Slow start dooms Trojans, who fall to Boise to open State Championships

NAMPA — The Rigby Trojans struggled their way through the first half of their first State Championship game Thursday afternoon, falling into a 24-11 hole at halftime.

Though they recovered and put together a late surge, eighth-seeded Rigby was never able to come all the way back and fell to second-seeded Boise High School, 51-42, at the Ford Idaho Center.

“We had a slow start,” head coach Todd Barber said after the game. “I think that killed us, the first half — just coming out and not executing very well. We had a lot of mistakes.”

He said that the hole the team dug itself into might have been insurmountable, but he was proud of they way they tried.

“We gave it a shot. We bounced back. I was proud of the way we fought at the end,” he added.

Head coach Todd Barber leads a huddle during the second half of Rigby’s loss, Thursday. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

The Trojans left many facets open for improvement during their rough first half.

They were out-rebounded, 18 to 14, shot just 5-of-19 from the field — 0-of-7 from 3 — and just 1-of-5 from the free throw line. They also turned the ball over 11 times — to Boise’s five.

Barber said that what jumped out to him in the second half was his team’s improved defensive intensity. They did a better job of challenging shots and creating interference in Boise’s passing lanes.

The improved defense, he said, led to more open shots and easy buckets.

“We started getting a little bit of momentum,” Barber said. “It was good to see us get that and show a little fight.”

Rigby improved in every category after the halftime break, shooting 11-of-24 from the field, 3-of-9 from deep and 6-of-9 from the stripe. They also trimmed their turnovers down, giving possession away just seven times in the second half.

They worked the deficit into single-digits in the fourth quarter, forcing Boise to put its starters back on the court. But the rally was too little, too late.

With the loss, Rigby falls into the losers bracket and will now face three-seeded Eagle, which lost to Madison Thursday. The win-or-go-home game will be played at Mountain View High School at 5 p.m.

Boise will face Madison at noon Friday.

After the game, Barber said he told his team that this loss meant they had only one life left in the season.

“Your back’s against the wall now, so we’ve got to finish this out the right way,” he said. “We still have a chance to end this season on a win, so that’s something to play for.”