Lewiston boys hoops falls to Twin Falls on Day 1 of state tournament

In the Lewiston boys basketball team’s first trip to the state tournament in eight years, the Bengals met their match against a team that had been there before.

After the Bengals leapt out to a six-point lead minutes into the contest, not much more went right for Lewiston. Twin Falls’ 6-foot-5 sophomore Trey Billings scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds and the seventh-seeded Bruins beat the second-seeded Bengals 66-49 on Thursday in the opening round of the Idaho 5A state tournament Thursday at Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian.

“I was proud of our guys, that they didn’t quit, that they didn’t give up,” Lewiston coach Brooks Malm said. “We continue to show some resiliency. And we were able to actually kind of give ourselves a chance.”

Junior guards Jordan Walker and Royce Fisher shared the team lead in scoring with 14 points apiece and senior Drew Alldredge added nine points.

Lewiston trailed by as many as 25 points in the second half before cutting the deficit to 14. Twin Falls, making its third consecutive appearance in the state tournament, relied on a 39-7 rebound advantage (14 of those offensive boards) to stay on top and earn the upset.

Paws on the ball

The Bengals began the first state tournament game of their careers with a lot of energy and accuracy. Walker and Fisher connected from deep and senior Drew Alldredge took a pinpoint pass and put it through the nylon to forge an early 10-4 Lewiston lead.

Then, Twin Falls found its footing and did not look back.

Billings grabbed several offensive rebounds after Twin Falls missed shots to provide the putbacks, at first cutting the early deficit and then building the Bruins’ lead.

The lengthy sophomore also imposed his will in the paint, driving down low and running the length of the court after snagging more Twin Falls’ points. Billing scored 13 of the Bruins’ first 18 points.

“You got to pursue it with all five guys, you got to be really physical,” Malm said. “And we just weren’t physical enough tonight.”

Shots don’t fall

The Bengals, used to making double-digit 3-pointers every game and setting the floor on fire with their offense, shot 39% and made six 3-pointers.

Lewiston trailed Twin Falls 18-17 at halftime after scoring just five points in the second quarter.

The third quarter was not much better for the Bengals. The Bruins opened the period with a 10-0 run to forge a 23-point lead with about 10 minutes left in the game.

Twin Falls’ Ty Hess made 7-of-16 shots for 17 points and Ryker Rex scored all over the floor with a pair of 3-pointers and a slew of driving layups and jumpers for 15 points.

Walker and Fisher each connected from deep twice, while Alldredge posted nine points, playing a role in the Bengals’ brief glimmer of fourth-quarter hope.

“He’s really turned it on here late, did a good job of getting to the rack and gave us a good lift defensively, as always,” Malm said of Alldredge. “He’s one of our more physical guys and so it was nice to see him come out and have an impact on the game.”

Down by 24 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Bengals clawed back.

Fisher sank a 3, then Walker was fouled in 3-point land and made two free throws to cut the deficit to 14 points with about three minutes left in the contest.

However, the Bengals missed some open looks and could not come up with the defensive stops they needed down the stretch to save the game.

Still something to play for

The loss sends the Bengals to the 5A consolation bracket, where they will face sixth-seeded Columbia of Nampa at 11 a.m. Pacific back at Rocky Mountain High.

While Lewiston is no longer in the running for what would have been its first state championship since 2009, the Bengals still have something to play for, both in terms of personal pride and hardware.

“Anytime we play a game, we want to win,” Malm said. “We’re still alive. We still can bring home a trophy, so we’re looking forward to it.

“We love to play and want to continue to play. And if we win, we get another game together.”

Two more victories for the Bengals would make them champions of the consolation bracket.

At 20-5 overall, Lewiston has not lost consecutive games all season. With a young roster, Malm said his team can learn a lot from this loss on a big stage.

“This is an awesome experience for the kids in our program,” Malm said. “We have a lot of sophomores and juniors playing significant minutes for us in pretty significant roles. I think it’s a great thing that we’re down here.”

TWIN FALLS (15-9)

Ty Hess 7 2-2 17, Jordan Bingham 1 1-2 3, Trey Billings 11 1-2 23, Cash Pedersen 0 0-0 0, William Broadbent 0 0-0 0, Ryker Rex 6 1-2 15, Bryce Nielson 2 0-0 4, Cameron Reyes 1 0-0 2, Zach Stokes 0 0-0 0, Cooper Thompson 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 5-8 66.

LEWISTON (20-5)

Dray Torpey 0 1-2 1, Royce Fisher 6 0-0 14, Drew Alldredge 4 0-2 9, Jordan Walker 4 4-5 14, Brady Rudolph 0 2-2 2, Blaze Hepburn 2 0-0 5, Parker Bogar 2 0-0 4, Mason Way 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-11 49.

Twin Falls 18 17 19 12—66

Lewiston 17 5 8 19—49

3-point goals — Rex 2, Hess, Fisher 2, Walker 2, Hepburn, Alldredge.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.