Boise Braves Continue to Claw Their Way to The State Tournament
The Boise Braves have just two losses in 5A boys basketball this season but one of those losses has turned their season upside down. The Braves continue to try and right the ship and now need one more win to qualify for next weeks 5A State basketball tournament at the Ford Idaho Center. The Braves came into the 5A SIC District III tournament ranked #1 in the state at 19-1 with a first round bye. Then Centennial happened! The Patriots worked a slowdown game and trailed by just one point heading into the final period. The Patriots hit back to back three pointers and all of a sudden were up by five points. Boise leaders Paul Pennington and Lucas Centeno realizing Centennial wasn't going to go away unless Boise put them away, picked up the pace. Driving the lane Pennington went down hard an stayed down. He was helped to the locker room unable to put any pressure on his injured leg. Even as the Boise medical staff was working on Penington in the locker room, Centeno went down in almost the same place as Pennington after he drove the lane. The medical staff was called to come get Centeno who was led to the locker room putting no pressure on his injured ankle. Centennial won 50-42, the biggest upset of the season and Boise's nightmare road to state through the consolation bracket was set to begin. Pennington and Centeno both had just two days to heal and while sore to the bone, both played in a win over Meridian, then a 56-50 loss to Borah. Now 20-3 Boise advanced to play Kuna in a game for the right to compete in a sate play-in game this Saturday. The Caveman never stood a chance as Boise rolled to a 62-37 win improving to 21-3 one of the best records in 5A basketball but no state tournament berth. That will have to wait until Saturday 4 p.m. Boise time when the Braves travel to Grangeville to play the winner of the Lake City-Coeur d'Alene game played tonight at 7:30 p.m. mountain time. If Boise wins Saturday they'd enter the tournament with a 22-3 record having come in the back door and guess what.....according to many they'd be the tournament favorite. But first they have to get to the tournament and that's been the story of the year in 5A basketball with at least one more chapter to be written.