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Unlike last year when they pretty much blew through the 3 state games, the Prairie Pirates pulled out 3 tension filled games to win their second straight state championship in boys basketball and the fourth straight over 3 different sports. Prairie opened with a 64-48 win over Ambrose of Meridian Thursday, March 5 at Vallivue High School in Caldwell. Also at Vallivue they pulled out a 54-47 overtime win over Valley of Hazelton on Friday, March 6. Finally on Saturday, March 7, they held off Lapwai 54-50 at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. It is Prairie’s fourth boys basketball state championship and the first time they’ve won them consecutively. It was also the third time in the past 6 years that they have appeared in both the state football and state basketball championship games but the first time they have won both games. 
Prairie trailed only three times in the game, all in the first quarter. After trailing at 0-2, 6-7 and 8-9, Rhett Schlader tied it with a free throw at the 2:03 mark of the first quarter. 30 seconds later Lucas Arnzen put Prairie ahead for good when he took an inbounds feed from Terran Peery in the corner and got a lucky bounce on a 3-point shot to make it 12-9. Ambrose ended the quarter with 2 free throws to cut the lead to 12-11. They looked to take the lead when Easton Boeck stole the inbounds pass to start the period but then missed a dunk attempt. Jake Bruner rebounded the ball and took it all the way to the other end for a lay-up. Arnzen helped Prairie extend the lead to 23-15 by connecting on his first 4 shots in the second quarter. Ambrose then put together a rally as 6’7” junior Travis Yenor scored 6 straight points to cut the Pirate lead to 2 at 23-21. During that run Arnzen had his first miss of the game on what should have been his easiest shot as he stole the ball and drove downcourt for a lay-up that he missed. Schlader missed the putback attempt and Ambrose was able to score on the other end. Bruner ended the Ambrose run with a tip-in. Yenor answered to again cut the lead to 2 and looked to tie the game when Boeck missed another dunk attempt which led to Tanner Ross scoring a lay-up at the other end and he added the free throw when he was fouled on the play to make it 28-23. That’s where the score stood at the half. Prairie came out strong in the second half and finally got some separation as they outscored Ambrose 10-3 to open the third quarter. Everybody got into the act in that run as Ross, Bruner, Schlader, Peery and Arnzen each scored a basket. That put Prairie up 38-26. Ambrose answered with 2 baskets to cut the lead to 8 but would get no closer the rest of the way. Prairie led 45-33 after 3 quarters and made it a 15 point lead when Arnzen converted a 3-point play to open the fourth quarter. Ambrose was able to cut the lead down to 9 points 3 times in the fourth period. But Schlader and Ross each scored a couple of baskets and Peery converted several free throws to help Prairie hold off the Archers. Arnzen wound up with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the game. He connected on 10 of 13 shots from the field and was 1 for 1 at the line. Schlader and Bruner also had double-doubles as Schlader scored 15 and had 10 rebounds and Bruner scored 11 with 15 rebounds. Ross also connected for double figures with 10 points and added 6 rebounds as Prairie outrebounded the Archers 43-27. Peery added 6 points off the bench. He came in a lot earlier than normal in the game as starter Bryson Higgins got whistled for 3 fouls in the first couple of minutes of the game. Prairie particularly dominated on the boards in the third quarter as they held a 13-1 edge in that period. When Prairie coaches reviewed video on Ambrose they noted that the Archers like to penetrate and then kick the ball back out for 3 pointers. Prairie made guarding the 3 a priority and it worked as the Archers hit just 4 of 24 shots from long range. Bruner led the team in both steals and assists with 5 each. Peery added 4 assists and Ross and Schlader 3 each as Prairie had 17 assists on 27 made baskets. Prairie was 27 for 55 from the field, 49%, and 9 for 16 at the line, 56%. Ambrose was 18 for 57 from the field, 32%, and 8 for 12 at the line, 67%. Prairie 12 16 17 19 -64 Ambrose 11 12 10 15 -48 Prairie-Schlader 7-18, 1-2, 15; Bry. Higgins 0-0, 0-0, 0; Bruner 5-13, 1-2, 11; Ross 4-7, 2-3, 10; Arnzen 10-12, 1-1, 22; Peery 1-5, 4-8, 6. 3-pointers-Arnzen. Ambrose-Roberts 3-10, 1-4, 7; Hughes 3-14, 0-0, 8; Chrisianson 1-5, 0-0, 2; Yenor 9-20, 6-6, 26; Boeck 1-6, 0-0, 2; Good 1-1, 1-2, 3; Roser 0-1, 0-0, 0. 3-pointers-Yenor 2, Hughes 2. Arnzen continued his hot shooting from the night before in the opening quarter as he hit both of his shots and Bryson Higgins connected on a 3-pointer following a steal by Schlader.  A
lay-up by Bruner gave Prairie an 11-5 lead at the end of the quarter as
Valley hit just 2 of 13 first quarter shots.
