NAMPA, Idaho -- The best endings tend to be the ones that are the most unexpected.
That's what made Mountain View's 47-44 victory over top-seeded Centennial feel so perfect Saturday night at the Idaho Center.
After losing leading scorer Tyson Percifield to a knee injury during practice days before the 5A state tournament, the Mavericks found themselves searching for a new leader.
Turns out they didn't need a leader, just a brilliant three days of team-focused basketball.
"We felt we had a great team, and even without Tyson, we thought we could win it," said Mountain View junior post Brandon Luedtke, who coaches refer to as Bubba. "We just had to play as a team and work hard and anything could happen."
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That "anything" turned out to be unexpected wins over Idaho Falls, Borah and finally Centennial, securing the school's first state championship in boys basketball.
They did so without Percifield, the 5A SIC leading scorer during the regular season with an average of 21.0 points per game. Percifield finished his four-year high school career with 1,355 points, 435 rebounds and one state championship trophy.
His teammates surrounded him in a hug after the game, declaring him their inspiration.
"I cried when (Tyson) went down (in practice). I kept my composure in the gym there, but that night I felt so bad for him," said Mountain View coach Jon Nettleton, a former Superior Spartan play and assistant coach. "Tyson, he started for me as a freshman. It's not very often that a coach can coach a kid in high school for four years. " It feels so good to give him something as he leaves his high school career."
Saturday's game came down to the final seconds as Centennial senior Andre Sanor made a pair of free throws with 12.4 seconds left to bring the Patriots within 45-44.
Mountain View senior Zach Cooper then hit a wide-open Luedtke downcourt with his inbound pass, which Luedtke translated into an uncontested layup at 8 seconds.
"With Tyson going down we really worked as team," Zach Cooper said. "We had great practices throughout the week and after each win we just got closer and closer as a team. It felt good. We are going to stay friends for a while. This will be my team forever."
A different player led the Mavericks in scoring all three days, as Tanner Percifield had 16 against Idaho Falls, Luedtke had 18 over Borah, while Brock Rule and Cooper each scored 12 in the title game.
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"This is unbelievable. We played so hard. We played as a team. We had huge hearts from the beginning of the tournament," Tyson Percifield said.
Centennial 10 9 9 16 -- 44
Mountain View 13 11 6 17 -- 47
Centennial (20-6) -- Nick Saras 6 points, Patrick Manning 9, Andre Sanor 5, Aaron Maffey 11, Faruk Huskic 13. Rebound leader: Huskic 11. Assist leader: Manning 4.
Mountain View (21-5) -- Brock Rule 12 points, Zach Cooper 12, Tanner Percifield 8, Jesse Endicott 6, Bradon Luedtke 9. Rebound leader: Luedtke 9. Assist leader: Luedtke 5.
TOURNAMENT GLANCE
Thursday, March 3
Coeur d'Alene 59, Eagle 41
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Centennial 61, Timberline 48
Mountain View 60, Idaho Falls 55
Borah 70, Post Falls 64 (OT)
Friday, March 4
Elimination games
Eagle 64, Timberline 60
Post Falls 74, Idaho Falls 62
Semifinals
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Centennial 54, Coeur d'Alene 47
Mountain View 65, Borah 51
Saturday, March 5
Consolation
Post Falls 50, Eagle 47
Third place
Coeur d'Alene 69, Borah 51
Championship
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Mountain View 47, Centennial 44
-- Copyright (c) 2011, The Idaho Statesman, Boise/Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
