Intermountain wants to stand tall
It’s a tried but true fact: Intermountain League boys basketball teams historically haven’t fared well at state.
So the records Bonners Ferry (11-11) and Kellogg (13-10) take to the State 3A tournament this week aren’t likely to strike fear in the field.
“We want to break that mold of going down there and losing the first game,” first-year Bonners Ferry coach Gordy Allured said.
The IML teams will be out to prove that records and history mean nothing when state begins Thursday at Meridian High School. League and District I champ Bonners Ferry faces District V play-in qualifier Marsh Valley (16-7) at 2 PST while Kellogg meets District V champ Snake River (19-3) at 7.
BF had one of the most difficult non-conference schedules of any state qualifier, regardless of classification. The Badgers opened the year with five straight losses to Inland Empire League 4A teams Sandpoint (59-26), Lakeland (72-46), Post Falls (82-33), Moscow (48-21) and 5A Lewiston (91-58). They later endured one more loss each to Post Falls (92-52) and Moscow (69-44), and one to 5A Coeur d’Alene (56-53 in overtime).
“I’ll put our schedule up against anybody in the state,” Allured said. “We could have played some patsies, but it wouldn’t have done us any good. If we’d played a schedule against teams of our caliber or lower, we could have been 18-4, 19-3 or 17-5, but we wouldn’t have gained the experience on how to compete by playing lesser teams.”
Allured was concerned the lopsided setbacks could affect his team’s psyche. But the Badgers never waned in their effort.
“One example was we were down by 40 points against Post Falls and they’re diving for a loose ball with 3 seconds left,” Allured said. “It was a matter of playing against bigger and faster kids and better teams. It showed us how hard you have to work.”
What didn’t break the Badgers may have prepared them for stretches of adversity at state.
It certainly primed BF for league. The Badgers captured the title with a 7-1 record and followed it up with their first district championship since 1975. Senior guard Bryan Cossairt was named player of the year and junior forward Matt Rice was named first-team all-league.
Allured credits defense to carrying BF through league and district.
“We don’t score that much, but we can play defense and rebound,” Allured said.
The Badgers had more losses than wins until their 48-39 win over Kellogg in the district title game. BF has won five straight to even its record at .500 for the first time this season.
“It’s a matter of who brings it and who has the biggest heart,” Allured said. “We’re not going to state just to go to state. We want to make an effort and make a statement for our town and for our school.
“We have an opportunity in front of us. I think we’ll be overlooked because of our record. Teams might think we must have slid in the back door somehow. But (opponents) have to bring their game too. Even if the score is 80-30 and we get beat, they’re going to know they’ve been in a game. The kids don’t give up.”
Third-year Kellogg coach Jeremy Bergquist is taking his first team to state. The Wildcats finished third in league, earning the trip to state with a 64-47 win over second-seeded Priest River.
The Wildcats are banking their hopes on a deep bench and defense. No player averages in double figures.
“Every one of the 11 players has started at least once,” Bergquist said. “I could see where both Bonners Ferry and us could be overlooked at state. But I’ll never count these kids out. We take pride in defense.”