Mountain View needed a game-winning shot. It turned to a freshman, and he delivered

Logan Haustveit could only smirk when asked the question.

The Mountain View freshman point guard knew he was taking the potential game-winning shot. Timberline knew it. Everyone in the arena knew it.

But no one could do anything to stop it.

Haustveit hit a leaning, off-balance runner over three defenders with 1.4 seconds left Thursday, leading the Mavericks to a 40-38 win over Timberline in the first round of the 5A boys basketball state tournament.

“A lot. It would have taken a lot (to pass),” Haustveit said. “But my guys trust me, and I made it happen.”

Haustveit made an immediate impact for the Mavericks (20-5) this season, entering state as their leading scorer (16.4 ppg). He struggled in his first state tournament game, finishing with seven points and shooting just 3-for-8 from the field.

But Mountain View coach Jon Nettleton said he had no doubts about putting the ball in his hands with the game on the line.

“He’s one of those kids where you think every shot he takes is gonna go in, every pass he makes is going to be an assist,” Nettleton said.

“... He’s played up his whole life, so he’s always played against older kids. So I don’t think there’s anybody that he’s gonna go up against where he’s going to be nervous or unconfident. Because in his brain, he’s the biggest, baddest dude on the floor.”

Timberline’s Jachin Mertes tied the score at 38 with a leaning layup with 11 seconds left. Mountain View declined to call a timeout, putting the ball in the hands of a freshman and letting him create.

Haustveit was called for two charges earlier in the game as defenders slid over to help. But the help didn’t come in time at the end, allowing Haustveit to find a sliver of room and become the hero.

“Even though I had a really bad game, I still feel like I did something for my team,” Haustveit said. “We got the win. So that’s all that matters.”

The last-second dramatics capped a defensive slugfest. Without a shot clock, Timberline (17-9) slowed the pace and turned the game into a halfcourt slog. The Wolves held Mountain View to its lowest point total of the season. But the run-and-gun Mavericks got the last laugh by holding Timberline without a field goal for 6 minutes, 50 seconds spanning the third and fourth quarters.

“That just shows the perseverance in our team,” Haustveit said. “It just shows that we can beat anyone if we play our game.”

The win sent Mountain View to the semifinals for the first time since 2013, where they will face rival Meridian (15-11) at noon Friday at the Idaho Center.

The Mavericks and Meridian split their two regular-season meetings. The third will determine who goes to the state championship game.

Owen McBride led Mountain View with 10 points, and Dyson Judd and Dawson Wahl each added nine.

Parker Gropp and Alex Ko each had eight points for Timberline, which fell into the consolation bracket. The Wolves will face Owyhee at 5 p.m. Friday at Rocky Mountain.

EAGLE FALLS TO MADISON

Madison may not play any seniors. But it looked like a veteran team Thursday.

The Bobcats (19-6) weathered an Eagle comeback and took the final lead change in a fourth quarter that featured eight of them, hanging on for a 48-45 victory.

Sophomore point guard Nash Humpherys scored six of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, finishing 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in the final minute to ice the game and lead the Bobcats to their 16th straight win.

Junior Barrett Wilson added 21 points and seven rebounds for Madison, which advances to face No. 1 Lake City in the semifinals at 2 p.m.

“Honestly, we like where we’re at,” Madison coach Shane Humpherys said. “And trust me, my guys will believe they can win that game tomorrow.”

Three Eagle (16-10) players finished in double figures. Russell Gibson and Landon White each had 13, and Harmon Howse added 10.

The Mustangs will face Highland (14-13) at 7 p.m. Friday at Rocky Mountain in the consolation semifinals.

“We don’t have a lot of guys that have played on that court, but I’m proud of the way we battled,” Eagle coach Cody Pickett said. “Madison came out strong early. We hung around and gave ourselves a shot at the end.”

LAKE CITY ROLLS TO WIN

The Timberwolves entered as the top seed and tournament favorite for the second year in a row. And they exorcised some of the demons from last year’s first-round upset with a 62-25 rout of Highland on Thursday.

“This team has been through a lot, and we’ve been waiting for this moment,” said Lake City senior Blake Buchanan, a Virginia signee. “It’s been a year, and we wanted to get back in here. We got the nerves out, were locked in and played well.”

Lake City (24-0) held the Rams scoreless for the first 9 minutes, 49 seconds of the game. It didn’t get much better from there as Highland entered halftime trailing 27-3. And Lake City tied the 5A state tournament record for fewest points allowed in a game.

Buchanan finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Idaho State signee Kolton Mitchell scored a game-high 12 points. And Deacon Kiesbuy, Zach Johnson and Nathan Hocking each added nine as the Timberwolves did whatever they wanted early and often.

“This is a different team,” Lake City coach Jim Winger siad. “They’re much more mature, and they’re pretty good at having a chip on their shoulder. But you can be all of that and say all of that until you walk out there where you were a year ago and this happened to you.

“They’re still young men, and we’re all human beings. You can say what you want to say, but there has to be a little something back here that goes, ‘You know, this didn’t go real well last year.’

“So I was super pleased with the start.”