A steal by Bruner led to a lay-up by Schlader that put Prairie up 13-5 early in the second quarter. Valley then started to find the range on their outside shots. They scored 8 straight points including a pair of 3-pointers to tie the game at 13 with 4:12 left in the half. Arnzen hit a midrange jumper and Bruner converted a 3-point play on a transition lay-up that put Prairie back on top by 5 at 18-13. Back came Valley with a basket and then another 3-pointer to re-tie the game at 18. Just prior to the tying 3-pointer Bruner picked up his third foul and sat the rest of the half. A tip-in by Schlader gave Prairie a slim 20-18 halftime lead. Higgins hit his second 3-pointer of the game to put Prairie up 23-18 but 6 seconds later Bruner picked up his fourth foul and went back to the bench. With Bruner out Valley put together a 2-9 run to take their first lead of the game at 25-27. Prairie responded with a 9-0 run of their own with Ross scoring 6 of those, 4 at the free throw line. Schlader added a 3-pointer to give Prairie a 34-27 lead. Valley answered back with a 0-9 run of their own featuring a pair of 3-pointers by Ben Taylor that gave the Vikings a 34-36 lead at the end of the quarter. Bruner came back in and coach Teel Bruner took a chance by putting his son at the top of Prairie’s 1-3-1 zone. It worked out as Jake was able to finish the game without picking up his fifth foul and his long arms helped take Taylor out of the offense the rest of the way. In the fourth quarter neither team had much success at the free throw line but it was worse for Prairie, who had a lot more opportunities. Each team made 1 of 2 free throws early then Schlader connected on a 3 to put Prairie back on top at 38-37. Valley countered with a 3 by Taylor Coates that put Valley back on top at 38-40. After a couple of missed free throws, Prairie forced a turnover which led to a putback by Arnzen that tied the game at 40. Schlader scored a lay-up after a steal by Ross that put the Pirates up 42-40. Ross then made the second of 2 free throws for a 43-40 lead. Valley came right back with a basket and then a go-ahead 3-pointer by Garrett Mussman with 1:31 left to play. With 1:13 left Bruner scored the tying basket. Valley looked to take the clock down for final shot but missed it to send the game to overtime. Prairie hit just 2 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter while Valley was 1 for 4. Bruner went to the line with 2:06 left in overtime and missed the first of 2 shots but made the second to put Prairie ahead. 50 seconds later he sank a pair of free throws to give Prairie a 48-45 lead. Valley answered with Doug Elorrieta making the first but missing the second of a pair of free throws. Bruner got fouled again and made the first free throw but missed a chance to make it a 2-possession game as he missed the second. Elorrieta again went to the line as Ross fouled out with 40 seconds left. He missed the first but made the second to cut the deficit to 49-47. Peery was fouled on the inbounds and made the first free throw but missed the second to leave Valley within 3 points. Valley’s shooters missed some opportunities and Arnzen blocked a 3-point try by Taylor with about 15 seconds left. That led to Bruner going to the line and he made both free throws to finally give Prairie a 2-possession lead at 52-47. With 1 second left Arnzen was fouled after rebounding a missed Valley 3-point attempt and made both free throws to seal the win. Bruner and Schlader each scored 14 points to lead the Pirates in scoring with Arnzen adding 10 and Ross 9. Higgins scored 6 and Peery 2. Prairie held a 41-29 rebounding edge led by Bruner with 13 and Ross with 12. Schlader and Arnzen added 7 rebounds each. Schlader had 6 steals and 5 assists. Bruner added 2 steals and 4 assists and Ross had 2 steals. Prairie was 16 for 50 from the field, 32%, and 16 for 33 at the line, 48%, while Valley was 16 for 49 from the field, 33%, and 7 for 13 at the line, 54%. Valley was 8 for 18 from 3-point range compared to 4 for 17 for Prairie. Prairie 11 9 14 11 9 -54 Valley 5 13 18 9 2 -47 Prairie-Schlader 6-15, 0-1, 14; Higgins 2-5, 0-0, 6; Bruner 3-10, 8-12, 14; Ross 2-8, 5-12, 9; Arnzen 4-8, 2-4, 10; Peery 0-5, 1-4, 1; Mager 0-0, 0-0, 0. 