Rigby’s defense enough to stamp its ticket to the state tournament

RIGBY – Even in a Sports World filled with joy and wonderment, the usual cliches can start to seep through.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Write it down. Understand it. Get it printed on a T-shirt.

The Rigby girls basketball team is headed back to the state tournament after an impressive 55-45 win over Madison Tuesday night in the 6A District 4-5-6 championship game.

This wasn’t so much another rivalry game or a hyped-up postseason matchup as much as it was a defensive clinic by the Trojans.

The Bobcats came in averaging more than 50 points per game and totaled just four points in the first quarter as Rigby’s pressure kept Madison on its heels. The Trojans led 29-13 at the half and the Bobcats never closed the double-digit gap.

“We’ve always emphasized our defense and we knew we’d have to play it right out of the gate,” Rigby coach Todd Barber said. “Madison is a great team and we had to be ready.”

Rigby (16-7) beat Madison twice during the regular season, but both games were close, with the Trojans winning 46-43 and 43-41 in overtime.

That wasn’t the case Tuesday as the Bobcats (15-8) couldn’t overcome the early deficit.

Rigby was quick on the defensive end, turning steals into layups and also got a boost under the boards early on with senior Tiade Togiai grabbing rebounds and protecting the rim under the basket.

The Trojans closed strong in the first half with Meika Mathews hitting a 3-pointer and Kinzley Larsen adding a hoop and then knocking down a 3-pointer to put Rigby up 29-11.

“Something we can control 100% percent is our effort on defense,” Larsen said. “That’s something we have really been focusing on.”

Madison will host Thunder Ridge on Thursday with the winner earning the districts’ second slot for the state tournament.

Larsen finished with a team-high 16 points for Rigby and Bailey Barber added 11 points.

Mia Walsh led Madison with 17 points.