First time in school history, Badgers return home with state champion

NAMPA — For the first time in school history, the Bonners Ferry boys basketball team has brought home the state title. 

With 5.7 seconds left in the championship game, and the crowd sensing what was coming, Trey Bateman walked across the free-throw lane and slapped the hand of his cousin, Thomas Bateman.

Then, Trey turned and slapped the hand of Asher Williams, standing at the foul line, who let out a smile.

At long last, the Bonners Ferry Badgers were state 3A champions in boys basketball, defeating Teton 54-47 Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center.

“It’s huge; it’s just an amazing feeling,” said Bonners junior Thomas Bateman. “And I really have to give it all to our coach. He started it when we were in third grade, and he’s been pushing us for this moment and it paid off.”

Winning the state championship is an unbelievable feeling, agreed Badger senior Trey Bateman, Thomas’ cousin. 

“We fought; we’ve earned it, we’ve done everything we can as a basketball team,” he said. “Mr. Williams (Nathan, the Bonners coach) has helped us so much throughout life and basketball. My brothers (Brady and Seth) won a state championship in baseball in 2018, and that was so huge for our community, and it showed. We are unbelievably grateful and blessed to have this state championship here.”

It’s the first state championship in boys basketball for second-seeded Bonners Ferry (22-3), the culmination of four straight trips to state under Nathan Williams in his fourth year as coach. Last year, the Badgers reached the title game for the first time in program history, losing to Sugar-Salem. This year, Sugar-Salem didn't make it to the tournament and top-seed Snake River was upended by fifth-seeded Teton (18-8) in the semifinals.

“It’s just crazy; we been working since third grade, going to Spokane, Coeur d’Alene for tournaments with this group of guys, and it’s just amazing that it finally paid off,” said junior guard Asher Williams, the reigning 3A Player of the Year, who finished with 15 points despite serious foul trouble. 

“We’ve been working with these kids since third, fourth, fifth grade, and it finally paid off,” said Nathan Williams. “The whole process has been completely amazing.”

Coming into state averaging 29 points per game, Asher Williams picked up two quick fouls in the first before picking up a third in the second quarter. Williams picked up his fourth on a charge with 3:34 left in the third quarter. He sat the rest of the quarter before playing the entire fourth quarter without fouling.

“It was breaking my heart, honestly, as a dad,” Nathan Williams said. “You’re always wearing two hats, as a coach and a dad. But I know Asher has worked his butt off his whole life to get to this moment. But when he’s out, other boys have to step up, and we had some kids step up.”

Among them were junior Brody Rice, with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists; freshman Peyton Hinthorn, with four points and three assists; senior Wyatt Smith, with a clutch 3-pointer and five points; and junior Eli Blackmore, with four points.

“It’s always a worry when Asher goes out, but we were able to handle ourselves,” Thomas Bateman said. 

The effort didn’t go unnoticed by Asher Williams. “They stepped up — just what we needed to win,” said Asher Williams.

“That was Asher’s first game in foul trouble, and it was just a shock,” said Trey Bateman. “We’re just lucky to have so many guys that can score the ball and step up.”

Bonners led by as much as 11 points in the third quarter before Asher Williams sat with his fourth. With Teton big man Tyson Brown scoring 20 of his 27 points in the second half, the Timberwolves cut the Badgers’ lead to 34-33 at the end of three.

Even after Williams returned, the teams traded the lead with Teton going up 47-44 when senior Kaiden Hastings drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with just over 4 minutes left.

Bonners Ferry called a timeout to re-group, and after the break, responded by scoring the next nine points to take control of the game. 

Rice sank two free throws, then Thomas Bateman stuck a three from the left wing with two-and-a-half minutes left to give the Badgers a lead they would never relinquish. With 25 seconds left in the game, Rice fed Asher Williams in the lane with an in-bounds pass for another bucket. Williams returned the favor, feeding Rice for the clinching layup with 25 seconds left.

“I think that Thomas’ three really changed the dynamic there,” Asher Williams said. 

“Whenever I’m open for a 3, I like to take it, but that was a big moment for me,” said Thomas Bateman. “There’s got to be a big moment, right? When I got that pass, it was like, ‘I’ve got to hit it.’”

Thomas Bateman finished with nine points and seven rebounds for Bonners Ferry. Trey Bateman had six points, nine rebounds and three assists, and it seemed like every time there was a loose ball, it was Trey Bateman who came up with it.

After taking the lead, Teton melted down in the closing minutes, a combination of missed shots and turnovers over seven straight possessions.

“I think we just ran out of gas,” said eight-year Teton coach Rob Heuseveldt. “The boys gave a tremendous effort to fight back into the game, and Bonners Ferry took care of business. Our nerves caught us at the very beginning; this is a pretty big stage. Bonners Ferry has experience playing here before, I think that helped them. They were better on defense than we anticipated. They really filled some shoes when Asher was out of the game.”

Any time you play three games in three nights, you can run out of steam, Nathan Williams said, noting the Badgers were in that same position the year before.

“Two weeks ago I was conditioning them, and I said, ‘This will pay off in two weeks.’ The boys’ hard work really paid off.

“And last year, being in that tunnel (before the title game), I was literally shaking as a coach,” Williams added. “This year, I was fine. And I think our whole team, just being there once, really made a difference.”

The Badgers returned to town with a police escort by Bonners Ferry Police Department starting at Peterson Hill. And as the bus drove past, fans lined the streets and cheered as the team made their way through town en route to the high school.

