The Bonners Ferry High School girls varsity basketball team lost their first game of the season to St. Maries on Thursday, Nov. 17. The final score was 34-66.

This loss brings their overall record to 0-1.

The lady Badgers were simply undergunned in Thursday night’s game against the Lumberjacks. According to head coach Rich Feickert, they only had six players during the first half, only two of which were starters. Both of the team’s point guards were either sick or injured. Feickert, who says, “we were on our heels most of the game,” explains that he had to move two players up from the junior varsity team just so he could substitute players during the game.

Feickert moved to Bonners Ferry from Virginia last year and this is his first year as the lady Badgers’ head coach.

The first-year coach knew about these shortcomings beforehand, so he spoke with the opposing team hoping they would reschedule for a later date. When St. Maries said they were unable to do so, he knew it was going to be a tough game.

The short-stacked Bonners Ferry team was outscored by a large margin in every quarter except the second, when both teams scored 16 points. By the fourth quarter, however, the Badgers were completely out of gas — they only scored three points to the Lumberjacks’ 15.

According to St. Maries’ head coach Jay Sines, “Bonners Ferry got the shots they wanted in the second half, but just weren’t making them.”

Poor shooting was a factor for the Badgers, but so was sloppy ball-handling. The Lumberjacks defense certainly capitalized on the Badgers’ lack of a point guard. They had 17 steals as a team and this defensive pressure allowed them to maintain a strong lead from the first quarter on.

Skeen led the Badgers in scoring with 12 points. Donn scored 10 points and Webster was responsible for four points of her own. Cowley, Pluid, Spangler and Mullerschoen also contributed with two points apiece.

The Bonners Ferry team’s will travel to Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 29 to take on Newport. Feickert hopes to have more of his starting players healthy and ready to play by that date.