NAMPA - Shelley and Fruitland battled back and forth from behind the 3-point line during Saturday's 3A state championship game Saturday at the Idaho Center.

In the end, though, the Russets hit more on the way to a 57-48 win to earn the state title.

In all, 23 3-pointers were drained by both teams during the game, with the Russets hitting 14 of those.

The barrage started with Shelley's Tommy Higham in the second quarter.

The senior guard, who missed three 3-point attempts during the first quarter, went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second and added a layup for good measure.

"I kind of forced the first one," Higham said of his first-quarter performance. "it usually takes me a couple of shots to get into a rhythm."

Shelley coach Dave Hadley said the offensive burst has been a characteristic of Higham's play throughout his high school career.

"We've described him as a streaky player since he was a freshman," Hadley said. "He missed that first one, and I thought it was going to be a long night."

Higham scored 17 of Shelley's 20 second-quarter points, and the Russets, who trailed 16-7 after the first quarter, took a 27-22 lead into the locker room.

But the halftime conversation wasn't about how great Higham played during the second quarter. It was about how unlikely it was that the senior would be left so open during the second half.

"We anticipated a triangle-and-two where me and Tanner (Higham) would be guarded," Tommy Higham said.

That's just what happened. Tommy didn't score another point during the game, but Russets' guards Kabe Hall and Tanner Higham stepped up for Shelley in what became an exchange of 3-pointers during the second half.

Hall hit the first of his three long bombs halfway through the third quarter in response to a second 3-pointer from Fruitland during the period. And that's where the string of seven consecutive 3-pointers from both teams started. It ended early in the fourth when Fruitland's Devin Decroo hit a layup.

With 4:57 left in the fourth quarter, Fruitland hit a 3-pointer to tie the game 43-43, but Shelley post Lakoda Stommel continued another string if perimeter shots, hitting his own from beyond the arc to put the Russets up for good.

Tommy's 17 points led Shelley, but he was followed closely by his cousin, Tanner, who put up 16 points, including hitting 5-of-6 3-point attempts. Hall added nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

Hadley said he never once thought about stopping the bombs in favor of higher percentage shots from inside.

Said the coach: "If it's a tsunami, you still have to ride the wave."