From Capital High School, Kamiah and New Plymouth squared off in the first semi-final game and it was a great one. The fans were in to it and both teams brought out the best in each other.
For New Plymouth, it was the White brothers that were the key to early first half success. The younger of the two, Chase, was hitting outside bombs while the older brother, Carson, was playing great defense.
Kamiah was balanced, running sets and a methodical offense. The team’s leader, Jack Nygaard, and big man Eric Hill were solid. But at the half New Plymouth lead by one.
But in the second half it was a Nygaard vs. White brothers showdown. The White’s continued to poor it on, Chase still hitting from deep and Carson drawing attention inside.
Nygaard, on the other hand, was doing both. He was scoring off the drive, off the pull up and behind the arc. He would finish with 30 points to lead all scorers and 7 rebounds.
Down the stretch, it was Kamiah’s defense that turned the momentum in their favor. New Plymouth wasn’t able to connect on their final few possessions and Kamiah left with a 71-63 win and a trip to the state title game.