3-pointers-Schlader 2, Higgins 2. Valley-Henry 0-2, 0-0, 0; Taylor 5-11, 0-0, 14; Coates 2-5, 0-0, 6; Mussman 2-16, 0-2, 5; D. Elorrieta 3-6, 7-11, 13; M. Elorrieta 1-3, 0-0, 2; Mora 2-4, 0-0, 5; Nelson 0-0, 0-0, 0; Lickley 0-1, 0-0, 0; Fenton 0-0, 0-0, 0. 3-pointers-Taylor 4, Coates 2, Mussman, Mora. Lapwai got off to a solid start while the Pirates struggled to score early. Similar to the district championship game Prairie missed their first 8 shots, 5 of them by Bruner. Despite that Lapwai mustered just 5 points before Bruner broke through with a scoop from inside the lane at the 4:15 mark. 
Lapwai pushed their lead to 2-8 before Prairie rallied to end the quarter with a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 9-10. Lapwai got a 3-point play from Tommy Miles-Williams to open the second quarter but Schlader answered with a 3-pointer and 16 seconds later added 2 free throws to give Prairie their first lead of the game at 14-13. He then fed Arnzen for a 15 foot jumper that made it 16-13. After a score by Lapwai Peery hit a runner in the lane and Schlader added a lay-up to make it 20-15. Lapwai then had a basket waved off on an offensive foul with Schlader adding 2 more free throws to put Prairie up 22-15 with 2:01 left in the half. Lapwai closed the half with 4 straight points to pull within 3 at the break at 22-19. Ross opened the third quarter scoring with a basket but Lapwai’s Imani Mitchell was fouled on a lay-up and cut the lead to 24-22 with a 3-point play. Mitchell then stole the ball and Schlader made a hard foul that kept Mitchell from scoring the lay-up. Mitchell then shoved Schlader in the back and was hit with a technical foul. Mitchell scored his two free throws to tie the score but Schlader hit both technical foul free throws to put Prairie back on top. On the ensuing possession Ross tipped in a missed shot to put Prairie up 28-24 and the Pirates never trailed again although they could not pull away from the Wildcats. A lay-up off a lob pass from Schlader by Bruner made it 30-24 but Lapwai was able to cut the lead in half with a 3-pointer. Lapwai threatened to get closer but Bruner blocked a shot with Arnzen grabbing the deflection. That led to a basket by Bruner on the other end. After a pair of Lapwai free throws Prairie put together a 6-0 run with Arnzen, Ross and Bruner each scoring to make it 38-29. Another 3 by Lapwai just before the buzzer made it 38-32 after 3 quarters. Lapwai was able to get within 4 at 42-38 with 3:53 left but a lay-up by Bruner, his third of the quarter, and 2 free throws by Schlader pushed the lead back to 8 at 45-38 with 3 minutes to play. Mitchell scored and then stole the ball and scored again and was fouled. He missed the free throw leaving Prairie with a 4-point lead as Arnzen rebounded the miss. Prairie looked to slow the game down and run the clock taking almost a minute off before Schlader was fouled. He sank both ends of the 1 and 1. Lapwai scored and then quickly fouled Peery who made the first but missed the second of a 1 and 1 for a 49-44 lead with 1:09 left. Lapwai was unable to score and Prairie got the ball back with Ross getting fouled with 55 seconds left. He airballed the first free throw but made the second for a 50-44 lead. Arnzen rebounded a missed 3-point try and was