Brynnlee Jones’ hot hand carried Malad to the State Championship, then back into the title game

MALAD CITY — When the final buzzer sounded in Saturday’s 3A girls basketball State Championship, several Malad Dragons fell to the Ford Idaho Center court.

The loss was especially frustrating due to the fact that they had the ball, with under a minute left and a chance to go ahead. In the end, it just was not to be as the Parma Panthers came away with a 58-55 victory.

RELATED | Malad storms back with 16-point fourth-quarter run but eventually drops 3A championship to Parma

But the only reason the Dragons were even in the position they were in, with the ball down 56-55 with 20 seconds left on the clock, was the incredible resolve they showed earlier in the fourth. The Malad defense hounded the Panthers, holding Parma scoreless for more than five minutes to start the fourth period.

All that defense, though, would not have meant as much had Brynnlee Jones, who’d had a rough shooting night through three quarters, had not gone ballistic.

In five minutes of play, the junior guard scored 14 points, shooting 4-of-4 from the field, including three 3-pointers. She was also a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line, including one free shot to cap an and-one and tie the game at 50.

Brynnlee was aware that she was in the throes of a cold-shooting night. Still, she never shied away from her shot, understanding that her team needed her to find a rhythm. She said that her confidence in her shot allowed her to remain aggressive.

“Knowing that you’re a good shooter, having the mentality that the next one is in — that money mentality,” she said with red eyes following the game.

Malad entered the fourth trailing 50-34. The Dragon side of the gym was mostly quiet, though there were some murmurs of the slim chances the team had. The Parma side of the gym, on the other hand, looked like a party — apparently celebrating the win that was far from in their hands at that point.

There wasn’t more than a handful out of the several hundred in the Ford Center that believed Malad still had a chance. One of the people who still believed was head coach Trevor Jones.

“These girls do that all the time, that’s why we didn’t doubt,” he said. “We had belief in that chance. … We know they can do it.”

After the game, Trevor stood outside the Malad locker room, congratulating each player for an incredible season. He hugged point guard Izzy Haycock before holding a long embrace with his daughter– Brynnlee.

Trevor said that suffering a loss like the one Saturday is especially difficult when you have to see the frustration in your child’s eyes. Speaking with media following the embrace, he spoke about the pride he had watching his team scrap. And he spoke about Brynnlee getting hot.

“Brynnlee is a pure shooter,” he said. “She’s one that does the 10,000-shot club every year. She puts in the work — there’s a great chance she’s an over-35% shooter on the year.”

As a member of the 10,000-shot club, Brynnlee takes more than 10,000 shots every year.

She said that it is a big commitment, putting in that level of repetition, but she makes the time — often at night, after she’s done with her homework.

“It’s just, consistently going out — making yourself do it.”

Malad lost just two games this season — first to start the year at Bear Lake High School, then to end it in the State Championship. Between the two defeats, the Dragons won a school record 24 straight games.

During that winning streak, Trevor said, Brynnlee had several nights where her hot shooting helped her team immensely.

“When you get those hot streaks, it’s pretty fun for anybody — it’s pretty fun to do it on a big stage like this,” he said about his daughter’s huge performance.

Brynnlee finished the night with a game-high 24 points. Now, she will get right back to work putting up 10,000-plus shots before the season restarts next school year, when Malad will return 11 of 12 varsity players in hopes of making another run at the banner.

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