Priest River, Bonners Ferry take their shots

There were two ways Intermountain League girls basketball teams could have qualified for state. As far as Priest River was concerned, however, there was just one route to state. The Spartans wanted nothing less than the District I championship.

Not because they wanted the biggest trophy. The Spartans wanted to avoid a matchup with undefeated defending state champion Marsh Valley. Such a date went to the district runner-up.

“Our focus when we went into district was a district title,” PR coach Marty Landry said. “We didn’t want to be No. 2 seed to state. We knew the potential matchup.”

Bonners Ferry, as district runner-up, draws that matchup. The Badgers (12-9) will face Marsh Valley (20-0) when the State 3A tourney tips off this afternoon at Kuna High School. Tipoff in the final game of the opening day is at 7 p.m.

PR (13-9) will meet Shelley (13-14), a play-in qualifier, at 2. The Spartans beat Shelley 50-47 in a state opener last year.

The unenviable matchup doesn’t have the Badgers concerned.

“Our goal was just to get to state,” Badgers coach Travis Hinthorn said. “Anything now is just icing on the cake.”

Hinthorn would have no problem with a loss if his team plays as well as it can. In fact, he knows his Badgers could play up to potential but fall short of challenging Marsh Valley.

“We’re not going to put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Hinthorn said.

Marsh Valley brings a 35-game winning streak to state.

“All the pressure’s on them,” Hinthorn said. “We just want to make it as light and relaxed as possible. We’re pretty happy with where we are now, but our season’s not done yet.”

PR isn’t just satisfied with qualifying, however.

The Spartans know how close they came to capturing a state title a year ago. They’d like to secure another Saturday afternoon date in the Idaho Center in Nampa.

Landry took over for Jamie Pancho, who took a floundering program and built it into a consistent state qualifier.

It took Landry and the Spartans a third of the season to start meshing. PR opened with five straight losses; only one defeat which was relatively close. They were 3-7 at the midway point, but they’ve rebounded to win 10 of their last 12.

“I’m a little different than Jamie,” Landry said. “I’m more intense, whereas he had more of a gentle touch. But our expectations are similar.”

The Spartans open against a team that has averaged 31 points its last three games and struggled most of the season on offense.

Landry expects his team will play well.

“They’ve come ready to practice every day,” Landry said. “They’ve played well in the big games, and I don’t expect anything different at state.”