Moscow, Kellogg Roll Into Title Contest

A-2 District II basketball

Moscow and Kellogg steamed into the boys A-2 District I-II championship game, but they didn’t take any chances along the way.

Moscow coach Don Dudley called a timeout with 1:16 left leading by 29 points.

“I expect the group on the floor to execute and not just throw the thing around,” Dudley explained after the top-seeded Bears blitzed Bonners Ferry 73-38 Thursday at Lake City High.

Third-seeded Kellogg, like Moscow, built a double-digit lead early, but couldn’t finish off St. Maries.

After a 15-point halftime lead quickly melted to 11, Kellogg coach Tony Kerfoot called timeout and informed his players - at ear-piercing volume - to clean up their act.

“We haven’t had too many big leads and it showed,” Kerfoot said following his Wildcats’ 62-51 win. “We didn’t do some things we should have done.”

Thursday’s results set up a title showdown between the Intermountain League’s hottest teams. The Bears (16-4) and Wildcats (14-8) meet at 7:30 tonight at Lake City.

“It looks like they’re playing well and we are, too,” said Dudley, whose Bears split with Kellogg during the regular season.

No. 4 Bonners Ferry (10-12) and St. Maries (14-7) play a loser-out contest at 6.

Moscow 73, Bonners Ferry 38

Bonners Ferry wilted under the Bears’ man-to-man defense, committing 30 turnovers - 18 in the first half.

The Badgers had just one field goal in the first quarter. Meanwhile, seven Bears scored and 11 played as Moscow zipped in front 17-5.

The Badgers opened the second quarter with five straight turnovers, including consecutive 10-second calls in the backcourt.

Moscow stretched its lead to 17 at half. Senior guard Kirby Brown connected on eight of his team-high 17 points in the third quarter as the Bears led by as many as 27.

Twelve Bears eventually cracked the scoring column.

Bonners Ferry senior Steve Merrill scored 12 points, but the Badgers were never in sync offensively.

Bonners Ferry 5 10 13 10 - 38

Moscow 17 15 19 22 - 73

BONNERS FERRY - Winey 2, Bateman 4, Blanford 4, Zimmerman 5, Merrill 12, Rice 3, Baker 6, Kucherry 2.

MOSCOW - Brown 17, Reynolds 8, Cosgrove 7, Comstock 6, Shupe 4, Rinaldi 6, Westberg 10, Williams 6, Gilmore 1, Busch 4, Nielson 2, Walker 4.

Kellogg 62, St. Maries 51

The Wildcats, who lost twice to St. Maries during the regular season, were clearly the aggressor early. The Lumberjacks didn’t score until 2:50 remained in the first quarter.

“We weren’t ready,” Lumberjacks coach Todd Bitterman said. “There wasn’t a lot of intensity getting off the bus.”

Casey Marek hit three straight baskets as the Wildcats moved on top 18-6. Marek equaled his career high of 30 points, including nine free throws in the fourth quarter that blunted St. Maries’ comeback.

“We’re playing as a team finally,” said Marek, whose points made for an improvised birthday gift to his grandfather, who turned 73 Thursday.

Kellogg’s only adjustment from the previous games was double-teaming Lumberjacks forward Mark Raebel, Bitterman said.

Raebel still managed 22 points, rattling in three fourth-quarter 3-pointers to trim Kellogg’s lead to seven.

Kellogg 11 18 10 23 - 62

St. Maries 4 10 13 24 - 51

KELLOGG - Lewis 8, Mangum 2, C. Marek 30, Vetten 5, Carlson 1, Bircher 4, Oertli 2, Blalack 6, H. Marek 4.

ST. MARIES - Krebs 6, Duffey 4, D.J. Eberlin 4, Driggs 7, M. Raebel 22, Stevenson 6, Willard 2.

, DataTimes