Weiser’s season ends with 78-54 loss to Fruitland

The Weiser High School boys basketball team gave 110 percent on Thursday but fell short of upsetting the Fruitland Grizzlies in a must-win game for both teams in the District III tournament at TVCC.
 Weiser faced Fruitland in the runner-up game and a trip to the 3A state championships after Homedale beat the Grizzlies by one point in a miracle finish in the title game on Feb. 25.
 Maybe it was nerves early on against Fruitland, but Weiser could not get any shots to fall in the first quarter.
 The Wolverines finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-point basket by Brett Spencer with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
 Neither team shot that well in the first quarter or took command of the game. The low-scoring quarter ended with Fruitland holding a slight lead over Weiser 9-5.
 The Grizzlies began to do in the second quarter what they have done successfully against opponents all season – run a fast-break, fast-transition offense and get the ball to one of their big players inside for sure points. It was a game plan that also included aggressive offensive rebounding and second shots in the paint.
 Spencer did most of the scoring for Weiser in the second quarter, hitting two fieldgoals and a 3-pointer to hold Fruitland to a single-digit lead. Teammates tried to get Spencer the ball, hoping he would get dialed in on shooting from outside. Weiser didn’t match up sizewise with Fruitland in the post.
 The Grizzlies, led by the 3-point shooting from Pri Weatherall, began to pull away in the second quarter. Fruitland led Weiser 33-17 at halftime. Weiser missed some easy layups and that proved costly.
 Even as the Grizzlies added to their lead in the third quarter, the Wolverines continued to play hard. Ande Jensen had a big quarter for Weiser with two 3-pointers and a 2-point fieldgoal. Tim Reed hit two buckets for four points, and Nate Lattin hit from beyond the arc for a 3-pointer.
 Fruitland led by 20 points for much of the third period. Jensen’s second 3-pointer in the quarter cut the Grizzlies lead to 16 with the score 47-31 with two minutes left in the period.
 As hard as they worked, the Wolverines could not contain Fruitland’s multi-faceted offense. The Grizzlies were back in front by 20 points after No. 10 Hyrum Lindsay made a move down the lane and slammed-dunked on Weiser. At the end of the third period, Fruitland was out in front 55-33.
 The fourth quarter was Weiser’s best with 21 points. Bryce Bake came in off the bench to hit two 2-point baskets and Nate Turner dropped a 3-pointer from outside.
 Fruitland had another big quarter with 23 points and outscored Weiser each quarter of the contest. The Wolverines made a run late in the game to trim the Grizzlies lead, which at one point was 32 points, but the deficit was too great.
 The Grizzlies took the win 78-54 and secured the second berth at the 3A state championships. The loss put Weiser in third place at the District III tournament.
 Weiser finished the season with a winning record of 5-3 in SRV Conference and 13-11 overall.
Weiser 58, Parma 46
District III tournament
Feb. 25 at TVCC
 The Weiser boys basketball team sent Parma packing with a win over the Panthers in the District III consolation game last week.
 Parma’s post-season ended, while Weiser moved on in the bracket to play Fruitland for second place at the district tourney and a berth at the 3A state championships.
 While the weather was clear outside the TVCC gym last Tuesday evening, it was raining inside – 3-pointers, that is, and Weiser went 8-for-10 in the first half, allowing the Wolverines to jump out to a lead over the Panthers.
 In the first half of play, Brett Spencer and Ande Jensen found the range and each hit three 3-pointers, followed by Justin Estes and Nate Lattin with one 3-pointer each. The Wolverines were out in front 34-17 at halftime over the Panthers.
 Parma made up some ground in the third quarter outscoring Weiser 12-6. At the end of the  third period, Weiser led the Panthers by 11 points with the score 40-29
 Weiser was able to close out the win down the stretch with a strong 18-point fourth quarter, which was one point better than Parma’s 17 points in the quarter. At the final buzzer Weiser took the win 58-46 and moved on in the district tourney.
 Brett Spencer led the scoring for Weiser with 19 points. Ande Jensen contributed 13 points, followed by Justin Estes with seven points and Nate Lattin with six points. Angel Magana and Tim Reed both scored five points. Nate Turner scored two points in the win.
 Weiser shot 66 percent from beyond the 3-point line and 38 percent on 2-point shots. At the free-throw line, Weiser shot an excellent 10-for-14 for 71 percent.
 The Weiser High School JV team took first place in the District III tournament with wins over Homedale and Fruitland.