Lewiston boys drop tough hoops game against Rocky Mountain

Dec. 7—The Lewiston Bengals boys basketball team and the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies of Meridian were in a tight contest for most of their matchup Saturday at Lewiston High School.

It was close until the Grizzlies used a 13-point run in the fourth quarter to pull away and win the game 63-58.

As a collective group, Rocky Mountain (2-2) shot well from 3-point range, but despite that, Lewiston (1-1) often kept the game tied or held the lead, fighting back.

Lewiston coach Brooks Malm said that although he was unhappy with the outcome of the game, he was happy with how his team competed against a 6A foe.

“I thought our guys did a good job of coming out and competing,” Malm said. “Obviously, it was a tough game to not come out on top of, but I thought we answered a lot of questions about ourselves. I think it’s a talented group who has a lot of opportunity in front of them. So I was pleased with a lot of things, but in these early-season games, there’s always going to be some stuff to clean up.”

What the Bengals did well

The Bengals’ 6-foot-4 guard Royce Fisher was elite in scoring, finishing the game with 27 points. He was 8-for-21 from the field while scoring three 3-pointers and was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

If something good was happening for the Bengals offensively, Fisher was likely behind it.

Fisher got the scoring going in the first quarter with a tough driving layup and finished the first quarter with half of the Bengals’ 12 points.

“I mean, he played well tonight,” Malm said. “Had 27 — obviously, he’s put a lot of time in. So he’s a guy that’s going to be able to have nights like that. He’s capable of that. He’s put a lot of time and he spent a lot of time in the gym.”

Jordan Walker, a 5-9 guard, did a good job of shooting beyond the arc for Lewiston. He finished 3-of-8 from the outside, 2-of-2 from the free-throw line and also made one layup en route to 13 points.

Malm said he liked the pace at which the Bengals played. He said at times during the game they were playing fast and fundamental basketball. However, finishing possessions on both ends of the floor will be important moving forward in the season.

Rocky Mountain holding strong

Rocky Mountain held the lead after the first quarter, 17-12. At halftime, it was tied 28-28. Then the Bengals exploded for a 19-point third quarter; however, the Grizzlies were not too far behind at 44-47 to end the period.

The fourth quarter is where the Grizzlies finished strong with a 19-point frame while holding Lewiston to just 11 points.

Early in the fourth, it looked like the Bengals might run away with the game, leading 51-44 with 6:19 left.

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Then, Rocky Mountain went on a 13-0 run with two Tanner Sweaney 3-pointers, one Brock Stevens 3 and then a foul on a Sweaney 3-point attempt that led to an easy three points at the free-throw line. Ryker Hammond delivered on one of his two free throws and the Grizzlies held the lead at 57-51, and never relented.

Malm said that those 3-pointers and some offensive rebounds by the Grizzlies hurt the Bengals on that run.

“(They) hit a couple of 3s. I mean, some 3s that came from inside out,” Malm said. “But I think there’s a possession where they get two offensive rebounds … I know two threes, one to (Sweaney) and one to (Stevens) — obviously, those were those guys who shot it really well tonight.

“(We’ve) got to defend the three-point line and not have those self-inflicting wounds, those turnovers and those loose balls that we don’t come up with.”

Sweaney finished 5-for-12 from the field, hit three 3s and was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line to lead the Grizzlies with 19 points.

Stevens totaled 16 points on a 5-of-11 shooting clip with three 3s and was 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.

What’s next for the Bengals?

Lewiston showed its strength in this game and has the whole season in front of it, playing in just two games already. It will next face Pendleton on Tuesday in Lewiston.

“I really believe in this team,” Malm said. “I think that we have a high-character group of guys in the room. I think that we’re a talented group. … So it’s an early-season game, but that’s why we play these early-season games against a quality opponent, to learn what we can be better from, where we can improve.”

ROCKY MOUNTAIN (2-2)

Cody Wheeler 0 0-0 0, Tanner Sweaney 5 6-8 19, Gavin Knowles 2 0-0 4, Ryker Hammond 2 2-3 7, Kaden Swenson 4 0-0 11, Joseph Hunter 0 0-0 0, Krew Spiker 2 0-0 6, James Pinegar 0 0-0 0, Jaxson Schwendig 0 0-0 0, Paul Mercedante 0 0-0 0, Lucian Habeck 0 0-0 0, Matt Pinegar 0 0-0 0, Gabe Maurer 0 0-0 0, Brock Stevens 5 3-3 16, Cole Garner 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 11-14 63.

LEWISTON (1-1)

Zavier McFee 0 0-0 0, Royce Fisher 8 6-6 27, DJ Wilkerson 1 0-0 3, Jordan Walker 4 2-2 13, Peyton Walker 2 0-0 5, Drew Haines 0 0-0 0, Brady Rudolph 1 0-2 3, Blaze Hepburn 3 0-0 7, Will Bobeck 0 0-0 0, Braylon Howland 0 0-0 0, Krew DeGroot 0 0-0 0, Mason Way 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 8-10 58.

Rocky Mountain 17 11 16 19—63

Lewiston 12 16 19 11—58

3-point goals — Fisher 3, J. Walker 3, Sweaney 3, Swenson 3, Spiker 2, Wilkerson, P. Walker, Rudolph, Hepburn, Hammond.

Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, tjunt@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @TrevorJunt.

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Lewiston boys drop tough hoops game against Rocky Mountain

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