Fruitland senior forward Grahm Geary receives a pass and is immediately swarmed by a trio of Kimberly Bulldogs during the 2023 IHSAA State Tournament held in Meridian on Friday. The Grizzlies struggled to overcome a lack of scoring in the first three periods of the game, but came to life in the final quarter closing out the game with a final score of 61-56 over the Kimberly Bulldogs. The Fruitland Grizzlies finished their regular season third in their division with a 7-3 win-loss record.
Fruitland senior wing Theo Jackson jumps to avoid defenders in an attempt to score on the jump shot over two Kimberly defenders during the 2023 IHSAA State Tournament held in Meridian on Friday.
Fruitland senior forward Grahm Geary receives a pass and is immediately swarmed by a trio of Kimberly Bulldogs during the 2023 IHSAA State Tournament held in Meridian on Friday. The Grizzlies struggled to overcome a lack of scoring in the first three periods of the game, but came to life in the final quarter closing out the game with a final score of 61-56 over the Kimberly Bulldogs. The Fruitland Grizzlies finished their regular season third in their division with a 7-3 win-loss record.
Dennis Lopez | FotoMundo America
Fruitland senior wing Theo Jackson jumps to avoid defenders in an attempt to score on the jump shot over two Kimberly defenders during the 2023 IHSAA State Tournament held in Meridian on Friday.
MERIDIAN — On Friday, the No. 6 Fruitland Grizzlies boys basketball team traveled to Meridian High School to compete against No. 7 Kimberly High School in the consolation semifinals of the IHSAA 3A Boys Basketball Tournament.
Prior to the game, the Grizzlies lost a hard-fought matchup against the No. 3 Teton Timberwolves in overtime 72-63 to fall into the consolation bracket, whereas Kimberly lost to the No. 2 Sugar-Salem Diggers 57-42.
As a result, Fruitland faced off against the Bulldogs in an attempt to advance to the consolation championship to compete for fifth and sixth place.
In the game, the Grizzlies struggled to hold Kimberly on the defensive side of the court, and were outscored 31-24 throughout the duration of the first half.
Yet, the Grizzlies remained in the game after senior guard Luke Barinaga (5) hit four 3-pointers throughout the first half.
The Grizzlies scored first in the second half, as Barinaga pulled down the rebound to score second-chance points. The Bulldogs quickly responded as they extended their lead to double digits.
Fruitland began to cut into Kimberly’s lead throughout the remainder of the third quarter until they stole the lead in the final minute. However, the Bulldogs made a 3-point shot with five seconds remaining, resulting in Kimberly entering the fourth quarter ahead 48-46.
In the final eight minutes, the Grizzlies battled with the Bulldogs in a fast-paced fourth quarter. With nearly five minutes remaining, Kimberly was maintaining their two-point lead 56-54, but the Grizzlies stood their ground through the remaining time to hold the Bulldogs from scoring for the rest of the game.
As a result, Fruitland went on a 7-0 offensive run to defeat Kimberly 61-56.
Additionally, the Grizzlies competed against Buhl High School on Saturday in the consolation championship for fifth and sixth place, but the results were not included as a result of the Friday deadline for the Sunday edition. More information regarding the consolation championship will be included in the Tuesday edition of the Argus Observer.
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