Locally: Idaho picks up grad transfer Noland Bertain from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Noland Bertain, a 6-foot-4 guard from Portland, Oregon, who played the last two years at Texas A&M – Corpus Christi after starting his career at Casper (Wyoming) Junior College, has signed with Idaho men’s basketball as a graduate transfer.

As a senior he started 17 of the 24 games in which he played for the Islanders, averaging 8.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg and shot 43.2% on 3-pointers, making a team-high 48.

Bowling

Jovan Mercado and Kyle Groves, whose head-to-head battles during the Spokane Junior Bowlers Tour season were captivating, both collected awards when the pandemic-impacted season wound up April 11 at Lilac Lanes.

Mercado, from Omak, Washington, qualified first and won the expanded-format season finale, beating a red-hot Calvin Ruffner 270-142 for the title.

Groves won the season-long JBT All-Stars points competition. Michael Bushyeager was second, Mercado third, Spencer Au fourth and Logenn Storer fifth. Mercado had the high season average, a 231. Maliya Asadi led the girls with a 176 average.

Groves had qualified second in the finale but was dispatched by Ruffner, who was completing a 704 three-game series in the five-person roll-offs, and wound up finishing third. Cameron Comer finished fourth and Au was fifth.

Mercado had high game (270), high average (235) and high five-game series (1,169) in the finale. Macey Schultz led the girls with a 912 series and 170 average and Tatum Piper had high game (210).

Golf

PGA professional Billy Bomar of Prairie Falls Golf Club in Post Falls and amateur partner Mike Kerns of Kent, Washington, tied for first in the four-ball competition at the 2021 Pacific Northwest PGA Senior Players’ Championship last week at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla.

The teams matched 9-under-par 135s for 36 holes. Pro Mike DeLong and amateur Bob Christensen of the Coeur d’Alene Resort were in a two-way tie for seventh at 137 and pro Craig Schuh and amateur James Richards from Deer Park were in an eight-way tie for ninth at 138.

Bomar shot 2-over 146 to tie for sixth in the Senior Players’ Championship and lead area golfers in the main event. Christensen was the leading area amateur, tying for 19th overall and 10th in the amateur category, at 250.

Amateur Mike Swingle from Falls City, Wash., won the championship by a stroke in the 133-player field, shooting 2-under 142.

Miscellany

Randy Boswell, in his 28th year as North Idaho College’s certified athletic trainer, has been inducted into the National Junior College Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a contributor.

Boswell has worked at the last 28 NJCAA Wrestling Tournaments, serving as the head trainer at the 2011 and 2014 championships. NIC won team titles in 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2013. In addition, he has worked closely with USA Wrestling at events throughout the world.