Teton 6 12 15 14 — 47

Bonners Ferry 8 16 10 20 — 54

TETON — B. Nelson 0, J. Nelson 3, Murdock 0, Hastings 13, Heuseveldt 4, Streit 0, Brown 27, Kaufman 0. Totals 19-38 5-14 47.

BONNERS FERRY — Blackmore 4, Rice 11, Smith 5, Hinthorn 4, Williams 15, Th. Bateman 9, Tr. Bateman 6. Totals 22-52 7-12 54.

Asher Williams was named the 3A all tournament MVP, with 26 points per game, shooting 55% FG, 45% 3PT and two steals per game. 

Peyton Hinthonr won the 6th Man Award, with 3.6 points per game and 2.3 assists per game. 

Thomas Bateman and Brody Rice were named to the first team. Trey Bateman was named to the second team. 

Defensive MVP: Thomas Heuseveldt, Teton,2 SPG

1st Team: Thomas Bateman, Bonners Ferry, Brody Rice, Bonners Ferry, Kasen Hammond, Kimberly, Luke Higginson, Snake River, Ty Brown, Teton.

2nd Team: Trey Bateman, Bonners Ferry, Kaden Bullock, Marsh Valley, Marcus Coombs, Snake River, Kaiden Hastings, Teton, Jack Nelson, Teton.

Honorable Mention: Kaleb Gillett, Filer, Danny Lomeli, Homedale, Parker Stringham, Kimberly, Justis Whitworth, Marsh Valley, Sam Penny, McCall-Donnelly.

March 1 Semi Finals: Bonners Ferry 64, Marsh Valley 57

MERIDIAN — Junior Asher Williams, the reigning state 3A Player of the Year, notched his second straight 30-point night, leading the second-seeded Badgers past the sixth-seeded Eagles in a semifinal game, advancing to the title game for the second straight year.

The Badgers led the entire contest, except for a one time tie early in the second quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, Bonners stretched the lead to 10, but senior Cody Dunn snagged a steal and dropped a three-pointer to bring the Eagles within one with 2:27 left. 

The Badgers pulled away again with two buckets from junior Thomas Bateman, making it 60-57.

On an inbound play, senior Trey Bateman threw a half court pass to his cousin Thomas, who was then fouled when he went for an open lay-in. An intentional foul was called, and Thomas made one-of-two free throws with 33 seconds left. 

After two jump balls, Brody Rice reclaimed possession for the Badgers. 

The Eagles fouled, sending Williams twice to the line, where he went three-of-four and rounded out the win, 64-57. 

Thomas Bateman had 15 points and six rebounds for Bonners Ferry. Williams was named Player of the Game for the second state game in a row. 

Marsh Valley 9 16 16 16 — 57

Bonners Ferry 14 21 14 15 — 64

MARSH VALLEY — Hansen 6, Dunn 7, Hadley 2, T. Whitworth 6, P. Belnap 15, K. Belnap 0, J. Whitworth 7, Bullock 14. Totals 19-44 11-14 57.

BONNERS FERRY — Blackmore 6, Rice 1, Smith 0, Hinthorn 2, Williams 31, Th. Bateman 15, Tr. Bateman 9, Abubakari 0. Totals 24-48 12-17 64.

Feb. 29, Opening Round: BF 61, Kimberly 50

MERIDIAN — Bonners Ferry boys basketball (20-3) beat Kimberly (16-9) 61-50 and advanced to the semi finals in the 3A Boys Basketball championship at Meridian High School. 

The game had seven lead changes, with Kimberly leading early on in the first quarter. Off a pass from senior Trey Bateman, junior guard Brody Rice snagged a three-point buzzer beater rounding out the first quarter and cementing a Bonners Ferry lead. 

Third quarter was much of the same as the Badgers slowly pulled away from the Bulldogs. Bonners Ferry shot, better than the first half, but still shots were not dropping. Just when Bonners pulled away for a seven point lead, Kimberly picked up the pace off a steal and three-pointer by Jakob Cummins, narrowing the Badger lead to three. 

With 2:56 left in the game, the Badgers led by 12 and slowed down possession to run the clock and won 61-50. 

Asher Williams was named IdahoSports.com Player of the Game 32 points, shooting 13 of 20, one block, two rebounds and two assists for the Badgers (20-3), who shot 48% from the field for the game and 56.5% in the second half. Williams was one of the top performers for the Day 1 of the state tournament, tying with Jaxon Vowels of 1AD1 Potlatch for most points scored in a game.

Thomas Bateman added 13 points for Bonners Ferry.

Jakob Cummins had 22 points to lead Kimberly (16-9), which shot 42.6 percent for the game.

BF: 17 11 18 15 — 61

Kimberly: 12 14 14 10 — 50

    Bonners Ferry boys basketball celebrate on the court as the win the 3A State Championship over Teton 54-47 on March 2.
  

    Badger fans cheer at the Idaho Center for the state championship game.
  

    Eli Blackmore gets a jump ball for the Bonners Ferry in the fourth quarter of the 3A State Championship against Teton on March 2.
  

    #20 Trey Bateman rushes to pick up Coach Nathan Williams as the Badgers win the 3A State Championship.
  

    Asher Williams scores a layin against Teton at the 3A State Championship. Williams was named 3A All tournament MVP, scoring 78 points in the three game tournament.
  

    Badger fans cheer during the 3A State Championship game.