State preview: Priest River has its eyes on the ultimate prize

NAMPA — The Priest River boys basketball team is exactly where they expected to be.

Since December, the Spartans have had their eyes on one thing — state. They punched their ticket last Tuesday with a 59-52 win over Kellogg in the 3A District 1 title game, but that was only the first step.

This team wants a state title, and only three games and three opponents stand in their way. And they won’t rest until that trophy is in their hands.

“[The players] reached this goal of winning league, winning districts and going to state,” head coach Kevin Wylie said, “... but that’s not what we’re after, we’re after winning more. They want to bring home hardware.”

That pursuit starts at 6 p.m. PST Thursday when the Spartans (14-8) take on McCall-Donnelly in the first round of the 3A state tournament at Columbia High.

One thing that is clear about this Priest River squad is the amount of confidence that oozes from everyone on the team. In tight games and facing double-digits deficits, that swagger has seemingly never wavered this season and has carried the Spartans to this point.

And Priest River earned that assurance with the work they put in during the offseason when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down summer league play and normal routines.

The players were in the weight room getting stronger and on the court sharpening their skills and it all paid off last week when they grabbed the district title.

It’s a long way from two years ago when the Spartans boasted a 2-18 record. Junior Travis Mathews was a freshman on that team and has been through countless ups and downs during his career. He said breaking through last week couldn’t have felt any better.

“It felt amazing,” he said about winning districts. “It was a sigh of relief.”

A big part of the Spartans’ quick turnaround can be attributed to the three transfers they gained over the summer. Junior Blake Barrett moved eight miles across the border from Newport High in Washington while the Nortz brothers — Dylan and Jordan — joined the squad from Riverside High in Chattaroy, Washington.

Barrett made an immediate impact for the Spartans and the transition to the new school was seamless because he already had a connection with most of the team.

“I’ve had friends [in Priest River] since I can remember,” he said, “and they’ve all been pretty supportive and they’ve all wanted me to transfer back because it’s where I grew up, and it’s been nice.”

Barrett played with Mathews and junior Trentyn Kreager from first to sixth grade and the trio has played on the same Hoopfest team for years.

That chemistry has carried over to Barrett’s first season on the team and fostered a tighter bond with his new teammates.

Mathews said Barrett’s contribution to the Spartans’ success this winter can’t be overstated.

“He’s helped out a lot … and he was a great pickup for us,” Mathews said.

For Barrett, this journey and this season so far, couldn’t have gone any better. A state run and a bit of hardware is something he has thought about ever since watching his older brother, Jaden, raise a state title for Priest River in 2010.

“It’s what I wanted to do ever since I was a kid,” he said. “I always dreamed of having my year up there on the board next to my brother because he [won trophies] in 2011 and 2010, and hopefully we’ll do it ‘21 and ‘22. It’s really exciting and I’m just so stoked for state.”

Jaden is an assistant coach on this year’s team. Barrett said having his older brother on the sidelines has its pros and cons, but the knowledge he brings to the team regarding nerves and pivotal moments in games is unmatched.

“It’s hard at times because he is my brother,” Barrett joked, “but overall he does a really good job. He knows how to get to my weak spots and just uses that to make me better.”

Experience is something the Spartans lack this season. They are the only 3A team at state without a senior and they have zero state experience on their roster, but they can lean on Jaden and girls basketball head coach Gary Stewart for advice about dealing with the pressure. Both will be on the sidelines for the Spartans in Nampa and Stewart led the Lady Spartans to a state championship in 2010.

Wylie said having those two coaches, especially Jaden, will make a difference for the Spartans at state.

“I told Jaden, ‘Hey, you’re young enough still that you can relay a lot of your experiences to these kids,’” he said, “and so he’s kind of been that focal point for me to push into the kids … what it took to win down there.”

The other two-thirds of the transfer haul Priest River received from Washington during the offseason brought the team 3-point specialist Jordan Nortz.

The junior has an unwavering desire to pull up from anywhere outside the 3-point arc. And when he heats up, the whole team does. That range puts a lot of stress on defenses, Wylie said.

“Jordan will pull up from 6 or 7 feet outside the arc, he’ll hit one and the defender will look over at his coach like, ‘What do I do?’” Wylie said, “and they act like you don’t have to guard him out there, and that’s fine. Again, most coaches would not guard a kid out there, but when you have a kid with that much confidence and that much range of motion, we’re going to give him a green light to do it.”

That offensive freedom is something Wylie has given all his players this season. Sure, the team doesn’t always take the perfect shot, but that hands-off approach showcases the players’ skills, Wylie said, and that confidence in his group has grown as the season has progressed.

It’s also part of the reason why Wylie believes his team can contend for a state title.

“It took me halfway through the year to be like, ‘I can relax, I trust these guys,’” he said, “and you know we lost some games that we probably should have won, but those are growing pains … and it just shows the work ethic and dedication that they put in to get to where they are now.”

