Lady Badgers take down Jaguars

The Lady Badgers basketball team won its second game in a row on Thursday, Jan. 5, beating Genesis Prep at home 47-40.

It was a big night for the girls from Bonners Ferry, who showed a lot of grit and determination by simply out-hustling the visiting Jaguars. They trailed for most of the game, but stayed right on the Jaguars heels until the final quarter when they took control of the court.

As Bonners Ferry’s head coach Rich Feickert admitted before the game began, his team was at a disadvantage being, in his words, “vertically challenged”. Both of the team’s centers, Miranda Wenk and Jerzie Pluid, were on the bench recovering from injuries, and this difference in height was even more pronounced by the Jaguars’ starting center, Bella Murekatete, who is a lanky and athletic 6’ 4”.

Genesis began taking advantage of this height disparity right away and lobbed the ball her way at every opportunity. Murekatete, who scored 16 points in the game, also had quite a few blocks in the first half and was able to grab most of the rebounds that came her way.

While the Badgers didn’t score many points in the second quarter — they still trailed by four at half — their dogged persistence was starting to take a toll on the Jaguars. Scrambling for loose balls and fighting for every rebound, the home team was clearly the scrappier of the two.

The Bonners Ferry team turned up the hustle a notch in the second half, during which they outscored the Jags 27-16. They took the lead for the first time about halfway through the third quarter.

That lead change can be attributed, in part, to the team’s relentless pressure on defense, especially by Kadi Bateman and Grace Coughlin, who were able to break up the Jaguars’ rhythm and force a number of turnovers. Strong rebounding and smart passing also helped the Badgers gain traction in the second half. The only thing holding them back at this point was an inability to finish, as they missed a number of close shots, easy layups and free throws.

While the win was most certainly a team effort, Kassy Skeen’s individual performance cannot be overstated. Skeen, who had 20 points on the night, turned into an offensive machine in the fourth quarter. Driving hard in the lane time and time again, Skeen kept finding ways to create opportunities and get to the free throw line.

Other leading scorers included Bateman with 12 points, Nicole Donn with eight points and Natasha Webster with six.

The Lady Badgers’ style of play on Thursday night can be summed up with one word: tenacious. “They were taller, but we had the bigger hearts,” Feickert told the Herald after the game.

The team’s record is now 5-4. They are scheduled to play Priest River at home on Jan. 10.