Russets rally for win over Diggers

Tanner Higham scored 22 points and Mason Higham chipped in nine points and 12 rebounds in a 51-43 3A District 6 tournament winners' bracket game against top-seeded Sugar-Salem on Friday at Skyline High School

Shelley earned the right to play in Wednesday's District 6 championship game against the winner of the Monday game between Sugar-Salem and Salmon.

Friday's game was a low-scoring affair early, as the Diggers held Shelley to six first-quarter points on 2-of-9 shooting and forced six turnovers. Sugar's defense was led by forward Jordan Ostermiller, who finished with nine rebounds and seven blocks.

Ostermiller limited Shelley post Mason Higham to 1-of-5 shooting in the first half, and the Russets shot 27 percent from the field as a team.

However, Sugar-Salem couldn't capitalize on its defensive domination, and shot 26 percent in the first two quarters.

"Defensively, we came out with a good focus," Shelley coach Dave Hadley said. "I loved the grit and determination we showed."

Sugar-Salem came out firing in the third and Kevin Walker hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in the quarter to give the Diggers a 38-31 lead going into the final eight minutes. Walker hit five 3-pointers in all and finished with 22 points.

The Diggers' lead was cut in the first play of the fourth as Shelley guard Tommy Higham hit a 3-pointer from straightaway.

"Our defensive energy came in on offense, and our shots just started falling," Tommy Higham said.

With the game tied at 38 with less than five minutes left in the game, Walker hit another 3-pointer to give the Diggers the lead, but Tanner Higham responded with a shot of his own from deep behind the line to knot the score again with 3:15 to go.

From there the game became a free-throw shooting contest, and Shelley won handily. The Diggers hit 8 of 10 from the charity stripe, while Sugar connected on 0 of 5 attempts. Shelley also forced two turnovers late to earn the win. Tanner Higham was instrumental in the Shelley success at the line, and he scored nine of his team's final 10 points.

"Tanner's been on this stage for three years now," Hadley said. "He didn't let anyone lose focus on defense, and I think that was as big as his contribution on offense."

Sugar-Salem scored five points in the final quarter despite having several open looks at the basket late.

"Congratulations to Shelley. They played a great game," Sugar-Salem coach Jay Miller said. "We're focused on our game against Salmon now."