Century claims Air Force bracket in exciting, back-and-forth showdown with Sugar-Salem
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IDAHO FALLS — All any basketball fan could ask for in a game is a competitive and tightly contested matchup in which both teams overcome adversities forced upon them by the other.
The championship game of the East Idaho Holiday Shootout Air Force bracket offered all those things in spades.
Century had to overcome a slow start and a fourth-quarter push from Sugar-Salem. And the Diggers had to figure out an answer for a Diamondbacks second-half full-court press that forced several turnovers, along with the relentless attack of eventual Tournament MVP, Peja Weed.
Both teams offered answers. But after a final five minutes that featured five lead-changes, it was Weed and his Diamondbacks who claimed that bracket title with a thrilling 60-58 victory at Idaho Falls High School.
Head coach Ryan Frost said after the game that his team showed “a lot of highs and lows” in their 3-0 run through the Shootout.
“This game, kind of, summed up what we’re capable of,” he said. “We’re capable of doing some really good things, then sometimes we do some — let’s be nice and say some immature things.”
Frost told his Diamondbacks after the game that he would like them to keep the high flows while improving the ebbs.
“Give me some of that real good stuff, then just some average stuff every once in a while,” he told EastIdahoSports.com of his conversation with the team after they claimed their trophy. “There’s nothing wrong with being basic — give me a ‘C+’ every once in a while. You can win a lot of games being a C+, you just can’t go A to F.”
Century came out of the gates with their “F” game, falling into an immediate 8-1 hole. Looking to turn the tides a bit, Frost called a timeout just over three minutes into the game and subbed in sophomore sixth man, Justus Mangum.
Mangum had a nearly immediate impact, providing some much needed pressure on the defensive end and hitting a deep 3 to jolt some life into the Diamondbacks offense. He scored 12 points in the first half, and finished with an impressive 16 points, six rebounds and two steals.
Frost said that the key to Mangum’s success is a confidence beyond his years.
“He’s a great athlete,” the coach said. “There’s a confidence he has when he plays, which is a rare thing for a sophomore. … It’s so nice for us to have a kid that can come off the bench and get, like, 20 points on any given night.”
A back-and-forth first half finished with Mangum canning another 3-pointer to give Century a 31-30 lead heading into the break.
Perhaps lost in the flashiness of a flying Mangum was the consistency the senior Weed brought, not just Saturday but all weekend.
Weed scored his own nine points in the first half, including a bucket that gave Century its first lead of the game — 18-16, midway through the second quarter — and a contest triple that pushed them back ahead just over a minute later.
After using some impressive shot-making to claim the lead, Century built upon it with defense.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Diamondbacks increased the full-court pressure, forcing several turnovers, including a 10-second violation. The result was a plus-4 advantage in the quarter and a five-point, 48-43 lead heading into the fourth.
“We’ve, historically, kinda struggled in third quarters this year, so it’s good to se us flip that,” Frost said of his team’s play in the third. “We made a conscious effort to come out of halftime with some fire. The kids did a real good job of picking up the intensity.”
For all the fireworks of the first three periods though, it was the fourth when things got really fun. There was jawing back and forth between players from both teams, and a surge from the Diggers that nearly undid all Century’s work.
Behind a nine-to-two run — six of those points coming from Ace Clark — Sugar-Salem grabbed a 55-53 lead with less than three minutes to play. Then a bucket from Riley Williams, who scored Sugar-Salem’s final five points, gave the Diggers a three-point lead with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Weed took Century’s ensuing possession into the front court and triggered the offense, and as the Digger defense scrambled to prevent the Diamondbacks from getting a free run to the basket, they left Jordan Wilkinson, maybe Century’s best shooter, wide open from deep.
The junior buried the tying triple without hesitation.
“Jordan does a great job of working hard in the offseason with his shot, and he’s come a long way. We always preach, whatever you do, be confident in it. He was, and it went down, and that’s why we won,” Frost said.
“It’s nice having multiple guys being able to score, multiple guys being able to do some good things,” he added.
Williams was fouled attacking the basket on the other end, and split his two free throws giving the Diggers a 58-57 lead with just over 10 seconds left.
And this time, as he brought the ball into the front court, Weed didn’t look for an open shooter. Instead, he took the ball into the teeth of the defense and attacked the rim through contact. His first attempt bore no fruit, but Weed scrambled for the rebound and went right back up. This time, his layup found the net, and he was rewarded a free throw.
He made the free throw, giving Sugar-Salem 3.2 seconds to go 94 feet for a chance at a tie or win. Williams went for the win but missed off the back iron, sending Century into elated celebration.
“Peja is so crafty with the ball. He’s hard to guard because you never know what he’s going to do,” Frost said. “What a competitor, to say, ‘we’re not going to lose this game.'”
Weed finished with a game-high 17 points, to go with four rebounds and one steal. Luke Webb added 11 points, six rebounds, one steal and one block.
Williams led all Diggers scorers with 11.
Frost called the tournament a “great weekend” for the Century boys basketball program, with wins in both the varsity and JV brackets.
They get back to their regular-season chase of conference leader Preston (10-1) Thursday, when they host Burley.