Feel the heart: Idaho State basketball coach Joe O'Brien looked happy. He was worn from a battle, yet stood strong. Joe's men had just defeated the fifth- seeded Montana Grizzlies 67- 65 in another thriller between the two teams in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Intel Big Sky Conference Tournament.

I shook hands with Joe and his wife after the press conference in Holt
arena. Their characteristically friendly and engaging manner prompted me to tell them that "my family has been in the Treasure Valley for several months, but I will always be a Bengal, not a Bronco."

Via routes 84 and 86, with Boises State's Bronco Stadium and its smurf-blue astroturf having shrunk out of sight in my rear view mirror, I drove down the road of Bengal spirit -- that special magic that can only be found on a Saturday in Pocatello.

At Reed gym that afternoon the Idaho State women took care of business and defeated Weber State 81-69 to secure the two seed and a first round bye in the Big Sky Conference tournament. On senior day, the Bengals got 32 points and 15 rebounds from Natalie Doma and 17 points from Andrea Lightfoot in their last home game.

Idaho State also got productive minutes from Devin Diehl who scored nine points off the bench. Jenna Brown also scored nine points and passed out five assists. The win put Idaho State at 12-4 in conference play. That is the best conference record for Idaho State in the Jon Newlee era.

Hear the music: I was on my feet clapping even before the game started. Natalie, Andrea, and fellow senior Kaylynn Fager were honored and presented a plaque with their jersey framed in it. During the game, Andrea passed Mandi Carver for second on Idaho State's all-time scoring list leaving behind only Natalie.

Loyal Idaho State Superfan Ross Cunningham got the crowd rolling as the Pep Squad belted out the Bengal fight song. Ross is always one of my favorite parts of each game. I am a big fan of his, and many people feel the same way. Thus, Ross has now created a new entity: Fans of the Superfan. I predict that this phenomenon will multiply, breeding Superfans of the Superfan, and so on.

At the men's game that night, my friend Logan Kinghorn picked a good time to post a season-high 17 points. Logan posted a double-double, and Idaho State had a near perfect second half in coming back from a six-point halftime deficit.  

The win marked ISU's first tournament win under Joe O'Brien, and it was the first for the program since defeating Montana 74-73 in Reed Gym in 2004. The Bengals also improved to 5-0 all-time in home conference tournament games.

The aftermath of the big win gave me a chance to catch up with some of my other favorite figures around the orange and black scene. Matt Stucki and his wife were in their usual mode, positive and personable.

One of the Bengals all-time gridiron greats, former defensive standout James Drake came by my spot in the student section. I was glad to hear from James that he is working at Century High School and preparing for graduate studies.

I chatted with Logan's wife and in-laws about a few very important
topics, including what a great asset ISU has in Ross the Loyal Superfan.

I told Logan's family how impressed I am that Logan (like Ross) is so wild on the court and such a gentleman off of it.

ISU couldn't have beaten Montanna without the Logan, who recorded his fourth double- double of the year with 17 points and 10 rebounds, adding an assist and a steal in 29 minutes. The senior "was big. He was really, really big for us," his coach said.

Enjoy the magic: From my seat I could see ISU President Arthur Vailas sitting his wife Laura. Their faces were beamed as the team closed the victory. Laura was on her feet several times, clapping, proud as a mother hen.

This return to the Gate City reminded me that my family has been enjoying the ambiance, glitz, and bling of our current experiences the Boise area.

But we have found something deeper in the home- grown, family-oriented, energetic rhythms of the drumbeats heard around Pocatello- based athletics.

Thank you, Idaho State Bengals, for sharing your spirit once again.