Bonners Ferry Gets Moscow In Finale Badgers Top Lakeland While Bears Roll Over Priest River

With all due respect to Lakeland, the Bonners Ferry High girls basketball team will have to play well for 32 minutes to beat Moscow in the A-2 District I-II championship.

Not for 8 minutes like Bonners Ferry did Thursday.

But at least Bonners Ferry picked the right quarter to turn it on.

The Intermountain League runner-up pulled away from Lakeland 45-32 in a game much closer than the final margin in the opener at Post Falls High School.

In the second game, IML and multiple-defending district champ Moscow flattened Priest River 76-41 as the Bears were clearly the best of the four teams in action.

In what has become a traditional district title matchup, Moscow (18-3) and Bonners Ferry (16-4) meet tonight for the championship and automatic state berth. Tipoff is at 7:45, immediately following a loser-out game between Priest River (11-10) and Lakeland (8-12) at 6.

The loser of the championship game and the survivor of the loser-out game meet Saturday to decide the runner-up berth to state.

Bonners Ferry 45, Lakeland 32

The Hawks led at halftime (24-22) and the score was tied going into the fourth quarter after a third quarter that resembled pingpong when both teams committed 11 turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, though, the Badgers boarded the back of leading scorer Amber Paulson and the Hawks couldn’t counter.

The 5-foot-11 Paulson didn’t take a shot in the third quarter - largely because of a modified box/matchup defense that had her covered.

Paulson’s first basket of the fourth quarter gave the Badgers the lead for good at 33-31.

On the ensuing possession, Paulson put up a 3-pointer before Lakeland’s defense had completely retreated.

The surge was on. The Badgers scored 16 straight points for a 45-31 lead. Lakeland’s final point came 6 minutes after it scored the opening basket of the period.

“I was real worried about the fact that we were more concerned about the outcome than the process of playing the game,” Bonners Ferry coach Jim Nash said. “For three periods that’s what we were worried about. We were playing not to lose the game, playing with jitters and looking over our shoulders.”

Paulson, who scored 16 points in the first half, finished with a game-high 27. She also had nine rebounds and three steals.

Sophomore Anika Duvall led a spirited Lakeland effort with 10 points.

It may not have been the prettiest game played, but there was plenty of hustle. The teams combined for 13 held balls, nine lead changes and seven ties through three quarters.

“We played well,” Lakeland coach Steve Seymour said. “I told the girls afterwards that it was a couple of teams standing toe to toe. We blinked first and they had a couple of girls step up and play well. We didn’t respond at the end.”

Lakeland 10 14 5 3 - 32

Bonners Ferry 11 11 7 16 - 45

LAKELAND - Foldvik 5, Douglas 3, Campbell 2, Waller 2, Egbert 2, Duvall 10, Berger 8.

BONNERS FERRY - Walter 3, Day 0, Ashby 0, Stolley 0, Maas 0, Braniff 7, Carey 6, Paulson 27, D. Robertson 2, Bateman 0, J. Robertson 0.

Moscow 76, Priest River 41

The Bears made 10 of 14 shots from the field in the first quarter, and posts Courtney Goetz and Amber Matthews each made all four of their shots.

The result was a 21-5 Moscow lead.

The 16-point margin stood at halftime (35-19), and the Bears came out in the third quarter and were torrid from the field again. They made 11 of 15 shots.

A 3-pointer by Leisha Bonine extended the Bears’ lead to 62-29 late in the third quarter.

Moscow 21 14 27 14 - 76

Priest River 7 12 10 12 - 41

MOSCOW - Allen 15, T.Goetz 9, Bonine 10, Lathen 3, A. Thomas 0, Thornton 0, Workman 2, Matthews 17, Davidson 2, C.Goetz 16, Prisbrey 0, S.Thomas 0, Hawley 2, Sorbel 0, Mosman 0.

PRIEST RIVER - Troudt 0, Cook 7, Duley 5, Washburn 0, Smith 2, Turner 5, Carpenter 14, Vogrig 5, Guthrie 0, Oscarson 3.

, DataTimes