Centennial tops Pocatello in finals of the gold Peg Peterson Invitational

POCATELLO — Over nan people of 27 hours and six matches, nan Pocatello Thunder proved to themselves and nan authorities that they are, erstwhile again, a unit to beryllium reckoned pinch successful 5A volleyball.

They learned their ain instruction Saturday evening, though: that, astatine slightest this clip around, nan Centennial Patriots, down Washington State University-commit Eliana Ti’a, were conscionable a spot better.

Pocatello | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

Pocatello and Centennial met doubly during nan 2nd time of nan Peg Peterson Invitational volleyball tourney astatine Pocatello’s Mountain View Event Center, nan 2nd of which decided nan tournament’s golden bracket winner. And nan Patriots came retired connected apical some times.

Before their first match, Pocatello caput coach Paige Leatham referred to her team’s title arsenic “the large boys.”

While she was gunning for a first-place finish, Leatham was pleased pinch nan effort and conflict her squad showed done nan two-day tournament.

“I think, finishing 2nd spot retired of 28 squad is simply a awesome first tournament, and there’s only room for improvement,” Leatham said.

During a caller practice, Leatham said that her team, coming disconnected a third-place decorativeness astatine State, needed to find rhythym pinch caller setter inferior Josie Haymore.

“We really recovered a rhythym here,” she said Saturday. “We were getting into system, we were super-gritty connected defense and we tin smash a ball.”

Pocatello mowed done nan competition, beating section rivals Century and Highland to group up an undefeated showdown pinch Centennial successful nan 4th finals.

Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

Their nonaccomplishment to Centennial meant Pocatello would person to look nan victor of Highland-Rigby, which ended up being Highland.

The Rams, who vanished 7-8 past play aft a 5-0 start, suffered their only losses to Pocatello earlier bowing out.

First-year Highland caput coach Tana Homer said she learned a batch from her team.

“They’re going to work, and they’re going to fight,” she said. “Before coming successful (to nan tournament), immoderate of them mentioned that they are not utilized to a winning mentality.”

Homer said she is excited to respire immoderate competitory occurrence into nan squad, adding that they now cognize that they are location to compete and that they are much than tin of doing so.

Both Homer and Leatham said to nan toll, some beingness and mental, a tourney for illustration nan Peg Peterson presents.

Leatham said that, aft playing 2 placement matches Friday, her squad played from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday. In bid to flooded that fatigue, she added, nan players must play for nan woman adjacent to them.

Homer said nan Peg Peterson schedule is “exhausting,” peculiarly this early successful nan season, erstwhile nan players’ bodies aren’t fresh to jump and plaything their arms arsenic often arsenic they are asked to do.

The cardinal to remaining competitive, she added, is staying “mentally successful it” each play, moreover erstwhile you’re “physically exhausted.”

Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

Highland leaves nan tourney pinch a third-place decorativeness and nan knowing that they tin compete and win. Homer said that she expects nan girls to bring that newfound cognition to believe and activity connected nan things their coaching unit identified arsenic needing that work.

The Rams, she said, are “in it to triumph it together.”

Leatham is excited for her team’s first regular-season lucifer against Skyview.

“We’re going to travel retired basking connected Thursday,” she said. “I deliberation we gained a batch of assurance and spot wrong our squad and I americium truthful excited to spot really we’re going to spell into districts and nan regular season.”