene idaho girls basketball playoffs orr 20231