Badgers into semis

MERIDIAN, Idaho – Bonners Ferry High boys basketball coach Gordy Allured has stressed that this year’s team isn’t the most talented of the three he’s taken to state in three years.

The 2007 Badgers, though, make up the best team. Bonners Ferry proved that once again Thursday as the Badgers knocked off a better group of players in the South Fremont Cougars, 67-56, in a State 3A tournament opener at Meridian High School.

“I’ve been down here three years and this is probably the best team – and I emphasize team – maybe not as much talent, but teamwise they’re great,” Allured said.

Bonners Ferry (19-4) will take on Buhl (19-4), another team possessing more individual talent position by position than the Badgers, tonight in the semifinals. Tipoff is at 5:15 PST.

In the other semifinal, Shelley (19-7) faces Snake River (15-6).

In other openers, Buhl handled Weiser 56-46; Shelley topped top-ranked Fruitland (19-4) 52-46; and two-time defending state champ Snake River edged Kimberly (15-8) 56-55.

BF 67, South Fremont 56: The Cougars returned essentially the same team from a year ago when they lost a 42-41 heartbreaker to Snake River in the title game.

It appeared the much taller Cougars would have their way with BF. At least it seemed that way in the opening 4 minutes when they built a 10-4 lead.

But the Badgers used a 10-4 spurt of their own to force a 14-14 tie at the end of the first quarter.

BF scored the first six points of the second quarter, and the Badgers didn’t look back thereafter. The smaller Badgers began weaving their way in and out among a seeming forest of taller Cougars, going on a 15-4 run to open a 39-25 lead at halftime. Sophomore reserve Miguel Mendez turned two steals in a span of eight seconds into two baskets, the final one coming at the buzzer, as the Badgers sent a stunned SF into the locker room wondering what had happened.

Senior guard Josh Hawks hit a 3-pointer to open the second half for BF, extending the lead to 42-25. The double-digit lead held up until the midway point of the fourth quarter.

SF, known for its late comebacks, threw a scare into the Badgers at that point. The Cougars used back-to-back 3-pointers to pull within 59-54 with 2:31 to go.

That’s as close as SF would come. With the Cougars forced to foul to have any hopes of making the game tighter, the Badgers made some big free throws in the final 1:47. They combined to hit 8 of 10 foul shots while the Cougars made just one basket in that stretch.

“I was a lot nervous, but I’m always nervous,” Allured said when asked about the Cougars trimming the lead to five points. “The last three minutes was a great battle.”

SF never took advantage of its size inside – especially with 6-foot-9 post Stetzon Bair taking up a lot of space. The Badgers fronted Bair frequently, limiting him to eight points.

“We just fronted the big guy and took him out of the game,” Hawks said.

Three Badgers finished in double figures. Hawks scored a team-high 16 points, Jesus Mendez had 13 and A.J. Bennett added 12. Mendez also had nine rebounds, three steals and two assists.

“These kids have a lot of confidence,” Allured said. “We’re small but we work hard (with) intensity and defense.”