JV Girls Basketball

Bonners Ferry Girls Junior Varsity basketball team is having a banner year.

The team of freshmen and sophomore Lady Badgers are 14-1 overall and undefeated in the 3A Intermountain League. Their only loss was by three points to 4A Lakeland. Bonners has defeated most of its opponents by an average of 30 points, said junior varsity coach Ken Robertson.

The girls defeated 1A Wallace 56-26, Chewelah, Wash., 46-9, and 4A Moscow 48-15.

When playing Lakeland, the Lady Badgers led 20-17 at half-time but lost 45-42.

“They’re just good overall players and we have no real superstars,” Robertson said. “We just have 10 players that are very even . . . really, pretty skilled for young kids. For me, it’s easy to substitute anybody at anytime.”

Girls varsity coach Travis Hinthorn, whose Lady Badgers are 11-5 overall and tied for first with Timberlake in the league, sees promise in the program with the junior varsity team’s success.

“If they continue to work and develop — we have four seniors graduating— we will need some to step up,” Hinthorn said. “The varsity should be competitive for the next three to four years.”

Robertson has a hard time giving the glory to any one player.

“I kind of hate to do that. It’s not only one person,” he said. “It’s hard for me (to give individual praise) because that’s not what we’re about. We’re best as a team rather than individuals.”

Junior varsity team members include sophomores Miranda Stippich, Amy Andrews, Chelsea Taggart and Jessica Merz. Freshmen players are Hailey Pruitt, Cassie Wall, Amanda Riley, Jenna Gust, Jordan Porter and Kendra Neumeyer.

Sophomore Markayle Accord recently moved up to the varsity squad. She was the junior varsity’s squad’s most consistent scorer, Robertson said.

“We were playing her both varsity and junior varsity for a while,” he said.

In a recent 60-49 victory over Moscow, Wall scored 20 points and Porter added 14.

Stippich, Neumeyer and Andrews have formed a pressure defense that works.

“The three are very quick, athletic girls so we can get a lot of steals from them, which in turn creates offensive opportunities,” Robertson. “It’s been a real fun year for me. Not just the success, but the attitude; they’re fun to be around and they work hard.”

The junior varsity season ends this week. The remaining games will be at 7 p.m. today, Feb. 5, at Wallace, and at home at 3 p.m.  Friday, Feb. 6, with Orofino at Boundary County Middle School and at home 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, with St. Maries.