Fully loaded Challis turns in another upset win, secures second champs game berth in program history
Published at
CADWELL — The Challis Vikings were the third of three state qualifiers out of the District 5-6 1A tournament, and lost all four meetings with fellow district qualifiers, Rockland and Watersprings, by an average of 22.25 points.
They finished the regular season with a 12-11 record, good enough for fourth place in the Rocky Mountain Conference.
So they accepted the tournament’s six-seed.
But, as head coach Justin Farr explained, that was not Vikings team that arrived in Boise Thursday.
“We have not been healthy, one game all season, until our first game of the championship — yesterday,” Farr said after his Vikings beat the two-seed Rockland Bulldogs, 52-49, at Caldwell High School, Friday.
Challis had four key players miss significant time during the regular season, including Jacen Farr — who led the team in points, rebounds and assists per game. They also played without Teage Erickson, Brayden Ollar and Ramey Rhoades for stretches this year.
All four are back for the Vikings’ state tournament run, and each made major contributions to Challis’ second upset victory in as many days.
“I could not be more proud of these boys,” Justin said. “You saw it on the court these last two days, game’s on the wire, right down to the last second, and who comes out the victor? Those guys are pushing, they’re listening and they’e executing.”
Jacen, who was averaging 17.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists entering the state tournament, scored 24 points when Challis earned its first revenge upset, beating Watersprings, 58-56, in overtime, Thursday.
He was considerably quieter Friday, finishing with just six points on 1-of-9 shooting, but contributed seven rebounds, four assists and 31 minutes of solid defense.
In his place, Ollar led the way, with 15 points, while Erickson hit a clutch corner 3 to put the Vikings ahead for good in with under a minute left, and Rhoades chipped in with nine points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block.
Rockland held a 13-9 lead at the end of one, and pushed that lead to 10, 21-11, near the midway point of the second.
Justin said he called a timeout right before the Bulldog reached its apex, not to coach or instruct, but to encourage his team to play like they believed they could win. His team answered the coach’s call, closing the second on a 9-3 run.
“They believe in their self, they believe in their coach and they are putting it all on the floor,” Justin said. … “They’re all about trying to finish the game — all about the finish work.”
Rockland was able to fight off the Challis surge for much of the third, but the Vikings finally did take the lead — 36-35 — for the first time since early in the first, when they were up 8-7.
Back and forth the two teams went, matching big shots and bigger stops.
Every time they needed a money shot, the Bulldogs got it from Xavier Parrish, who finished with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting — 4-of-9 from 3.
Challis, with its biggest offensive weapon struggling, leaned on Erickson and Ollar.
The duo combined for 10 fourth-quarter points, among them an Erickson corner 3 to put Challis up for good with just over a minute remaining.
Jacen did find some offensive flow in the fourth as well, knocking down four late free throws to help the Vikings ice their lead. As a team, Challis finished 20-of-29 (69%) from the free throw line.
After the game, Justin said the energy in the Challis locker room was incredible.
“I was afraid the walls were going to fall down,” he said. “Them boys are amped up, and they’re ready to go. I dread whoever they got tomorrow, because I really believe this team’s gonna take it to them.”
With the win, Challis punched its ticket to the state championship game for the second time in program history — when they finished second in 2014.
They will play Dietrich in the early game — 9:30 a.m., at the Ford Idaho Center.
Justin said his does not care who they face — adding that he feels his team is ready to beat which ever team is put in front of them, partly because his team believes it belongs in the title game, but also because his nephew, Jacen, rarely suffers back-to-back rough games.
“He rarely has a bad game,” Justin said. “And I wouldn’t call this one a ‘bad game.’ He maybe doesn’t have the game he was hoping to have, but he’s the leader on the team — you watch him, he’s an animal in there. … He’s a dynamic player.”
Rockland will face Garden Valley, who fell, 65-57, to Dietrich in the second semifinal game. They will play at Caldwell at noon.
EastIdahoNews.com comment boards are a place for open, honest, and civil communication between readers regarding the news of the day and issues facing our communities. We encourage commenters to stay on topic, use positive and constructive language, and be empathetic to the feelings of other commenters. THINK BEFORE YOU POST. Click here for more details on our commenting rules.