Badger JV dominates Wildcats
—Photo by MIKE WELAND<br>Badger Derek Deitz gets ready to thread the needle to lead his team to a decisive win over Kellogg Thursday night.
By Mike Weland
For the Herald
The Badger JV boys wasted no time Thursday night asserting dominance over visiting Kellogg, putting up 14 points before giving the Wildcats a chance to answer, then tacking on another 12 unanswered points before the first quarter ended.
As lopsided as the first quarter score was, the next two quarters turned it into a game, with Kellogg outscoring Bonners Ferry 23-34 before the Badgers closed the match in fine style to win with a score of 72-49.
Miguel Mendez, who finished with a game-high of 19 points, opened the game with the first bucket, followed by Aaron Hoisington who landed two of two from the charity stripe. Casey Nelson found his first bucket with a trey, then landed a deuce, meanwhile, Jacob Parker landed a deuce and Nelson lobbed another trey before Kellogg's Cody Lewis finally put two marks on his team's side of the board.
Sadly for Kellogg, Mendez then put up six more points in a row, while Derek Dietz and Colton Watt found their range, adding six more to give the Badgers a seemingly overwhelming 26-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Then the fight started with Kellogg's Cyle Hanan lobbing a trey to open the second quarter. Carey Reynolds answered right back with the same for the Badgers to launch a three-point shootout. Kyle Kenser put up a Wildcat trey, Reynolds landed another one. After some tussling, Trevor Koberstein launched a trey and then the battle settled down momentarily.
At the half, the Badgers led 39-22. Kellogg opened the third quarter with two from Hanan, but Mendez was perfect in two from the stripe.
Wildcats Jesse Kaganse and Kenser hit back to back and Deitz went to the line for two for the Badgers, missed both, but snagged his own rebound and laid in a deuce.
The fourth quarter started with the Badger lead trimmed to 13 points, 49-36, but the Badgers went on a shooting spree, outscoring Kellogg 23-13 in the final quarter to win, 72-49.
Badger coach Clint Arthur cited the hard work and drive of Miguel Mendez as being key to the win, thanks to his stout defense and hot-handed fast break offense, but Miguel didn't do it alone, he only capitalized on his team's effort. What won the game, truly, was that these young Badger boys we're having fun.