BFHS boys open season with victories
Photos by Tanna Yeoumans The Badgers attack the basket during their second game of the season against Riverside, a 70-55 win.
Bonners Ferry defenders put pressure on the Rams’ shooters.
Photo by Tanna Yeoumans Badgers brought their A game to the court.
Photo by Tanna Yeoumans The boys tried to catch rebounds.
Photo by Tanna Yeoumans Badger boys bringing on the offense.
BONNERS FERRY — The Badgers’ boys basketball team won its first two games of the year, with victories over Stillwater Christian of Kalispell, Mont., and Riverside High School.
“I thought we played well for our first game of the year,” said coach Andy Rice after BFHS earned a 61-6 road win on Nov. 30. “We were able to put a lot of pressure on them and create transition baskets for us.”
With 24 steals throughout the game, the Badgers led 35-6 at intermission and cruised to the victory.
“Stillwater seemed to be focused on getting rotations in their offense but we were able to pressure them and force turnovers,” said Rice. “I was really proud of how hard our guys worked.”
The boys played their second game of the season against Riverside on Dec. 2, which also resulted in a win.
“We were able to get a lead early in the game and build on it throughout the game,” said Rice. ”We had a lot of hustle plays and guys being unselfish with the ball. We really attacked the rim in the second half and got them in some foul trouble.”
The Badgers shot 19-of-31 on free throws, which is a helpful stat for the team.
“Once again I was proud of how hard our guys worked, especially against some bigger guys,” said Rice.
Bonners Ferry 19 16 17 9 — 61
Stillwater 6 0 0 0 — 6
BFHS scoring: Ryan 2, Sabin 21, S. Bateman 10, Hittle 1, Stone 6, Pluid 2, Bell 2, B. Bateman 6, Winder 9.
Bonners Ferry 13 17 21 19 — 70
Riverside 4 15 19 17 — 55
Ryan 6, Sabin 15, S. Bateman 9, Hittle 8, Stone 4, Pluid 5, Bell 9, B. Bateman 11, Winder 3.