Photo courtesy of GameFrame Photography

Welcome to Baney's Basketball Breakdown, a weekly reset that allows all of us to catch our breath and reflect on the past week of high school competition.  There will be lots to digest below, so let's get to it!

OPENING TIP

As a born-and-raised Montana native, I always laugh when people accuse me of having some sort of bias towards one school or another when it comes to covering Idaho high school athletics.  Lately, I've been told that I favor athletes from north Idaho over athletes from other parts of the state.  The evidence is compelling:

1. I live in north Idaho
2. Most of the things I talk about in this space (especially individual players) gravitates towards north Idaho

But let me explain: north Idaho is the only area that consistently provides statistics, game recaps, and information.  Daily newspapers like the Coeur d'Alene Press, Lewiston Tribune and Bonner County Daily Bee have recaps and stats from almost every game that is played, and pretty much every other newspaper in Idaho does not.  There just isn't a steady stream of information coming from the major newspapers in Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello and Idaho Falls.

To be clear: I'm not denigrating any of the talented sports writers that are employed by those papers.  Their desire to cover high school sports in a meaningful way is hamstrung by cheap parent companies that are hemorrhaging money and cutting corners in an effort to cut costs.  Many of these papers have a paywall that requires a subscription to even see what is written, but what's the point in paying for coverage that isn't consistent and widespread?

It's not just the newspaper industry that is suffering from this lack of foresight.  I used to work in the radio industry, and it's sad that only a handful of local radio stations still cover their high school teams with live coverage.  The only way radio can survive in an ever-increasing online world is by having local content that community members can't find anywhere else.  But who has time to consider what's best for the local communities in Idaho when profits are to be made from parent companies in other states?

MaxPreps, the official scores partner of the IHSAA, is also incredibly lacking in detailed information.  Sure, the scores all make their way there eventually, but how many teams are providing stats along with those scores?  Hardly any.  In Nebraska, another state I used to live in, their governing body passed a rule requiring all schools to post stats to MaxPreps, or risk fines for not doing so.  That's strong leadership geared towards promoting our young men and women in athletics!

All of this vast emptiness makes it hard for me to do my job: covering over 140 teams across the entire state is only possible if the information is easily accessible online.  So, I'm putting the call out to any parents, coaches or fans that are reading this: Please continue to send me any player performances, or exciting finishes, or incredible plays.  Without all of you, this weekly feature isn't possible.  My email address is brandon@idahosports.com. 

GAME OF THE WEEK

6A Thunder Ridge (9-5) outlasted 5A Pocatello (7-5) in a wildly entertaining double-overtime game at the East Idaho Holiday Shootout on Tuesday, December 30.  The Thunder raced ahead to a 22 to 16 lead at halftime, and extended the lead to 35 to 30 at the end of three.  But the Titans outscored Poky 17 to 12 in the pivotal fourth quarter, and the game went to overtime tied at 47 to 47.  After a 7 to 7 draw in the first OT period, Thunder Ridge finally found some breathing room in double OT, outscoring the Thunder 11 to 6 to earn the 65 to 60 win.  Junior Macey Stokes finished with a game-high 22 points, while senior Nevaeh Davenport added 15 points, seven rebounds, five steals and an assist.

UNDEFEATED WATCH

Each week in this space, we'll keep a running list of the teams that are still unbeaten in Idaho, with a look at the games that lie ahead on their schedule for the upcoming week:

6A: Rigby (14-0) - vs. Madison, at Thunder Ridge
4A: Sugar-Salem (12-0) - vs. Butte County, vs. Bear Lake
2A: Lapwai (7-0) - at Genesee, at Kendrick
1A: Salmon River (9-0) - vs. Kendrick, vs. Cascade, at Greenleaf Friends
1A: Deary (7-0) - vs. Highland, vs. Timberline
1A: Sho-Ban (2-0) - vs. Challis, at Grace Lutheran

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

In this section, we'll keep track of how Idaho has performed against its competition from other states throughout the year.  As we head into Christmas Tournament time, there will be plenty of opportunities for Idaho to show its dominance over teams from across the nation.

Alabama (0-1)
Arizona (2-0)
California (7-4)
Colorado (6-2)
Montana (3-2)
Nebraska (1-0)
Oklahoma (1-0)
Oregon (14-11)
Tennessee (0-1)
Utah (13-12)
Washington (31-18)
Wyoming (7-4)

30-BURGER CLUB

Each week, we will highlight any player that breaks the 30-point mark in a single game (please send in 30-burger performers to brandon@idahosports.com).

Brookeslee Colvin, 11, Coeur d'Alene (34 points vs. Big Sky, MT on Saturday, January 3)
Kyleigh Wolfe, 12, Lakeside (30 points vs. Mary Walker, WA on Saturday, January 3)

TOURNEY TIME!

Now that regular season tournament time has concluded (for the most part), the Tourney Time section will morph into what I believe the upcoming state tournaments could look like.  Each week, I'll forecast which eight teams I believe will represent each classification at state.

CLASS 6A

Boise (8-4)
Borah (12-2)
Coeur d'Alene (12-2)
Eagle (11-1)
Madison (9-3)
Middleton (9-3)
Rigby (14-0)
Timberline (11-2)

CLASS 5A

Bishop Kelly (3-7)
Blackfoot (9-3)
Jerome (8-5)
Lakeland (10-2)
Mountain Home (9-3)
Pocatello (7-5)
Sandpoint (12-1)
Skyview (5-4)

CLASS 4A

Bear Lake (8-3)
Cole Valley Christian (9-3)
Filer (9-2)
Fruitland (9-3)
Kimberly (3-10)
Marsh Valley (12-1)
Sugar-Salem (12-0)
Timberlake (4-5)

CLASS 3A

Ambrose (11-3)
Firth (9-3)
Grangeville (7-4)
Kellogg (6-3)
Malad (11-2)
North Fremont (7-5)
Parma (7-5)
Soda Springs (6-8)

CLASS 2A

Butte County (9-3)
Lakeside (6-8)
Lapwai (7-0)
Liberty Charter (6-5)
Oakley (8-1)
Rimrock (5-6)
Vision Charter (7-3)
Prairie (6-3)

CLASS 1A

Carey (5-3)
Deary (7-0)
Dietrich (5-6)
Garden Valley (10-4)
Kootenai (1-2)
Leadore (5-1)
Mackay (8-1)
Salmon River (9-0)