Bonners Ferry rallies to upset Sandpoint
—Photo by DAC COLLINS Kaleb Stockton, who had 12 points in the game against Sandpoint, drives to the basket through traffic and gets airborne for a layup in the first quarter.
--Photo by DAC COLLINS Caleb Harrington, with the fadeaway jumper, really found his groove in the final quarter.
On Friday night, Dec. 16, the Badgers put an end to a losing streak spanning at least eight years when they came from behind to beat Sandpoint at home 66-57. It was a glorious upset, especially for Badger fans in the stands who have shown up to support the team during the annual Moose Madness rivalry game year after year, only to watch the Bulldogs win eight in a row.
This year, due to an agreement reached by both schools, there were no moose antlers on the line — just a whole lot of school pride.
With over twice the student population of Bonners Ferry High School, a 3A school, the 4A Sandpoint school has always been favored in the match-up, and if basketball games lasted only sixteen minutes, they would have walked out of Becker Auditorium as the favorite with yet another victory under their belt. But the boys on the Bonners Ferry team proved that a lot can change in the second half, and that sometimes the underdog walks out of the gym on top.
The first quarter was a fast-paced and one-sided affair, with the Bulldogs putting up 17 points to the Badgers’ seven. Sandpoint was forcing turnovers, intercepting passes and crashing the boards on both sides of the ball.
It wasn’t until the following quarter that the Badgers offense started to click. They did a better job controlling the pace of the game during those eight minutes, but the Bulldogs were still shooting well and they seemed to have a rebuttal for every bucket the Badgers scored. At one point, the Badgers sank a crucial three-pointer to cut the lead almost in half, but the Bulldogs sprinted right back down the court and made a three of their own.
By the end of the second quarter, however, it looked like the momentum was starting to swing in Bonners Ferry’s favor. Sandpoint started missing more opportunities and Bonners Ferry capitalized on those mistakes, and even though the Bulldogs were up by nine when the halftime buzzer sounded, it was the Badgers who walked into the locker room looking confident and under control.
Bonners Ferry head coach Andy Rice spoke with his team during halftime in order make some adjustments: “We talked about getting more rebounds, not giving them second and third opportunities. Our goal was to get more free throws in the second half...our team goal is always to get 20 a game, and that first half we only shot three. I just didn’t feel like we weren’t attacking enough on offense.”
The team responded well to their coach’s advice, and in the third quarter, a handful of clutch three pointers, courtesy of Seth Bateman and Caleb Harrington, got the Badgers back in the game. All of the sudden, the Badgers were right on the Bulldogs’ heels.
Bonners Ferry continued to rally, and by the end of the third quarter the tables had officially turned. The Badgers, who had been down by five or more points all game, were now in control and driving the ball right down the Bulldogs’ throats. They were hustling for loose balls, grabbing rebounds and knocking down free throws. This inspired the fans, who had been pretty quiet thus far, to get up and get loud.
When the fourth quarter began, it was as if the number of people in the bleachers had tripled. The sound of stomping feet, along with the chant “I believe that we will win”, echoed throughout the gymnasium as the quarter went on, while Bulldogs fans watched in disbelief as a fired-up Badgers team drained shot after shot.
Harrington, who is coming off a hand injry, led the team in scoring with 19 points. He had a big night, and seemed to be everywhere on offense, going backdoor for a reverse layup one play and knocking down a baseline fade-away jumper the next.
Junior point guard Chris Sabin was right behind Harrington with 18 on the night, and 13 of those points came in the fourth. Sabin did a great job managing the team offensively throughout the game, and he really caught fire in that final quarter, shooting 100 percent and going six for six at the free throw line. Knocking down all six free throws was clutch, as oftentimes its those free throws in the final stretch that mean the difference between comebacks and near-comebacks.
“I was really proud with our effort, and for us to go out and play the way we did...you know we were down by nine...I think it showed a lot about our character and grit,” Coach Rice says. “We just have to play smart,” he continued, “I think when we play smart we’re gonna be tough to beat.”
For the Badgers, playing smart means playing with patience, which translates to working the ball around the perimeter and allowing plenty of time for plays to set up. Smart plays allowed Bonners Ferry to maintain their lead in the fourth while chipping precious seconds of the clock, and they did a great job holding onto the ball: the cohesive Bonners Ferry offense only allowed one turnover during the whole second half.
This big win at home brings the Badgers’ overall record to 3-3.
The team was supposed to play St. Maries on Dec. 20, but the game was called off after schools were cancelled due to winter storms.
Their next game is against Genesis Prep on Jan. 5, and coach Rice hopes to build on their momenturm in that game and throughout the rest of the season.
“That atmosphere, and those emotions and feelings that we were experiencing after the game, I hope that sticks with the guys and keeps them motivated to keep playing that way,” Rice said.