Bonners Ferry 62, Gooding 60 

What a basketball game. Full of chaos, confusion and terrific displays, the Bonners Ferry Badgers prevailed and will play in the state semifinals against top-ranked Teton on March 6 at 5 p.m. MST, 4 p.m. PST. 

Facing the Gooding Senators, the quarterfinal was a matchup of two different play styles. The Badgers used their size and three-point prowess to score, while the Senators played the game with tight defense, high-percentage shots and transition play. Bonners Ferry made nine three-pointers, while Gooding made two. Conversely, the Badgers were outscored 34-16 in the paint. 

There were six lead changes during the game, which was still in the balance with less than a second left. Bonners Ferry, as they have throughout the second half of the season, found a way to win. 

The start of the game was all Bonners Ferry, who opened with a 10-0 run to shock their opponents, courtesy of two identical shots in the corner from Jameson Cartwright-Kissee that gave him a team-high six points for the quarter. 

However, the Senators fought back and by the end of the first quarter the score was 14-10 Bonners Ferry.

The second quarter was a higher scoring period, with Gooding at one point taking the lead, before the half ended with the Badgers up 29-27. Ty Schrock stamped his authority on the game in this quarter, in which he scored nine of his 18 total points. 

After the break, Bonners Ferry would have hoped for a quick start to extend their lead. That did not happen, with Senators jumping out to a lead that would grow to as much as eight points as part of a 14-3 run.  

Just when the game looked out of reach, the Badgers started to score again, with Sulay Abubakari and Schrock having seven and six points respectively in the third quarter. With eight minutes left, Gooding led 49-44. 

Head Coach Greg Kissee credited Gooding but said his players handled the pressure well in the fourth. 

“They're a scrappy team,” Kissee said. “They're tough. We knew that. I thought Sulay came out in the fourth quarter and he hit some big shots for us.”

“Peyton and Sulay both made some big free throws for us. We played tough defense. We were picking them up. Shrock played really good defense.”   

In the final period, Sulay Abubakari stepped up. A swished three-pointer in the quarter’s opening seconds cut the deficit to two. Shortly after, he made a free throw. A minute later, Abubakari made two shots from behind the arc while being guarded closely to give the Badgers a five-point lead with five minutes to go. They would not trail again. 

Three quick points from Gooding made the score 56-54 in favor of Bonners Ferry before a long two from Ty Schrock with two minutes left gave the Badgers some cushion. 

After free throws from the Senators, Peyton Hinthorn fired a quick pass to Micah Thomson, who couldn’t finish off the layup. However, Cartwright-Kissee grabbed the loose ball and the ball stayed with Bonners Ferry. Hinthorn then made a tough bank shot from a beautiful Cartwright-Kissee pass, which would be the last shot the Badgers scored. 

A series of free-throw shots occurred, which gave the Senators the ball down just two points with 12 seconds left. Schrock put enough pressure on the opposition ball handler to induce a wild shot, which hit the game clock above the backboard with 0.4 seconds left. After a heave down the court, the game was over. 

Kissee shared his thoughts after the final buzzer sounded.  

“I was just grateful for my team,” Kissee said. “They played hard and never gave up, just kept with it. We were pretty happy as a team. 

The Badgers will play back-to-back days, something they have not done this season.

“We're going to keep doing what we've been doing, but they've definitely been hydrating, eating good and getting rest,” Kissee said. “We've talked about how important it is to take care of yourself. We’ll be ready to go tonight.” 

Teton, who defeated Filer in the quarterfinal, are 21-5 on the season. They are ranked 12 in Idaho. 

Bonners Ferry 14 15 15 18 — 62 

Gooding 10 17 22 11 — 60 

PTS: Abubakari 21, Schrock 18, Hinthorn 12, Cartwright-Kissee 9, Thomson 2 

REB: Abubakari 9, Hinthorn 8, Schrock 6, Cartwright-Kissee 3, Thomson 2

AST: Hinthorn 5, Schrock 2, Abubakari 1 

STL: Allred 1 

3PT: Abubakari 4, Cartwright-Kissee 3, Schrock 2