Calling it unfinished business seems too easy, too obvious, but anything else would seem like a lie.

    The Snake River Panthers, winners of nine straight, are in the state tournament field for the ninth-straight year and are seeking the program’s eighth state title and the first since winning back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006.

    Last season’s runner-up finish, losing to the Fruitland Grizzlies 57-51, is evidence that this year’s core has the experience. This season’s 17-5 record, No. 5 ranking and undefeated record in the 3A Fifth district displays the Panthers’ talent, depth and consistency.

    And Snake might have been handed a gift by the schedule makers. The Panthers have 14-10 Buhl, the second seed out of the Fourth District, in the first round. Then the winner will play No. 4 Timberlake or the two-time defending champion Grizzlies.

    But it’s not so much about who is on Snake River’s side of the bracket but who is missing. Idaho’s three top-ranked teams — Shelley, Sugar-Salem and Filer — are all on the bottom half.

    “We’re excited to be (there), and I really like our draw at the state tournament, so hopefully we’ll have a shot at it,” said Panthers head coach Robert Coombs, after Snake River beat Bear Lake 51-37 Feb. 19 in the district championship.

    Senior forward Jacoby Johnson leads the Panthers in scoring (13.0) and rebounds (6.1), but he is part of a balanced attack. Wyatt Wray, another senior forward, adds 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds and Brad Coombs, the lone non-senior starter, adds 9.5 points a contest.

    The Panthers, though, can attack from a variety of angles and with multiple players, including senior Cole Rushton and juniors Kade Harral and Curtis Keller off the bench.

        Before a state championship can be reached, however, Snake has to beat Buhl. The Indians have 10 losses but six — four to Filer and two to Burley of the 4A ranks — come from state qualifiers.

    Where Snake River is deep and experienced, Buhl relies on three freshman in its rotation. Six-foot-3 junior guard Kade Crossland is the leading scorer at 14.9 points a game. His younger brother, freshman Kasey Crossland adds 9.2 points a night.

    Kade had 26 points in Buhl’s last contest, a state play-in game against Kellogg last Saturday.