The maturity the team has gained over the past few months couldn’t have been more evident during the district tournament. Wylie asked his team to stick with a 1-3-1 zone defense they just learned and attack the paint continually in order to give the Spartans their best chance to win.

The team executed the game plan to perfection and that commitment will certainly pay dividends at the state tourney.

Speaking of commitment, Priest River has lived and died by the 3-pointer for most of the season. But recently, the Spartans have turned their attention to attacking the rim and Wylie said that needs to continue due to the moves Kreager and Barrett possess in the post.

The team will likely be getting back some much needed help in the paint at state. Wylie said sophomore Jace Yount is still questionable, but he is expecting the 6-foot-4 power forward to be ready to go for the team’s opener at state. He injured his shoulder in the team’s regular season finale against Bonners Ferry on Feb. 20.

The addition of Yount provides another look for the Spartans who have an endless amount of weapons offensively. Besides the cast of characters already mentioned, junior Nadin Thompson, sophomores Luke Butler and Teigan Marinello and freshman Dylan Nortz have all shown an ability to spark the team this season.

“On any given night, anyone can step up,” Barrett said.

And the team will feed the hot shooter, particularly Kreager.

“When Trentyn gets going and he is making baskets left and right,” Barrett said, “I’ll just try and yell at the team like, ‘Get it to Trentyn, get it to him inside.’”

Kreager is averaging 18.2 points per game this season and tallied 28 points and 10 rebounds in the district title victory over the seven-time defending district champion Kellogg Wildcats.

When Kreager is feeling it, Mathews makes sure to find him.

“It’s amazing knowing that you can give him the ball and kind of get out of the way and let him go to work,” Mathews said. “He’s an amazing teammate to have.”

As the point guard, Mathews knows he needs to be aggressive driving the ball to the basket at state and kicking it out to open teammates for them to be successful.

Mathews said this team has a special connection.

“I feel like we’re all super good friends off and on the court,” he said. “We don’t really yell at each other on the court when one of us messes up, we just go and pick them up.”

For Wylie, his preparation for the state tournament started several weeks ago. He has been pouring over endless amounts of film and scouting Priest River’ potential opponents.

He said he and the team basked in the glory of claiming the district crown that night, but the next day all his attention was on the team’s first opponent at state — McCall-Donnelly.

The Vandals moved up to the 3A classification after spending the previous 10 years in 2A. This is their first time at state since 2011, just like the Spartans, and their second trip in the last 33 years.

McCall-Donnelly didn’t play its first game this season until Jan. 15 due to a school district coronavirus policy and are 9-2.

The Spartans certainly own the edge in terms of time on the court this season, they’ve played twice as many games as the Vandals.

Wylie said the Vandals utilize a 1-1-3 zone defense that he has rarely seen and he expects their physicality to be a factor in the game.

The Spartans will counter with their 1-3-1 zone that was able to contain Timberlake and Kellogg at districts. The team will show more looks at state, but Wylie said that defense allows his key players to avoid getting in foul trouble.

“The zone really allows us to rebound better and stay out of that foul trouble,” he said.

Overall, Wylie said his team matches up well with McCall-Donnelly.

“We’ve got a pretty good game plan against McCall,” he said, “and we feel that their defense is going to allow our shooters to get opportunities, but we also feel that we’re skilled enough to be able to attack the rim and get them in foul trouble.”

All season, Wylie has preached the importance of defense to his team and he knows the team’s buy-in on that end of the court will ultimately determine how deep they go at state.

Mathews, Thompson and Marinello will all be sporting mullets at state. Mathews said they tried to get the whole team in on it, but apparently they don’t have the flow to pull it off.

“We tried to convince everyone to do it, but they wouldn’t,” he laughed.

Jitters will likely pop up for the Spartans in their opening game at state, but Mathews expects the butterflies to wear off pretty quickly.

“I feel like at the start of the very first game we’re all going to be pretty dang nervous,” he said, “but after the first couple of minutes, I feel like we’ll start clicking.”

During his six years at Priest River, Wylie said he has never coached a team with more self-drive than this one. He said the Spartans have a will to win that stems from two players — Kreager and Mathews.

“Those guys stick out most because I’ve coached them since junior high,” he said. “They’re the ones that set the tone for the program. They’re the best leaders I’ve ever had in the program.”

A state title is what the Spartans are seeking, but Wylie will be satisfied if his team gives their all on every possession and gains enough experience to make another run next season.

“If they compete and they take it seriously, whether we win or lose games, it’s still a growth in the program and that’s always been the focus,” he said. “... As long as they go out there and give all the effort they are capable of and play their hardest and we come up short, I’d be OK with that.”

But there’s no doubt this is a business trip for the Spartans, and one Barrett hopes will end with glory.

“With all the games we’ve played, I feel like nothing can stop us right now,” he said.

You can watch all of Priest River’s games at the 3A state tournament live on the NFHS Network. We will have recaps of all their games online and in print each day.