Weekly Roundup: Idaho Falls Metro

<p>As teams start to turn the corner and figure out their identity, the stakes continue to rise. However, COVID remains with cancellations, scheduling changes and more. These teams are now starting to face their rivals for a second time around so let’s see what adjustments were made to ensure success this time. Let’s take a look at the past weeks’ key games around the Idaho Falls Metro. </p> <p><strong>January 19th</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Watersprings down North Gem again!</strong></em></p> <p>At Watersprings, North Gem suffered its second loss to the same quad that handed it its first, as the Warriors peeked out a 69-65 victory.</p> <p>North Gem kept the game close in the second half but never could get over the hump and take the lead. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="919703" first="James" last="Bodily"] scored a game-high 29 points and Logan Court added 11 but a 12-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome. Bodily continues to be on a tear scoring for North Gem. </p> <p><em><strong>Blackfoot pulls off Monster Comeback in Upset Win</strong></em></p> <p>At Rigby, Blackfoot erased a 16-point deficit on the third-ranked 5A group en route to a 73-69 upset victory.</p> <p>Despite a few big 3s from Dylan Peterson — who finished with a team-high 19 points — Blackfoot’s starters were nonexistent in the first half. Arave said he had a “come to Jesus” talk with them at the break. Whatever he said worked.</p> <p>The Broncos outscored Rigby 41-28 in the final half. [player_tooltip player_id="970441" first="Ja’Vonte" last="King"] and [player_tooltip player_id="969603" first="Carter" last="Layton"] — who combined for 34 points — started attacking the rim and either drew fouls or dropped buckets. Midway through the fourth, Blackfoot took a lead it wouldn’t lose.</p> <p><strong>January 20th</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Grace holds off Malad</strong></em></p> <p>At Grace, the Grizzlies hall off a furious late charge from Malad to earn a 48-42 home victory.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="919679" first="Gage" last="Stoddard"] led Grace with 20 points but the high scorer of the night was Malad senior [player_tooltip player_id="969736" first="Tom" last="Simpson"], who finished with 23 points. Simpson has been a pesky scoring threat for opponents and aside from his great game.</p> <p>January 21st</p> <p><em><strong>Preston has nightmare finish to Hillcrest</strong></em></p> <p>At Preston, the Indians lost an eight-point lead in the final minute of a crushing loss to Hillcrest. The squad turned the ball over and missed free throws late which allowed Hillcrest to steal a victory. </p> <p>Cole Harris and Braden Hess had 18 points apiece for Preston. They both compliment each other well but could not get the job done when it counted. </p> <p>Preston have now lost two games this week to ranked 4A teams, Pocatello and Hillcrest, by a combined six points.</p> <p><strong>Games to Watch:</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Friday, January 22nd</strong></em></p> <p>Rockland vs Mackay</p> <p>Wendell vs North Fremont</p> <p><em><strong>Saturday, January 23rd</strong></em></p> <p>Century vs Blackfoot</p> <p>Marsh Valley vs Teton</p> <p>Rigby vs Hillcrest</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>