No small consolation for Bonners Ferry girls
<p>Bonners Ferry High's Savannah Woods goes up for a shot as two Marsh Valley players apply defensive pressure in the second half of the Badgers' 48-34 win over the Eagles in the state 3A consolation game Saturday at Skyview High in Nampa.</p>
<p>Abby Skeen, right, from Bonners Ferry High, rushes the court to celebrate with Jailee Foster, center and McKenzie MacDonald and the rest of their team after winning the state 3A consolation game Saturday against Marsh Valley High.</p>
NAMPA - The Bonners Ferry Badger girls basketball team has lived on the saying of "Believe" and "We're not done yet."
After beating defending state 3A champion Marsh Valley 48-34 in the state consolation championship game at Skyview High in Nampa on Saturday morning with three sophomores and a freshman among the starting lineup - the Badgers might just be getting started in a strong run at state in the next few years.
"We're just babies at this thing," Bonners Ferry assistant coach Ken Robertson said. "We just played above and beyond our experience this week, but that's been our focus for the last two weeks. Our mantra has been to believe in each other and our abilities and they went out and didn't let anything get in the way. They pulled it together and made it happen."
Robertson, who has been an assistant coach at Bonners Ferry for 10 years, helped coach the team to a district title and 2-1 finish in the school's first state appearance since 2009. Badgers head coach Travis Hinthorn was suspended following the regular season due to internal matters, according to Robertson and athletic director Steven Morton.
"The girls are really playing for him right now," Robertson said. "They've had such a single focus the last couple of weeks with all that has happened. They've just amazed me with how they've worked and their determination."
Bonners Ferry went on a 20-2 run that stretched from the second into the third quarter to pull away.
"We just did everything right for a while," Robertson said. "Those girls just took everything away from Marsh Valley. We were a little worried about their size and good athletes, but our girls went out and went to work and didn't look back."
Savannah Woods and Kendra Merritt scored 13 points each for Bonners Ferry, which finished 18-7 and brought home its first trophy since the Badgers placed third in 2007.
"We've got a bright future," Robertson said. "We'll graduate one player (Ally Merrifield), but everyone else is back. We couldn't be happier right now."
Woods, a 5-foot-10 sophomore post/wing, also had a team-high nine rebounds.
"This is really amazing and a special thing for us," Woods said. "We were a little nervous coming into the first game because this is a big deal for us. Just getting down to state and whether we did well or didn't - it was cool to get down here."
Jessica Dunn scored eight points for Marsh Valley (19-8).
Marsh Valley 5 5 12 12 - 34
Bonners Ferry 8 14 13 13 - 48
MARSH VALLEY - May 0, S. McNabb 7, Hansen 6, A. McNabb 0, May 0, Marshall 3, Dunn 8, Howell 2, Criddle 0, Armstrong 2, Williams 0, Lolofie 6. Totals 13-43 5-10 34.
BONNERS FERRY - Skeen 6, Merritt 13, Oxford 2, MacDonald 11, Woods 13, Kelly 1, Davis 0, Merrifield 0, Foster 0, Minor 2, Everhart 0. Totals 18-39 8-15 48.