Game of the Week encore: Diggers beat Bear Lake in 4A championship to seal perfect season
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This game report was originally published on Feb. 22, after the Sugar-Salem Diggers completed their undefeated 2024-25 season with a state championship victory over Bear Lake. It has been selected as an encore for Game of the Week.
NAMPA — “They just proved you can be perfect I guess.”
Perfect indeed.
Sugar-Salem girls basketball coach Crystal Dayley said she didn’t talk much to her team about an undefeated season, even as the Diggers rolled over opponents by an average of 25 points. No one needs that kind of pressure and the ultimate goal is always to end the season celebrating at centercourt of the Idaho Center with the coveted blue state championship trophy. No one cares about your record when you’re hoisting the championship trophy.
After Saturday’s 47-41 grueling win over Bear Lake in the 4A state championship game, Dayley was more than happy to talk about her team’s perfect season.
“It’s something that very few teams accomplish but this is a very special group,” she said following the postgame celebration.
It’s OK to talk about it now.
26-0.
Sugar-Salem beat Bear Lake twice during the regular season. It seemed the Diggers and Bears have been on a collision course all season as two of the top defensive teams in the state that can also unleash a punishing offense can make for an interesting matchup.
Saturday’s game wasn’t pretty, but it’s not supposed to be when these two teams meet. Sugar-Salem led 35-29 at the end of the third quarter.
The Diggers started to extend their lead in the fourth as Tasha Larsen connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to put Sugar-Salem up 44-33 with 3:30 left.
Bear Lake would pull within 45-39, but would get no closer.
“We made some shots, we just didn’t make enough of them,” Bear Lake coach Ken Wells said, noting he figured the state’s top two defensive teams would meet again in the postseason.
Dayley said she also expected to see the Bears in Nampa.
Both teams cruised through the postseason to reach the championship game. But it was the fourth quarter that proved the difference as Sugar-Salem increased its lead to 44-33 and held on for the win.
The Bears (22-4) had won 14 straight, but Saturday’s was the third loss to Sugar-Salem.
“We have seven seniors and we always wanted it,” Sugar-Salem’s Andee Petterson said. “We just fought every day. We talked about it every day the whole year and we finally got it.”
Larsen finished with 15 points and seven rebounds and Ashlyn Harris added 10 points and eight rebounds. Petterson led the way with eight assists.
Emyri Walker scored nine points for Bear Lake.
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