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By Jon P. Brown

Special to the Spokesman

NAMPA, Idaho -A Hill helped Post Falls High School reach the summit after a 46-year climb.
A junior on a team with eight seniors, starting point guard Connor Hill provided the spark Saturday night's 5A boys' basketball state championship effort.
Post Falls' 68-60 triumph snapped Eagle's 19-game winning streak and brought the Trojans their first boys' basketball state title since 1964 and third overall.
"I just don't think that Southern Idaho respects Northern Idaho basketball," Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. "I just truly believe that they think that we're a bunch of small towns up north and we aren't as skilled as basketball players.
"... But I think in this tournament we showed that we're not just a bunch of athletes who run up and down the floor. We're basketball players."
The town of Post Falls will celebrate with a 4 p.m. parade and ceremony at the high school today.
Hill's all-around play and knack for a play at crucial times held the Trojans' (22-4) effort together.
Hill scored 15 points, connecting on seven of eight free throws, and collected three defensive rebounds.
"Connor sometimes is almost the forgotten one because our other guys are so kind of high-powered, but you know what, on any other team, he's the star," MacLean said. "We just have more than one star on our team."
After Eagle's Taylor Kelly tied the game, 23-23, with a reverse layup off a pass from a prone Jeff Slonaker (Hill's opposite number), the junior turned the key on Post Falls' momentum.
He was fouled by Slonaker and sank two free throws. Then, the 6-foot-2 guard finished off a fast break with a driving, spinning layup and a 27-23 lead. Hill's heroics touched off a 7-2 run that gave Post Falls the lead for good.
Hill was one of four Trojans in double figures. Malcolm Colbert, who McLean said was playing on one knee and will require major surgery, led the way with 19 points. Marcus Colbert hit for 15 and Shawn Reid scored half of his 16 points.
"They have a lot of different weapons," Eagle coach Tom Seifert said. "...
When (Kelly, team-high 17 points) stepped up. they had another weapon to go to and another weapon to go to and another weapon to go to.
"And I know how that feels because we did that other teams all year and now the tables were turned on us."
All those weapons helped MacLean achieve a goal he set three years ago when he took over his alma mater's program -- bringing a state title back after a 46-year drought.
"It's a great feeling. It's a great feeling. But it happened so long ago, it's not even like there's pressure to win. Because I don't think anybody on my staff was alive in 1964," McLean said.
"It's great for my kids. It's great for our program. It's great for our school. It's something that we can rally around and continue to build."

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