PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Bonners Ferry clinches back-to-back state titles with convincing win over Snake River

Bonners Ferry 65, Snake River 51

NAMPA — This team will be remembered for a long time coming.

Senior Asher Williams scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the first quarter, senior Thomas Bateman added 17 points and a team-high three steals and the No. 1 Badgers led for 30 of 32 minutes, defeating the No. 2 Panthers to capture back-to-back 4A (previously 3A) State Championship titles on Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.

“We’ve been working for this our whole lives,” said Asher Williams, who has signed with NAIA Montana Tech in Butte, Mont. “Us seniors have been playing together since we were in third grade. It was a great win to get them by 14 points.”

Bateman concurred with Williams.

“We’ve been grinding for this moment for a long time,” Bonners Ferry High senior Thomas Bateman said. “It felt really nice to have it end with a championship. It really felt like we did a good job of adjusting to them.”  

Senior Brody Rice had 13 points, which included half of Bonners Ferry's 12 points in the fourth quarter, and senior Eli Blackmore drained three 3-pointers for all nine of his points off the bench for the Badgers, which led 42-27 at intermission. Sophomore Peyton Hinthorn tied Bateman for a team-high five rebounds and Rice for a team-high four assists.

Snake River High senior Dawson Jackman, who had 16 points, including two 3-pointers and a game-high four steals, opened the game with a trey. 

From there on, it was all Badgers.

Tied 10-10 with roughly three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Bonners Ferry put together a 13-2 run capped off by a 4-point play by Williams and the Badgers took a 23-14 lead after one quarter of play.

Early in the second quarter, Bateman, who found nylon twice from three 3-point range, hit a corner trey to extend the lead to 28-18; he then stole a pass for a fastbreak layup after some great defense to put Bonners Ferry up 37-23 with 2:45 remaining in the half. After a steal by junior Sulay Abubakari with under 10 seconds to go, Bateman cleaned up his teammates miss to put Bonners Ferry up by 15 points heading into halftime.

Blackmore hit his third 3-point bucket of the game with roughly five minutes remaining in the third quarter to push the Badgers to a 47-31 lead, their largest of the game.

Senior Marcus Coombs netted a team-high 21 points and six rebounds for Snake River, which cut the deficit to 55-45 after a 7-2 run capped off by a Bowman 3-pointer, but it would be the closest the Panthers would get.

“Bonners Ferry is a big, athletic team,” said Snake River head coach Robert Coombs, in his 32nd season. “You’ve got to give them credit. That’s a great group of kids. They were a little more aggressive about executing down the stretch. They’re a really good team and deserve this. You’ve got to give them credit. They played really well. Anytime you give up 65 points in a game, it’s not going to go well.”

Late in the fourth, Rice finished two up-and-under scores while fighting through contact on back-to-back possessions, which all but sealed the deal as Bonners Ferry led 63-51 with 1:50 remaining in the contest. Bateman hit the final Badgers basket with just over a minute to go, getting bumped on a fadeaway, off-balance floater in the key.

Overall, the Badgers shot 24-for-41 from the field (58.5%), including 6-for-11 (54.5%) from beyond the arc and were 11-for-14 from the free throw line (78.6%).

Bonners Ferry finishes the season with a 24-1 record and won all three of their games at the 4A State Championship tournament by an average of 15.33 points per game. Described as a legendary team by many, and with a senior class that will go down in history, coach Williams, who now holds a 90-26 career record, showed his thanks to "Badger Nation" in his postgame speech.

"First of all, Snake River, great job, great season and great coaching staff," coach Williams said. "Thank you, Dairy West, for everything you do for this tournament, creating memories for these boys. Our high school principal, Lisa Iverson, thank you for all your support over the years. Thanks to all my friends and family throughout the last five years coaching here — it has been remarkable."

Williams then went on to thank his coaching staff, which includes Jed Bateman, Greg Kissee and Josh Hawks, and thanked the families that have trusted him with their son's over the last 10 years.

"Being coached by the same guy for 10 years can be challenging," he said. "Your support of me and your love for this team will always be remembered. To my players, playing for three state championships in three years, it's not easy. You guys grinded, you showed effort every single day in practice and it was remarkable. Your tenacity, faith in me, faith in the process, and love for each other is a joy to be around... thank you to Badger Nation; it's been a great ride."

Williams said that going out on top was really huge and that he's guessing at this time next year, he'll be watching college basketball somewhere.

“It really comes down to building a legacy,” said Williams, whose team finished runner-up in 2023. “Maybe in 10 or 20 years, they’re going to be coaches one day and I just want them to remember those moments and the effort that it took to make this happen. They’ve been going at it for years. My job is to stretch them mentally and physically, and I played college basketball for four years, and they’re much smarter than I am. They worked hard and built this.”

Snake River 14 13 11 13 — 51

Bonners Ferry 23 19 11 12 — 65

PTS: BF — Williams 24, Bateman 17, Rice 13, Blackmore 9, Hinthorn 2. SR — Coombs 21, Jackman 16, Anderson 4, Mortensen 4, Howard 4, Driscoll 2.

REB: BF — Bateman 5, Hinthorn 5, Rice 3, Blackmore 3, Williams 2, Abubakari 1. SR — Coombs 6, Howard 3, Mortensen 2, Anderson 2, Driscoll 2, Jackman 1, Trejo 1.

AST: BF — Rice 4, Hinthorn 4, Williams 3, Bateman 3, Blackmore 1. SR — Anderson 2, Jackman 2, Coombs 2, Mortimer 1, Driscoll 1, Howard 1.

STL: BF — Bateman 3, Hinthorn 2, Williams 1, Rice 1, Abubakari 1. SR — Jackman 4, Coombs 1.

BLK: BF — None. SR — Mortensen 1.

    Bonners Ferry High senior Brody Rice finishes one of his multiple up-and-under layups while contested by 6-foot 9-inch Snake River High sophomore Bridjer Howard
  

    Bonners Ferry High senior Thomas Bateman puts up one of his signature jump-hook shots while guarded by 6-foot 9-inch Snake River High sophomore Bridjer Howard.
  

    The Bonners Ferry High boys basketball team celebrates after winning the 2025 4A State Championship with a 65-51 win over Snake River. Back row, from left, are assistant coach Jed Bateman, head coach Nathan Williams, Peyton Hinthorn, Ivaan Cartwright, Sulay Abubakari, Asher Williams, Thomas Bateman, Micah Thomson, Brody Rice, Conrad Hiatt, assistant coach Josh Hawks and assistant coach Greg Kissee. Front row, from left are Jameson Cartwright-Kissee, Eli Blackmore, Myles Stanger and Ty Schrock.
  

    The Bonners Ferry High student section cheers loudly and proudly during Saturday's 4A State Championship match held Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.