Badgers girls cruise to second, third wins

BONNERS FERRY — The Bonners Ferry High School girls basketball team handily won their second and third games of the season, sailing past Wallace 70-44 on Nov. 24 and easily beating Stillwater Christian 67-29 on Nov. 28.

The Badgers (3-0) used a dominant third quarter to pull away from Wallace after a back and forth struggle in the first half, outscoring the Miners 22-4 in the period to ice the game away.

Two high-scoring quarters saw Bonners Ferry reach the 20 point mark in each, but struggles defensively led to the Badgers carrying just a six-point advantage into halftime.

But Bonners Ferry tightened up in the third quarter, outscoring the Miners by 18 as it upped the lead to 24 points.

“We made some adjustments at halftime,” said Badgers head coach Travis Hinthorn. “And did a good job controlling them.”

Senior wing Holly Ansley had her best game of the young season, leading Bonners Ferry with 16 points while adding eight rebounds and four assists in a well-rounded performance.

Freshman forward Asha Abubakari shot 78% from the field, knocking down 7 of 9 shots and finishing with 15 points while tying Ansley for the team lead in rebounds with eight boards.

Rounding out the Badgers’ double-digit scorers was sophomore forward Kaylee Sumpter, who scored 10 points and hauled in seven rebounds. Sumpter was also an impenetrable force in the paint, rejecting four shots.

Perhaps most impressive of all is how deep Bonners Ferry is; all 10 varsity players scored at least a point.

“We are playing fast, which the players seem to enjoy,” Hinthorn said. “It’s nice when all 10 players score. We are getting a lot of players contributing.”

The Badgers’ win over Stillwater Christian looked a little different—and was less stressful.

Bonners Ferry jumped out to a quick 10-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back, winning every quarter of the game by at least five points.

This time it was Abubakari’s turn to lead the Badgers in scoring, as the freshman phenom piled up 19 points on a blistering 64% field-goal percentage, hauled in seven rebounds, dished out three assists and nabbed two steals.

“Offensively, we are looking pretty good,” Hinthorn said. “We are pushing the ball, passing well and everyone is looking to score.”

Senior guard Anna Bliss had a breakout game, scoring 14 points and knocking down two 3-pointers. Ansley had another double-digit performance, chipping in seven points, and senior guard Emma Pinkerton was a menace on the wing, racking up seven steals.

The Bonners Ferry girls basketball team will return to action on Friday, Dec. 4 when the Badgers travel to St. Maries for a 7 p.m. road game.