fouled, making both free throws with 43 seconds to play. Mitchell hit a 3 with 25 seconds left and Peery was quickly fouled on the inbounds. This time he made both free throws for a 54-47 lead with 22 seconds left. Cameron Shawl drained a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left but Prairie was then able to run out the clock and claim their second straight state basketball championship. Bruner wound up leading all scorers with 16 points with 12 of those coming on 6 for 7 shooting in the second half. Schlader added 15 points which included a perfect 10 for 10 at the free throw line. Ross scored 9 as he was a perfect 4 for 4 from the field including 3 for 3 in the third quarter. Arnzen scored 8 and Peery scored 6. Mitchell led Lapwai with 14 points. Prairie had a 39-34 edge on the boards with Schlader pulling down 11 rebounds, 8 in the second half. Arnzen and Bruner added 9 each and Ross and Peery had 5 each. Schlader and Bruner had 2 steals each and Schlader had 6 assists. Prairie was 18 for 41 from the field, 44%, and 17 for 24 at the line, 71%. Lapwai was 18 for 58 from the field, 31%, and 9 for 15 at the line, 60%. Prairie finishes the season at 22-3 and are a combined 46-4 over the past two championship seasons. The best previous 2-year mark we are aware of was the 45-7 record in the 2009-10 championship year and the year following when they took third at state. Prairie 9 13 16 16 -54 Lapwai 10 9 13 18 -50 Prairie-Schlader 2-10, 10-10, 15; Higgins 0-0, 0-0, 0; Bruner 8-16, 0-2, 16; Ross 4-4, 1-2, 9; Arnzen 3-8, 2-2, 8; Peery 1-3, 4-6, 6; Mager 0-0, 0-0, 0. 3-pointers-Schlader. Lapwai-T. Miles-Williams 3-8, 3-5, 9; Lone Bear 2-10, 0-1, 5; Mitchell 5-13, 3-4, 14; Shawl 2-10, 1-2, 7; Henry 4-9, 2-3, 10; I. Miles-Williams 0-4, 0-0, 0; Taylor 2-4, 0-0, 5. 3-pointers-Shawl 2, Lone Bear, Mitchell, Taylor.
The filled in final state bracket. PIRATES BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE FOR 2014-15 *indicates league game DECEMBER 9-Moscow, there, 5:30 p.m., won 65-43 12-Grangeville, there, Idaho County Shootout, V only, won 70-62 16-Troy, there*, won 65-32 18-Kamiah, here*, won 60-26 19-Genesee, there*, won 71-40 29-30-31-NIC Tourn. at Cd’A, lost to Wilson 50-60; Lost to Ridgeway 54-57; beat GP Vanier 62-45 JANUARY 6-Lapwai, here*, won 50-33 9-C.V., there*, won 78-36 15-Potlatch, here*, 5 p.m., won 76-13 20-Genesee, here*, won 60-33 23-Kamiah, there* won 62-26 27-Grangeville, here, won 57-40 28-Asotin, here, won 66-33 29-Troy, here*, won 56-25 FEBRUARY 5-Lapwai, there*, won 61-46 7-C.V., here*, won 78-17 11-Moscow, there, 5:30 p.m., won 79-64 14-Potlatch, there*, 1 p.m., won 89-33 18-District opener vs. Troy, won 68-25 27-District Championship vs. Lapwai, 7:30 p.m., lost 56-61 March 5-7-State at Caldwell, beat Ambrose 64-48, beat Valley 54-47 in overtime, beat Lapwai 54-50 - State Champions!! Below is the Academic Bowl Schedule for Prairie for the 2014-15 school year. 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 13-at Timberline Junior High 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. March 17-at Grangeville April 21-at Nezperce Prairie Baseball Schedule for 2015 March 19-at C.V., V & JV, 4:30 p.m. 21-at Kamiah, V & JV, 11 a.m. 23-at Kendrick, V & JV, 4 p.m. 26-vs. Highland, Clearwater Park, 4:30 p.m. 10-11-at Glenn’s Ferry Tournament 13-Troy, here, 4 p.m. 14-Kamiah, here, 4:30 p.m. 16-Kendrick, here, V & JV, 4 p.m. 17-at Nezperce, 4:30 p.m. 18-at Potlatch, 2-V, 11 a.m. 20-Genesee, here, 4:30 p.m. 21-Asotin, here, V & JV, 4 p.m. 23-Highland, here, 4:30 p.m. 24-McCall-Donnelly, here, V & JV, 4 p.m. 27-at Troy, 4 p.m. 28-Nezperce, here, 4:30 p.m. 30-at Genesee, 4:30 p.m. 5-9-District at Lewiston 14-16-State at Lewiston |
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