Seventh heaven for Badgers
MERIDIAN, Idaho – The number seven is a boon for some and a bust for others. The seventh meeting in two seasons between Intermountain Conference league members Bonners Ferry and Kellogg turned out to be beneficial for the Badgers.
And the Wildcats were left with broken hearts after Friday’s 60-44 loss to Bonners Ferry in an elimination game of the State 3A boys basketball tournament.
“It’s about seven seniors, and it’s their last game,” Kellogg coach Kieth Finkbeiner said after a long postgame meeting from which many players emerged with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
“They put a lot of work into the season, and they put a lot of time into the season. And they gave it everything they’ve got, especially in the last three games.”
Kellogg ended its season with a 17-9 record after the seventh consecutive loss to Bonners Ferry stretching back to the 2004-05 season. Bonners Ferry takes a 17-7 record into an 8:15 a.m. PST consolation final today at Meridian High School against Buhl, which came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Fruitland 66-54 during the afternoon.
“It’s nice to maybe get a trophy back to North Idaho,” Badgers coach Gordon Allured said, alluding to the fact that, no matter the outcome of the consolation semifinal, a District I team would have a shot at state hardware.
“(The Wildcats are) a great bunch of kids, and they have a great coach.”
Spenser Behrens isn’t such a bad kid, either. The Badgers’ leading scorer and rebounder served as the skipper for Bonners Ferry’s cruise to a victory. The 6-foot-2 junior guard scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Badgers expanded a 32-26 halftime lead with a 15-2 run. At one point over the second and third periods, Bonners Ferry scored 10 consecutive points.
“It’s just one of those games where the hoop feels like it’s 10 feet around and everything goes in,” Behrens said. “You can let the game come to you instead of forcing it.”
Behrens poured in eight of his team’s last 10 points in the third quarter as Bonners Ferry marched into the final period with a 57-37 lead. He finished with 21 points and nine rebounds.
“When he gets on a run, he’s hard to stop,” Allured said. “He’s a good player. He’s grown up a lot in the last year. He keeps his head in the game. “He has more desire to win (than) any of the players I’ve coached.”
That drive spread to the rest of Bonners Ferry’s starters, who – according to Behrens – vowed to make amends for a poor rebounding performance in Thursday’s opener against Snake River. The Badgers held a 23-14 edge on Kellogg’s glass.
“Everybody – all five guys – came together as a team and boxed out,” Behrens said. “There was no (Kellogg) man open to get a rebound.”
Bonners Ferry’s rebounding only compounded Kellogg’s frustration. The Wildcats went the game’s first 3:37 without a point, and the Badgers converted turnovers and defensive rebounds into an 8-0 start that stretched to an 18-4 advantage on Behrens’ 3-pointer with 1:26 left in the period.
“Offensively, we just couldn’t get anything going,” Finkbeiner said. “They picked us up with a full-court press, and that full-court press affected us.”