NAMPA — At its core, basketball is a make-or-miss sport. And in a tight matchup between the best 2A teams in the state, that’s what the outcome came down to.
Tied with 2 minutes, 18 seconds remaining, the West Side Pirates missed their last four field goals, along with three free throws. Meanwhile, North Fremont made two clutch baskets and all four of its foul shots, leading to a 42-37 victory in the 2A state title game Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.
Jordan Lenz scored 20 points and hit the clinching free throws for North Fremont (22-2), which successfully defended its 2A state title.
“When they needed a bucket, they seemed to get it,” West Side coach Tyler Brown said. “We matched them a few times, but we couldn’t get our shots to fall late, and that’s the game of basketball.”
Sophomore forward Bryler Shurtliff posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead West Side (24-4), while senior Isaac Frankman finished with 12 points. It is the Pirates’ fourth runner-up finish under Brown.
“It was an awesome season,” Frankman said. “We had a great team and our coach is the smartest guy I know. He puts in so much work, he deserved this win.”
The game was a back-and-forth, defensive struggle featuring nine ties and five lead changes. West Side struggled on the offensive end, shooting 34.2% and making 2 of 15 3-point attempts. The Pirates also committed 14 turnovers, but they hung around by playing scrappy defense and dominating the glass, 30-18.
North Fremont's Jordan Lenz swipes the ball away from West Side’s Adam Headworth during the 2A state championship game.
“The kids played hard and we had our chances,” Brown said. “We didn’t do a very good job offensively, but North Fremont played really good defense, so you have to give them credit.”
North Fremont leaned heavily on Lenz and senior forward Jordan Hess, who scored 14 points. The duo scored the Huskies’ final eight points, including four pressure-packed free throws.
“We talk a lot about intensity, physicality and poise — poise often being the most important,” North Fremont coach Shannon Hill said. “In the last two minutes, that’s what it was about, keeping our poise, executing our plans and playing with grit.”
Outside of the four players who reached double figures, no one scored more than four points for either team. Blaze Brown had four points and a team-high three assists for West Side. Luke Hill had four points, five assists and three steals for North Fremont.
The runner-up finish continues a standout year for West Side, which won the 2A state title in football.
“The kids had a wonderful year,” Brown said. “We have six seniors, and those guys are great leaders who have done a lot of winning for us.”
NORTH FREMONT 42, WEST SIDE 37
North Fremont 11 4 11 16 — 42
West Side 7 8 11 11 — 37
North Fremont — Lenz 20, Hess 14, Hill 4, Palmer 2, Wynn 2.
West Side — Nielsen 4, Brown 4, Shurtliff 16, Headworth 1, Frankman 12.
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