Pirates punch ticket to 2A state title game

From the paint to the perimeter, Prairie cousins Lexi and Kylie Schumacher found every opportunity to punch the Pirates’ ticket to the Idaho 2A State title game.

Senior Lexi Schumacher nailed four 3-pointers in the second half as part of a 23-point day and junior post Kylie Schumacher was close behind with 21 points and nine rebounds as the Prairie Pirates of Cottonwood beat the Valley Vikings of Hazelton 69-40 in the Idaho 2A girls basketball state tournament semifinals on Friday at Columbia High School in Nampa.

The Pirates’ junior post Sage Elven turned in a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Hailey Malone was the lone Viking in double-figures with 10 points. Joanie Lewis and Alora Godfrey contributed nine points apiece for Valley (20-6).

“If you want to win, everybody’s gotta play their part on the floor,” Prairie coach Lori Mader said.

Prairie (22-2) will face Oakley (23-1) at 10:30 a.m. Pacific in the championship at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho.

Prairie pulls ahead

The opening minutes of the 2A semifinal were fairly competitive and fast-paced. Kylie Schumacher picked up the first points of the game off a layup, but Valley found itself on the foul line on the next possession to tie it up.

The Vikings took a 4-2 lead off of a long jumper and continued to battle, breaking into Prairie passing lanes and transferring those turnovers into points.

The Pirates did the same thing to Valley, grabbing plenty of loose balls and sending them to the other end of the floor for points thanks to a distinct height and physicality advantage in the post.

Valley senior Joanie Lewis sank a 3-pointer to tie the game at 12-12 in the first quarter. Soon after, Lexi Schumacher drew a foul and nailed both free throws to give the Pirates the lead for good.

Kylie Schumacher made a layup several minutes later to raise the Prairie advantage to 16-12 by the end of the first quarter.

To jumpstart the second quarter, Lexi Schumacher made back-to-back layups, spinning around under the basket to drain the second one and extend the Prairie lead to eight.

Mia Anderson provided a fast-break bucket soon after that and Prairie led by double figures.

Lexi Schumacher’s masterful second half

Prairie went on an 18-3 run in the second half and saw its game-high 29-point lead last until the final buzzer thanks in large part to Lexi Schumacher generating over half of her total offensive output in the final 16 minutes of the game.

The senior sharpshooter committed a couple of fouls in the first quarter, but that did not stop her from contributing.

She opened the third quarter with one of many fast breaks and sank all four of her 3-pointers in the second half, including two in the game’s final two minutes.

“She’s such a great shooter,” Mader said of Lexi Schumacher. “She came ready to play.”

2A state title game: Prairie vs. Oakley

The No. 2-seed Prairie Pirates will play the No. 1-seed Oakley Hornets in the championship in a rematch from a regular-season game.

Prairie lost to Oakley in a nonleague encounter 37-26 on Dec. 13 in New Plymouth, Idaho.

The Hornets enter the final with just one loss on their record. At 23-1, they beat their first-round opponent Wilder 59-12 and outlasted Lapwai 56-47 in the semifinals.

Valley will face Lapwai (21-5) at noon today at Columbia High School in the third-place game.

Mader said her Pirates will have to bring their best against a tough team if they want to bring a banner home.

It’s a span of about 16 hours between the end of the semifinal and tipoff of the final today.

“I don’t know if you do,” Mader joked in regard to sleeping ahead of the championship. “Just have to get after it. We just have to come out composed.”

VALLEY (20-6)

Joanie Lewis 3 2-2 9, Alora Godfrey 3 2-4 9, Emily Huettig 0 0-0 0, Zandie Bourn 0 0-0 0, Seleni Sanchez 0 0-2 0, Hailey Malone 4 1-1 10, Afton Godfrey 0 0-0 0, Arellie Juarez 2 0-0 5, Lexi Huettig 3 1-2 7. Totals 15 6-9 40.

PRAIRIE (22-2)

Lexi Schumacher 7 3-6 23, Aubree Rehder 0 0-0 0, Sydney Shears 0 1-2 1, Hailey Hanson 1 0-0 2, Nadia Cash 0 0-0 0, Mia Anderson 3 0-0 6, Ellie Nuxoll 0 0-0 0, Kadence Kalmbach 0 0-0 0, Erica Schlader 0 0-0 0, Sage Elven 7 2-4 16, Kylie Schumacher 10 1-2 21. Totals 28 7-14 69.

Valley 12 12 8 8—40

Prairie 16 21 16 16—69

3-point goals — Lewis, Godfrey, Malone, Juarez, Lexi Schumacher 4.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.