POCATELLO - The boys from Marsh Valley and American Falls went to war in the Highland High gym on Thursday. Forty-five fouls and 32 minutes later, it was the Eagles soaring over the Beavers, 50-38, in a 3A Fifth District loser-out game.

"It was a normal Fifth District game," said Marsh Valley coach Jason Brower. "It gets a little rough. I think we handled it well."

Marsh Valley won the right to play Shelley at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Highland in a state tournament play-in game.

Most of the game was much closer than the final score indicates. There were five lead changes and two ties during the second and third quarters combined, but it was in the final minute of the third that Marsh Valley pulled away for good.

Marsh Valley junior guard Landon Fonnesbeck who played the set-up man in the third. Fonnesbeck, who had nine points on the night, hit two wide-open 3-pointers, one at 3:06 and the other at 1:28 in the third quarter, each tying the game.

"We got good penetration that drew the defense in, and I spotted up (in the corner)," Fonnesbeck said. "It's my job to knock them down when I'm open."

Then, during the final 30 seconds of the quarter, Marsh Valley senior Chance Day Day spotted up and hit two of his own from beyond the arc on consecutive possessions to stake the Eagles to a six-point lead going into the fourth. He added the first two points of the fourth quarter for an eight-point tally on the night.

Day credited Fonnesbeck for opening the barrage of 3-pointer.

"It kind of rubs off on me," he said. "I think they might have been a little more worried about him."

"It was a one-two punch," Fonnesbeck said."

The Eagles built up an eight-point lead early in the fourth and looked poised to run away with it during the final minutes, but American Falls managed to pull within four points with less than three minutes left. Marsh Valley responded defensively and eventually pushed the lead back to eight points before extending it further.

A key to Marsh Valley's victory was its defensive play, especially on Nate Villalobos during the second half. The 6-foot-5 senior seemed to be on track for a big game, scoring 10 points during the first half.

The open looks Villalobos enjoyed during the first 16 minutes of the game evaporated, and Marsh Valley held him scoreless during the second half.

"Nate is a great basketball player," Brower said. "We had to rotate guys off of him. Jake (Sorrensen) and Kory (Kay) really working hard on him."

The standout offensive performance for American Falls came from junior Devin Mock. He had a quiet first half, scoring just three points, but was one of the most aggressive players on the court to start the third quarter.

His persistent drives to the basket during the second half earned him three trips to the foul line and 12 points. He finished the game with 15 points.

Marsh Valley's top scorer was senior post Richard Bitton, who was the recipient of five trips to the stripe. His inside play, hitting a couple of putbacks and swiping the boards, was key for the Eagles. He also scored 15 points in the game.