Badger boys drop games to Riverside and Lakeland

RATHDRUM — The Bonners Ferry boys basketball team is struggling after returning from the Silver Valley Tournament in Kellog minus two starters. The Badgers played at Riverside on Tuesday, Dec. 6, and lost the game in the final minute, 55-58. Four days later they were blown out by Lakeland, 53-73.

In their match-up with Riverside, the Bonners Ferry team was able to control the pace of play during the first half and they led for the majority of the game, but, in basketball, a lot can change in twenty seconds.

Just ask the Badgers’ players, who were holding onto a one-point lead with only twenty seconds left on the clock when Riverside’s Kooper Bower dropped in a layup to take the lead. Jeff Thompson was then able to knock down two free throws, giving them a one possession lead with eight seconds remaining in the game.

The Bonners Ferry offense was unable to come up with a response to this last-minute rally.

The Lakeland game on Dec. 10 was a tough loss for the Badgers, who are still trying to figure out how to fill the shoes of their two injured starters, Caleb Harrington and Brady Bateman.

Although Bonners Ferry kept up with Lakeland in the second half, with both teams scoring 23 points in the third and 15 in the fourth, it wasn’t nearly enough to get them out of the hole they dug themselves into during the first two quarters of play.

The Badgers’ point-guard Chris Sabin did everything he could to keep them in the game, including leading his team in scoring with 26 points. Seth Bateman, with 11 points, was the only other Badger to put up double digits on offense.

These two losses bring the Badgers’ overall record to 2-3.

The team will play in its first homegame of the season on Dec. 16. They will go up against Sandpoint at 6:30 p.m.