The Bonners Ferry girls varsity basketball team went up against rival Sandpoint on Friday, Dec. 16. Although the Badgers fought hard all game, they just couldn’t get any shots to fall. The Bulldogs, led by an athletic Grace Kirscher, put up twice as many points as the home team to win the game 46-23.

Bonners Ferry drew first blood, which was the only time they led all game. The Bulldogs gradually racked up a solid, four-point lead in the first quarter, and they continued to build on that lead throughout the rest of the game.

The Sandpoint defense was all over the Badgers, going into a full-court press almost immediately and sticking with it even when they were up by double-digits. This pressure was too much for Bonners Ferry, who had the ball stolen time and time again.

The second quarter was more of the same. Turnovers continued to plague the Bonners Ferry offense, while a couple of wide-open threes by the Bulldogs brought their lead to 12 points at halftime.

The Badgers looked even more frazzled in the second half, and while the Bulldogs didn’t score very high in the third quarter, their defense was as tenacious as ever. They continued picking the Badgers pockets, and most of these steals and intercepted passes led to fast-break opportunities.

The fourth and final quarter was a complete blowout, with the Badgers putting up zero points in eight minutes. They seemed to be suffering from “small hoop syndrome”--they just couldn’t buy a bucket. But even when they were down by nearly 20 points with only a minute left in the game, the team never showed any signs of quitting.

Miranda Wenk led the team in scoring with 11 points, and her off-the-ball play was even more impressive. She forced numerous jump balls in the game and was constantly crashing the boards and scrambling for loose balls. Kassy Skeen, who contributed four points, and Brittany Spangler also showed a lot of hustle out on the court.

Even though Bonners Ferry lost the game, bringing their overall record to 3-3, head coach Rich Feickert says he is proud of the way his team persevered and continued to create offensive opportunities. Some nights the basket just seems smaller than others.