MERIDIAN – Already, Marsh Valley accomplished what it hadn’t in this decade, winning a state tournament game Thursday.
But the Eagles couldn’t make it two victories – at least not Friday – as they were dominated in a 58-44 loss against defending 3A state champion Fruitland at Meridian High School.
“We felt like we could beat them, but obviously they’re a good team,” Marsh Valley coach Jason Brower said. “Fruitland put a lot of pressure on us that we hadn’t seen this year, and then their size.”
The Eagles still have a chance to clinch a state trophy for the first time since 2005 in the 3A third-place game Saturday against Kimberly in the same gym.
Coming off an exemplary shooting night Thursday, the Eagles were contained Friday, especially in the first half of the second quarter when Fruitland went on a 13-2 run to grab a 28-13 lead and pull away.
The last time Marsh Valley was not trailing Fruitland was after a Payton Campbell 3-pointer in the middle of the first quarter that made the score 9-9. The Eagles’ deficit started ballooning after a 3 at the start of the second quarter by Fruitland's Cole Eiguren, who gave the Grizzlies an 18-11 lead and ended up with a game-high 16 points.
It was 70 seconds into the second quarter before the lead surpassed 10 points and Fruitland was enjoying itself by the middle of the period, when Eiguren tossed the ball up to Jake O’Neil for an alley-oop layup to increase the lead to 26-11.
From the hardwood, Eagles forward Jacob McNabb observed what his coach saw from the sidelines: Fruitland’s debilitating defensive pressure and size. Marsh Valley shot 42.9 percent from 2-point range, while making 3 of 18 shots from beyond the arc for a 16.7 3-point percentage.
"They knew how to shut us down, and they also made a lot of shots,” McNabb said. “They’re good players and a good team overall.”
The margin was as wide as 26 points in the second half and Fruitland never let the margin dip into single digits. Although that didn’t mean Marsh Valley didn’t try to get it there, until the final minutes when Brower paced the sideline and implored his team to keep churning while Marsh Valley cheerleaders chanted “Eagle power.”
While the Eagles fell two wins short of their second state title in team history, they are already guaranteed to leave with their first state tournament win since 2005. Marsh Valley scorched the nets Thursday, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor in a 64-52 win over Kellogg.
“Our kids were way dialed in last night,” Brower said. “They wanted to be successful. This team’s really tough when they play as a group together. They move the ball. They take high-percentage shots.”
McNabb said there was “jumping and screaming” in the locker room after the momentous win.
“We were really excited because we’re proud to represent Marsh Valley at state,” said McNabb, whose team’s last state appearance was 2015. “Not a lot of opportunities for Marsh Valley to be here in the past, and so hopefully we can make that change and have that in future years.”
That win came after Marsh Valley survived two 3A play-in games to make it to state. Entering Friday, Marsh Valley had won eight of its last 10 games.
McNabb played a big part in Marsh Valley’s recent success. The three-year starter, who scored a team-high 11 points Friday, was averaging 17.2 points per game in his previous five outings.
“Jacob’s obviously a good player,” Brower said. “He’s very versatile. He can go inside-out. He has great post moves and then he can go outside. He shoots the ball well outside and he can attack the rim.”
McNabb, a senior, was 4 years old the last time the Eagles clinched a win at state. That was also the last time the Eagles got a state trophy, which the senior and the rest of the Eagles have a chance to take home Saturday.
“This is just another step in the journey,” Brower said. “We’ve got to bounce back and come back tomorrow, but I think our boys can do it.”