Senior Reggie Larsen leads Preston back to the mountain top, averaging 22 points at state tourney

NAMPA — Preston was the only eastern Idaho team, of the 14 that qualified, to return from the Boys Basketball State Championships with a banner. And they were carried by senior Reggie Larsen.

Larsen scored in double figures in each of Preston’s three games — with his tournament-high coming in Friday’s semifinals, when he dropped 39 points on the Bonneville Bees.

Bonneville head coach Cortland Hengel said the forward’s offensive prowess was like a blur. Proof of that came after the game, when Hengel entered the presser room and grabbed one of the stat sheets left on the table: “39. Dang,” the coach said.

Preston head coach Tyler Jones said the offensive outburst, though “special,” was something Larsen’s team and coaches have known he was capable of since he joined the squad.

“He was awesome. I was glad that everybody else got to see what Reggie can do,” Jones said. “He really carried us.”

Asked if he had ever seen a performance like the one turned in by his star after the victory, Jones, who is in his 15th season as Preston’s head basketball coach, said, “not very many.”

While his big night was the 39-point performance he used to dispatch the Bees, Larsen carried his team all tournament. He averaged 21.7 points per game on 62% shooting (26-of-42).

Efficiency, Jones said, is the most impressive thing about Larsen’s game, adding that he is one of those players who can “put on a show” when they get rolling.

On top of the scoring, Larsen averaged four rebounds and one steal per game, leading the Preston to a dominant tournament performance, in which they won their games by an average of 22.3 points.

In the championship game, a 64-47 victory over the Hillcrest Knights, Larsen scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds.

Larsen finishes his senior season having averaged more than 18 points and 5 rebounds, while bringing a state banner back to the small town of Preston, for the first time since 2020.

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