Badgers can’t fill tall order
MIDDLETON, Idaho – Sugar-Salem gave the Bonners Ferry Badgers no breathing room in taking a 49-41 State 3A girls basketball semifinal victory at Middleton High School Friday night.
The Diggers meet Shelley for the title at the Idaho Center in Nampa at 2:50 p.m. PST today.
The Badgers (17-9) play Declo in the third-place contest at 10 a.m. PST today at Middleton. Kellogg’s 57-36 win over Filer moved the Wildcats (21-3) into the fourth-place game at 8:15 a.m. PST today against Fruitland.
Sugar-Salem 49, Bonners Ferry 41: Bonners Ferry senior Becky Lowther led all scorers with 23 points. But the Diggers defense had a player tagging along with Lowther wherever she went and draped over her back when she set up in the low or high post.
“Lowther, she is an awesome basketball player,” said Sugar-Salem coach Todd Jensen. “I knew she’d try to come in and take care of it. She’s a great leader for them. I have all the respect for her.”
Sugar-Salem also showed plenty of respect for Badgers senior post player Kaitie Poston. Whenever she went inside, Poston found herself surrounded by Diggers players as tall or taller. With constant fresh defenders (Sugar-Salem played 11 different players for 5 minutes or more) the Diggers held Poston to three points and nine hard-earned rebounds.
“We knew we had to rebound. That was going to be a key,” said Bonners Ferry coach Travis Hinthorn. “They have some height, great athletes.”
With five players standing 5-foot-10 or taller, Sugar-Salem started off with an advantage every time the basketball bounced off the rim. The Diggers led 47-35 in rebounding and used their physical edge to get Lowther, Poston and Camille Robertson in foul trouble.
“We want to attack and go right at them,” Jensen said. “We want to wear them out. We have some fairly quick posts.”
The Badgers trailed 25-21 at halftime. Their defense gave Sugar-Salem trouble, but they struggled to score in the third quarter, missing 14 of 16 shots from the floor to trail 38-29 starting the final period.
Samantha Kelly forced a Diggers turnover and hit a short jump shot at the other end to start the fourth quarter. Bonners Ferry’s press forced another turnover that led to a pair of free throws by Robertson to cut the deficit to 38-33.
But Sugar-Salem scored the next four points to put the Badgers out of range.
Kellogg 57, Filer 36: Amanda Seeling bounced back from a subpar game against Sugar-Salem to score 18 points and grab 17 rebounds in the Wildcats’ win. Steph Cantrall added 14 points and five assists and Kaela Clabretta 10 points.
The Wildcats broke open a two-point game after the first quarter to take a 30-18 lead into halftime.