Timberlake 46

Bonners Ferry 43

SPIRIT LAKE — Sophomore Payton Young scored 14 points and the host Tigers came out strong, then held off the Badgers to square their best-of-3 series for the 3A District 1 title.

Timberlake (15-5) will play host to Bonners Ferry (10-8) tonight at 6, with the winner headed to state and the losers’ season over.

“It was a must-win game, and the girls found a way to get the win,” Timberlake coach Matt Miller said. 

Kursten McKellips added 10 points for Timberlake, which jumped out to a 17-9 first-quarter lead. Bonners Ferry freshman Taren Bateman picked up three quick fouls and sat most of the first half, but the Badgers rallied to tie it at 25 at the half.

Timberlake held a slim lead in the fourth quarter, before Brooke Petesch sank a 3-pointer to pull the Badgers within 44-43 with some 2 minutes left.

Bonners, which won Game 1 55-53 on Monday, missed a potential go-ahead layup in the final minute, and Marissa Needs sank two free throws for Timberlake with 12.4 seconds left.

“We came out in the first quarter and played well and with a lot of energy,” Miller said. “It wasn’t a pretty game for either team; both teams fought hard. We made enough free throws at the end to pull it out.”

Bonners Ferry     9    16    10    8    —    43

Timberlake    17    8    13    8    —    46

BONNERS FERRY — Petesch 5, Kimball 2, Baisden 5, Pluid 12, Bateman 8, Abubakari 8, Hiatt 3.

TIMBERLAKE — Dickinson 0, Young 14, Nelson 7, MacArthur 4, Simpson 6, Needs 5, McKellips 10.