By Jason Stephens
WSL Idaho Correspondent 

BOISE, Idaho – Senior attackman Mitch Hawk registered a co-team-high five points on three goals and two assists to lead top-seeded Timberline to a 12-10 victory over fifth-seeded Boise in a Treasure Valley Lacrosse League semifinal Thursday.

Senior middie Alex Williams posted a co-team-high five points on two goals and three assists, freshman attackman Andrew Rusin scored four goals and freshman attackman Nash Cantrell had two points on a goal and an assist to help the Wolves (19-4) win their 15^th straight and remain undefeated against Idaho competition.

With the victory, Timberline has advanced to the TVLL championship game and will face three-time defending champion Centennial on Saturday at 6 p.m., MDT, at Eagle High School. This will be the fourth time in the last five years that Timberline and Centennial have squared off in the league title game.

Timberline will be going for its first league championship since 2005.

“Nine out of 10 times the game ends up being Timberline and Centennial,” Timberline head coach Tom Blanchard said. “But you can't predict the score. Saturday's game is going to be a battle for both sides, with whoever wants the win more coming out on top.”

Sophomore middie Levi Reynolds and junior middie Panos Panayiotou each scored a goal, and senior defenseman Dennis Rusin dished an assist for Timberline.

Defensively, freshman goalie Keven Brown saved 15 shots, including seven in the final 24 minutes.

“We started (slow) today, but we picked it up and took the win,” Hawk said. “The last time we played Centennial it was a little tighter than we wanted. This time around, I think we'll loosen up the scoring and come out playing to win.”

In defeat, senior attackman Jack Boren registered a game-high five goals, senior attackman Nick Voulelis scored two goals and dished an assist and sophomore attackman Patrick Erstad posted three points on a goal and two assists for the Braves, who finished the season 12-5.

Sophomore middie Sayre Thomas and junior attackman Sam Hardison each posted two points on a goal and an assist. Senior middie Riley McNeal scored a goal, and senior middie Evan Richards dished an assist for Boise.

“This was the best game we played all season,” Boren said. “Timberline is impressive, but we were working well as a team. We had full vision of the field and were moving together and making plays happen.” 

The game was tied, 6-6, at halftime when Timberline took control in the third quarter. The Wolves went on a 4-1 run after halftime and took a 10-7 lead after Cantrell set up Hawk with 2:35 remaining in the third.

Boise pulled one back by the end of the third quarter, however, the Braves could never trim the deficit closer than two during the final 12 minutes.

“Timberline is an impressive team,” Boise head coach Sean St. Johns said. “I can't take that away from them. We joked that this was our championship game, but we played like champions. The effort was there in our favor. But, this wasn't an easy win for them.”