Spartans rip Badgers

SPIRIT LAKE — Shooters keep shooting, so Priest River sophomore Lacy Hopkins kept firing away in the championship game of the 3A District 1 girls basketball tournament Wednesday night at Timberlake High.

Hopkins hit four of her five 3-point baskets in the second half and finished with a career-high 22 points as the Spartans drilled the top-seeded Bonners Ferry Badgers 65-43 to advance to the state tournament starting next Thursday at Bishop Kelly High in Boise.

"That was by far my best game shooting," said Hopkins, one of three sophomores who started last year on a Spartan team that also won the district title. "I was so excited, I tried so hard on defense after that."

Priest River (13-9) opens state at 12:15 p.m. PST against the winner of a Saturday play-in game between the runners-up of District 4 and District 5.

Bonners Ferry (15-6) plays Kellogg (11-11) tonight at 7 at Timberlake in a loser-out game. The winner plays the District 3 runner-up on Saturday at Craigmont in a state play-in game.

Priest River 10 12 23 20 — 65

Bonners Ferry 11 10 9 13 — 43

PRIEST RIVER — Smith 5, Clark 14, Hopkins 22, Hatfield 2, Karkoski 0, Salesky 0, Hirst 5, Yount 5, J. Willig 6, Schanilec 4, S. Willig 2.

BONNERS FERRY — Lowther 14, Schirado 2, Robertson 10, Patzer 0, Morman 5, Kerby 2, Youngwirth 5, Poston 4, Aitken 1.