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The Carey High School boys basketball team took two big steps toward earning the programs 21st state tournament berth in the last 25 years this week at Shoshone.

With 11 players scoring points, No. 2-seeded Carey (14-8) outscored No. 7 Richfield by a 54-29 score Tuesday night in the first round of the eight-school Northside Conference 1A Division 2 tournament at Shoshone High School gym.

On Wednesday, Carey built a 42-18 halftime lead and cooled off the No. 3-seeded Camas County Mushers 70-43 to win its fifth straight game and reach next weeks title game of the single elimination consolation bracket tourney.

Coach Jamon Frostensons Mushers (14-7) had been playing excellent basketballbuilding an eight-game win streak and having won 10 of its last 11 with a 62.9 ppg average over that span. But Careys aggressive man-to-man defense limited the good Camas shots.

The road gets tougher for coach Dick Simpsons Carey team, 9-3 in its last 12 games, because the Panthers will tip off against the defending State 1A Division champion Dietrich Blue Devils in Wednesdays championship.

No. 1-seeded Dietrich (21-1, averaging 69.3 ppg) has won 15 consecutive games including its 78-39 and 70-37 routs of No. 8 Hansen and No. 4 Murtaugh on the first two days of the tournament. Over two years, Dietrich has now won five Northside tourney games by 38, 23, 32, 39 and 33 points.

Coach Wayne Dills Blue Devils will be seeking the schools fourth Northside title in five years when they play Carey on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. for an automatic berth in the 2017 State 1A Division 2 tourney March 2-4 at Caldwell High School.

The Panthers will have to win either that game in an upset or capture the Northside second-place game Feb. 23 to make it back to the state tournament. Last year, Carey won the second-place game 62-47 over Richfield to make state.

At the state meet, the Northside champion will meet the 2nd District champ, possibly Deary (14-2) in the first round, and the Northside runner-up in the opposite bracket will play the Boise-area champion, possibly Salmon River of Riggins (14-6) or Council (11-5).

Dietrich (22-4 last year) defeated Council 68-55 in last Marchs state title game for its first state crown since 1966.

In Wednesdays Carey-Camas clash, Panther senior Derrick Baird (9.7 ppg) had the hot hand by scoring a team-high and season-best 21 points with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Leading scorer Hayden Wayment (12.3 ppg) added 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 assists.

Camas senior Austin Johnson-Burns (26 points, 3 boards, 2 steals) drilled the first of his four 3-pointers to pull the Mushers within a bucket at 11-9 midway through the first period. Carey embarked on a 21-3 run while holding Camas scoreless for six minutes.

Other Panther contributors were Houston Hennefer (12 points, 2 steals), Jessy Harshbarger (6 points, 6 rebounds), Toby Whitworth (6 points, 2 steals, 2 assists), Carson Simpson (4 points), Kaden Koudelka (4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 5 assists), DJ Parke (2 points, 3 boards) and Brigham Parke (2 points).

Helping Camas were Remington Kramer (9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists), senior James Waligorski (4 points, 3 boards), Trey Smith (2 points), KC Hainline (2 points, 6 rebounds) and Colby Thompson (3 rebounds).

Camas, a 62-37 winner over No. 6 Castleford Tuesday, tries to stay alive Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. with a knockout game against No. 5 Lighthouse Christian Academy (9-11) on the Shoshone hardwoods.

In Tuesdays game against Richfield, Carey raced to a 30-11 halftime cushion and had 11 players in the scoring column by the end of the game. Baird (12 points) and Wayment (11) led the way.

Others were Brigham Parke 7 points, Raymond Peck 6, Houston Hennefer 5, Kaden Koudelka 4, Toby Whitworth 2, Chayton Castle 2, DJ Parke 2, Wyatt Thompson 2 and Carson Simpson 1. Scoring 8 points apiece for Richfield were Ty Hatch and Austin Hukill.

Richfield (6-15) saw its season come to an end Wednesday with a 65-58 consolation bracket loss to Castleford (5-14). Murtaugh (13-9) meets Castleford in Tuesdays other consolation game, that one at 7:30 p.m.

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Carey boys earn a shot at Dietrich in Northside - Idaho Mountain Express and Guide