NAMPA — Trey Shaul walked off the court and into the arms of Bear Lake’s three assistant coaches. The trio wrapped themselves around the Bears’ junior guard on the sideline after he was subbed out with 11 seconds on the clock, and the 5-foot-7 player nearly fell over under the weight of his coaches.

The Bears leaned on Shaul all season, including Saturday in the 2A state title game against Ririe at the Ford Idaho Center. Shaul knocked down two free throws with 30 seconds remaining to seal the Bears’ second consecutive first-place finish after a 68-60 win against the Bulldogs in a rematch of last season’s championship game.

It is the 9th time in the IHSAA era that a 2A team has won back-to-back state championships.

“This is awesome,” Bear Lake coach Brandon Carlsen said. “To win last year was unreal. This year, it was a different pressure to be here. The kids never backed down and always knew what was at stake.”

Shaul and fellow senior guard Avery Carlsen combined for 20 points in the fourth quarter, including going a combined 14 of 16 from the free-throw line. Carlsen scored the Bears’ final two points of the game from the charity stripe to cap a team-high 25 points, while Shaul added 16 points.

Ririe was within 50-49 with 5:10 left in the game, but the Bears used a 5-0 run to push ahead by six points with 4:30 on the clock. The Bulldogs could not cut their deficit to fewer than three points the rest of the way and finished second for the second consecutive season. Ririe trailed by one point five different times Saturday.

“I’m so proud of these kids,” coach Carlsen said. “They don’t know how hard it is to win one, let alone go back-to-back.”

Ririe’s Michael Ure scored a game-high 26 points, but missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity with 39 seconds remaining in the fourth, with the Bulldogs trailing 62-57. The junior also grabbed nine rebounds and was 9 of 17 from the field.

Ure, a 6-foot-7 post, tallied eight shot attempts in the paint and six 3-pointers. He scored four points in the fourth frame after scoring eight, six and eight points in the first, second and third quarters, respectively.

“He’s a good player,” Shaul said. “He had a good game. We did what we could, but he’s a fantastic player.”

Bear Lake (24-3) used two separate runs in the second quarter to lead 34-29 at halftime. The Bears opened the frame on a 9-0 run to lead 26-17 with 6:01 left in the second, but Ririe (22-4) stormed back with a 10-2 spurt to get within 28-27 at the 2:54 mark.

A 3-pointer from Avery Carlsen pushed the Bears ahead 34-27 before Ririe closed within five points before the second quarter’s buzzer sounded. Carlsen knocked down 3 of 5 3-pointers in the first half, scoring a team-high 11 points, while Ure tallied 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

Ririe finished the game 19 of 55 from the field, including 11 of 35 on 3-pointers. The Bulldogs had six players take at least three 3-pointers.

“They moved the ball well,” coach Carlsen said. “We knew they liked to shoot 3s. They hit some. We got helter skelter and were not disciplined when they moved the ball.”

Saturday’s victory was the 54th win for the Bears’ five-man senior class, which snapped the boys basketball program’s 21-year state title drought last season. The group labored through a seven-win campaign as sophomores, but ran off back-to-back 20-plus win marks during their final two prep seasons.

One of the seniors, Walt Schwarting, walked out of the locker room with the first-place trophy in his hands and the celebratory net around his neck. Bear Lake’s fourth-year players go out on top, responsible for two of the three Bears’ title in the IHSAA era.

“We love each other,” Shaul said. “We are more than friends. We do everything together. I am going to miss the seniors”

Video: Bear Lake 68, Ririe 60