Kubs crush Knights, set up Kendrick clash for state title

A shock-and-awe start from the top-seeded Kamiah Kubs left little doubt about the eventual outcome of their Idaho Class 2A boys basketball state tournament semifinal against the No. 4 Lakeside Knights of Plummer at Caldwell’s Vallivue High School on Friday.

Kamiah took only a few minutes to establish a gaping double-digit lead which Lakeside would never come close to erasing. The Kubs’ 69-51 victory sets up a fourth meeting of the season with Whitepine League rival Kendrick, this time with the state’s biggest prize in 2A boys hoops at stake.

“We’ve been playing that way since we lost to Kendrick (in the 2A district final),” Kamiah coach Aaron Skinner said of his team’s performance Friday. “Something lit a fire under us since we lost that game, because we know we didn’t play very well in that title game. Every game since then has been a mission. These boys are laser-focused, they’re locked in and they’re all about finishing the season the right way.”

Top seeds bring tour de force

Kamiah (23-2) put up the first points of the game 22 seconds into regulation after Dave Kludt caught a rebound and heaved a pass more than halfway across the court that led to a Lawson Landmark layup. The Kubs would never give up the lead.

They raced ahead 10-0 in under three minutes of play before the Knights (16-6) finally got on the board. Kamiah led 26-9 by the end of the first quarter, and had the margin all the way up to 23 points at 32-9 two minutes into the second before Lakeside finally found traction.

To their credit, the Knights, who had reached the state final the last two years — splitting encounters there with the Lapwai Wildcats — were not easily discouraged in their pursuit of a third straight appearance. They would make slight inroads in the third quarter through the beginning of the fourth, narrowing the gap to 53-40 after the first basket of the final frame.

The Kubs responded in style, bolstering their lead back to a game-high 24 points at 69-45 with the help of a hat-trick of 3-point goals before benching their starters for roughly the last two minutes of regulation.

Five-man band on fire

As a team, Kamiah shot an efficient 26-for-53 (49.1%) from the field including 11-for-27 (40.7%) from beyond the arc, with those 3-point goals accounting for nearly half the Kubs’ score total.

The Kubs’ five starters all turned in double-digit scoring contributions — Jaydon Crowe (17 points), Lawson Landmark (15), Matthew Oatman (14), Kludt (13) and Everett Oatman (10).

Kludt and Matthew Oatman have been the top scorers in most of the team’s recent outings, with the Knights’ efforts to shut down those threats on Friday helping to give Crowe and Landmark an extra chance to shine offensively.

“Having all five guys in double figures tonight, that’s our goal every game,” Skinner said. “I don’t want a 20-point scorer, a 30-point scorer — I want a team that is spread out to where they can’t focus on doubling or tripling you. They tried to key in on Dave when we sent him in to the post, and that’s what opened up some of those earlier shots outside.”

The 6-foot-6 Kludt also snagged 16 rebounds — more than twice as many as any other player on either team — and dealt out nine assists in a double-double performance that verged on a triple-double.

“When we’re on, you can’t stop Dave inside and the 3-point shots,” Skinner said. “It’s impossible.”

An all-area final

In an all-Tribune area, all-Whitepine League showdown, the Kubs now face the Kendrick Tigers for the championship today at 10:30 a.m. Pacific in Nampa’s Ford Idaho Center.

“We wanted Kendrick ever since we lost to them (at Districts),” Skinner said. “There are two reasons: we want to prove to the entire state that the Whitepine League is the leader in 2A basketball, and it has been for years.

“That’s no diss to other teams in the state; it’s just that our brand of basketball is tough, it’s physical and it’s fast. Second, we’re fortunate that both teams are going to be able to fight for the state title — we’re going to bring the state title home to the north one way or another.”

Kamiah bested Kendrick 60-53 on Dec. 13 and 65-58 on Jan. 25 in a pair of regular-season league encounters. The Tigers struck back with a 52-46 upset over the Kubs in a district tournament title game on Feb. 26 in which Skinner felt his team “didn’t come out with any energy” before a fired-up Kendrick “hit us in the mouth.”

Kamiah has never before won a boys basketball state title, while Kendrick did so as recently as two years ago. The Tigers are vying to rocket directly to another state title in their first season since moving up a size classification — a feat they successfully accomplished last fall in football. Skinner predicts that his team is certain not to repeat the same mistakes it made in its last meeting with Kendrick, and that the rivals are “going to throw haymakers all game” with everything on the line today.

“It’s not going to be an easy game, but we’re going to give everything that we’ve got,” he said.

LAKESIDE (16-6)

Hallah Peone 7 6-6 23, Furyous Louie 1 2-2 4, Joseph Falcon 0 0-0 0, Brayden Greensky 0 0-0 0, Tobias Abuan 0 0-0 0, Holkshila Ironcloud 0 0-0 0, Trenton Samuels 0 0-0 0, Preston SpottedHorse 3 1-2 7, Tyson Charley 5 3-11 13, Jadin Pluff 2 0-1 4. Totals 18 8-11 51.

KAMIAH (23-2)

Todd Roberts 0 0-0 0, Jaydon Crowe 6 2-2 17, Matthew Oatman 5 4-9 14, Jack Engledow 0 0-0 0, Everett Oatman 4 2-4 10, Dave Kludt 5 1-2 13, Rylan Skinner 0 0-0 0, Lawson Landmark 6 1-1 15, Logan Keen 0 0-0 0, Sawyer Wimer 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 6-9 69.

Lakeside 9 17 12 13—51

Kamiah 26 18 9 16—69

3-point goals — Peone 3, Charley 3, Samuels, M. Oatman 4, Crowe 3, Kludt 2, Landmark 2.

Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.