MERIDIAN — Two state tournament berths — along with a spot in the 5A District III championship game — were up for grabs Saturday night at Owyhee High School. Boise took on Owyhee and Middleton faced Rocky Mountain in the district semifinals.
Boise 58, Owyhee 47
Not many teams have been able to hang with Boise this season.
Outside of their one loss on the season, the Brave have won every game they’ve played by at least 10 points. Rarely have teams finished within 20 points of them. But the Owyhee gave them all they could handle. It was only a three point deficit in the third quarter and the Storm were within striking distance in the fourth.
That’s when Avery Howell took over.
She scored 21 of her 28 points in the second half, leading Boise’s offense when they needed her most. Owyhee frequently double-teamed Howell, but it didn’t matter. The USC-commit consistently found an avenue to the basket and saw her aggressiveness pay off.
“I struggled in the first half, especially from the three-point line and that was all I was looking for,” Howell said. “In the second half, (I was) looking for my attack and looking to finish inside because my threes weren’t falling.”