BURLEY — The Idaho Stampede saw their 16-point lead cut in half early in the fourth quarter but held on to beat the Utah Flash 124-111 in an NBA D-League exhibition game Monday night at Burley High School.

But the Stampede weren’t the only winners.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” said Burley resident Bob Brice. “Everybody in the community gets to see this level of basketball. It helps the athletic programs here at Burley, and it also helps the (NBA D-League) teams bring their people up to speed and allows the league to do some things.”

Monday’s game marked the third consecutive year the Stampede and Flash have played an exhibition game in Burley. Proceeds from the game go to help fund Burley High School athletics.

What’s more, bringing the Stampede to town exposes small-town Burley to the sports world. Last year there was a writer and a photographer on assignment for Sports Illustrated. This year, a film crew from NBA Entertainment was on hand to shoot footage of the game, as well as document the visit of a dozen Chinese coaches who are traveling with Idaho and Utah as part of an initiative to build the NBA brand in China.

While the NBA has interacted with China for several decades, the league officially announced in January 2008 the formation of NBA China, an entity that handles all of the league’s businesses in that country.

According to an NBA press release at the time, NBA.com/China was the most popular single sports Web site in China.

Whether spectators travelled all the way from China or simply down the road from Twin Falls, the Stampede and Flash made it worth the trip.

“It’s a neat deal. There’s guys who are one step away from getting in the NBA,” said Gordon Kerbs, Burley’s athletic director and girls basketball coach.

Kerbs noted that three players who came to Burley for last year’s Stampede-Flash game were later called up by NBA teams.

“You’ve got guys that are going to be well-known someday. We just don’t know it yet,” Kerbs said.

Brice was instrumental in bringing the annual event to Burley. He’s a longtime Stampede ticket holder and says he has a 20-year business relationship with Bill Ilett, the Stampede’s managing investor. Ilett approached Brice three years ago about organizing the event.

It didn’t take long for Brice to realize it’s more than just a game.

“It’s a production,” Brice said. “The first year, I had no idea. I thought you get some score keepers and some ticket-takers, and you show up and have a game. But no, this deal is run like an official NBA game, with the security, the dressing rooms, and the live Internet connection so that they can broadcast back to the NBA.

“If you’re at an arena where they do it all the time, it’s probably not that big of a deal, but every year we have three or four meetings just to make sure we have everything covered and make sure everyone’s on the same page,” Brice said.

Monday’s game seemed to go off without a hitch, and the bleachers appeared to have more fans than last year, which is a good sign for everyone.

“We hope we can keep it going and continue to have good support from the community,” Kerbs said. “It’s a great opportunity to see this level of basketball here, and we’re fortunate to have it.”