BOISE — Brayden Parker turned to the back corner of Borah High School’s gym, where the Preston fan section was, and flashed a smile that sent the home fans into a frenzy.
With the clock winding down and the Indians’ starters on the bench, it was time to soak up the fans' praises. Parker watched the final seconds of Friday's game tick off the clock from a chair in the middle of the bench, reflective of his performance against Skyview. The Indians’ senior post was in the center of everything in the team’s 62-37 win against the Hawks in the semifinals of the 4A state tournament, with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots. He was also 10 of 13 from the field.
Parker guided the two-time defending 4A state champion Indians (25-0) back to the title game with a dominant effort, controlling the game every minute he was on the floor. Skyview had no answer for the 6-foot-7 post.
Preston post Brayden Parker (24) slams down a dunk in the second half of March 2’s 4A state semifinal against Skyview at Borah High School.
“Brayden is our enforcer on both ends of the floor,” Preston coach Tyler Jones said. “He makes such a difference. Tonight, we knew we had a size advantage with him, and we needed to get him going. He was awesome.”
Parker showed his versatility, knocking down 15-foot jumpers, scoring with his back to the basket and converting second-chance plays. The Idaho State-bound post player started the game 5 of 5 on field goals and did not miss his first shot until the 5-minute, 24-second mark of the second quarter. In the first half, Parker scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and tallied seven rebounds.
On the defensive end, Parker was two blocks from a triple-double. He altered nearly every shot near him while patrolling the paint.
In Preston’s opening-round game Thursday against Twin Falls, Parker was 2 of 5 from the field, scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds. Parker's standout night against Skyview came to at end at the 4:16 mark of the fourth quarter, when he was subbed out to a standing ovation from his team, coaches and fans.
“I’ve never had a game like this on a stage like this,” Parker said. “It was so fun.”
When Parker was manhandling the Hawks on post-ups, Preston point guard Derek Wadsworth set Parker up. Wadsworth finished the game with 12 assists, his second consecutive game at state with double-digit assists. Wadsworth added 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting to rebound from a 3-of-9 night for nine points against Twin Falls.
The senior guard dished out seven first-half assists, including a one-handed pass to Dixon Ware for layup to help Preston lead 26-14 at halftime. The Indians started the game on a 9-2 run over the first 4:53 and led 17-7 after eight minutes of play.
Preston guard Derek Wadsworth (1) is fouled while driving to the basket in Friday's 4A state semifinal against Skyview at Borah High School.
“He is our leader out there,” Jones said of Wadsworth. “It’s great to have him out there. You can’t ask for a better point guard.”
Preston held Skyview to 31.3 percent shooting and 30.8 percent on 3-pointers. No Hawk scored more than nine points, and the squad’s 37 points are the fewest since a 44-36 loss to Vallivue on Feb. 23, 2017.
Skyview did not score double-digit points in a quarter until the fourth frame, when they tallied 15 points.
“We defended so well,” Wadsworth said. “Our size difference helped us. Even our bigs can defend the 3. They had a tough time getting shots off.”
The Preston bench celebrates after stretching out their lead in the Friday’s 4A state semifinal against Skyview at Borah High School.
Preston never trailed Friday and led for 31:27. The Indians put on a clinic to win their 29th game in a row dating back to last season. The Indians have also won 21 of their 25 games this season by 10 points or more.
The Indians will bus Saturday to Nampa's Ford Idaho Center for the third consecutive season to face Burley (21-4). Preston beat the Bobcats 64-56 and 56-45 during the regular season.
"It’s been a great ride,” Jones said. “We knew we had a lot coming back this year to make a run. To do this with the target that has been on their back all season, to get better and make it back Saturday to have a shot is great. We want to finish the right way tomorrow."
Story of the night for Skyview. Brayden Parker with the block, Derek Wadsworth layup. Preston leads 32-17 with 5:08 left in 3Q. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/87iUHJrXpk
— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) March 3, 2018
Halftime: Preston 26, Skyview 14. Derek Wadsworth finds Dixon Ware for last bucket of the frame. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/XlDPLIcv9p
— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) March 3, 2018
Preston leads Skyview 13-7 with 2:17 left in 1Q. Derek Wadsworth has five points. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/0fycGj72FC
— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) March 3, 2018
Preston leads Skyview 6-2 with 4:20 left in 1Q after Kyler Burbank bucket. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/cVb2HO10zL
— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) March 3, 2018
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