jhancock@journalnet.com

CALDWELL - Sho-Ban surged past Wilder in the second half, beating the Wildcats 60-47 in the opening round of the 1A Division I state tournament Thursday at Vallivue High in Caldwell.

Struggling to find his outside shot during his 11-point, first-half performance, Sho-Ban senior Magic Smith abandoned it and racked up 21 second-half points by taking it inside.

"I was trying to see what my shot was feeling like in the first half," Smith said. "I had to be smart in the second half. I couldn't just throw up shots."

Sho-Ban went into the second half trailing 30-25 but started the third quarter on an 8-2 run to take the lead. The Wildcats took the lead back on a jumper from Miguel Rodriguez, but then the Chiefs went on a 7-1 run to close the quarter and take a 40-35 lead into the fourth. From there they continued to pull away.

Aside from Smith's increased offensive output, the Sho-Ban defense also stepped it up during the second half, holding the Wildcats to just five points during the pivotal third quarter.

"I changed the defense from front court to half-court," said Sho-Ban coach Merle Smith. "I also moved our press to half-court."

It worked.

Wilder committed 10 turnovers in the second half compared with just six in the first half. The Wildcats' field-goal percentage dropped to just 28 percent during the second half compared with 58 percent in the first half.

Magic Smith also began hitting the boards hard in the second half. He ended the game with a double-double, including 32 points and 11 rebounds.

Gavin Eldridge, who broke his arm during the season and made his return Thursday, put up 12 points of his own, hitting 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Sho-Ban is back at Vallivue at 8 p.m. today when the Chiefs take on Genesee in the semifinal match.

"It doesn't get any easier for us," Merle Smith said. "(Thursday) we had the No. 2 team and (tonight) is the No. 1 team."

He described Genesee as a disciplined team that makes few mistakes and shoots well from the outside.

"I think we match up well," he said. "I think if Magic keeps driving and kicking out, we can do well."