Lady Badgers outlast Priest River, advance to District title game

Bonners Ferry 46, Priest River 33: The Badgers took the fight to the Spartans from the start, but nearly paid for it with foul trouble and 16 turnovers in the first half.

But Bonners opened up a 21-13 halftime lead, and outscored Priest River 17-8 in the third to open up a 17-point lead.

The Spartans pulled to within eight midway through the final quarter, but Kerstin Oxford’s steal and basket for Bonners with 2:46 remaining — the Badgers’ first points of the quarter — stopped the Spartan run and the Badgers regained control the rest of the way.

Bonners lost to Priest River by 11 and 2 points in league play. In the second meeting, at Priest River, the teams were tied in the waning seconds when a Badger foul led to the Spartans’ winning free throws.

“I asked the kids to play real hard man-to-man defense,” said Cowley, who took over as Badgers coach in January when Chris Chatburn resigned. “We turned them over quite a few times, and got a few easy ones.”

Sophomores Kassy Skeen and Miranda Wenk each scored 16 points for Bonners Ferry, which cut its turnovers in the second half down to nine.

Junior Avery Summers had 10 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals for Priest River, which shot just 11 for 51 from the field.

Bonners Ferry 12 9 17 8 — 46

Priest River 6 7 8 12 — 33

BONNERS FERRY — Skeen 16, Oxford 5, Spangler 2, Wenk 16, Coughlin 2, Bateman 0, Donn 1, Webster 0, Golder 4.

PRIEST RIVER — Hurd 0, Wilson 3, Gamma 2, Summers 10, Krampert 4, Huntley 0, Carey 7, Akre 6, DeMent 1, Pettit 0.