PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Bonners Ferry set to face Kimberly in state opener

4A State Tournament Opening Round Preview

BONNERS FERRY BADGERS

Record: 21-1
State seed: #1; District 1 champ
Coach: Nathan Williams, fifth year
Players to watch: G Asher Williams, sr.; G Thomas Bateman, sr.; G Brody Rice, sr.; F Sulay Abubakari, jr.
Notes: At state for fifth straight year. ... Seeking third straight state title game appearance. ... Won first state title last year with a 54-47 win over Teton. ... Ranked No. 1 in every media poll this season. … Top offense (75.2 ppg) and defense (42.8 ppg) in 4A. ... Won 38 of its last 39 games dating back to Dec. 28, 2023. The only loss during that stretch came to Lake City, the No. 2 seed in the 6A tournament, on Feb. 10 (70-65). ... Won four straight IML titles under head coach Nathan Williams, who was the classification’s All-Idaho Coach of the Year last season and holds a career record of 87-26. ... Average winning margin this season is 33.7 points per game. ... Notable wins include 6A Coeur d'Alene (71-52), 2B Reardan (Wash.) (66-57), 5A Sandpoint (80-44), 5A Lakeland (71-55), 5A Lewiston (58-55), 5A Moscow (74-35, 66-50). ... Montana Tech commit Asher Williams (6-6) is a returning three-time All-IML selection and two-time All-Idaho Player of the Year. He recently hit the 2,000-point milestone, averages 28.7 ppg and scored a school-record 50 points against Timberlake on Jan. 18. ... Bateman (6-5) is a returning two-time All-IML selection and an All-Idaho second team pick. He recently hit the 1,000-point milestone and averages 16.5 ppg. ... Rice (6-3) is a returning All-IML selection and runs the offense, averaging 8.2 ppg. ... Abubakari (6-7) can shoot from the perimeter, averaging 8.8 ppg. ... Seniors have all been playing together since third grade.

KIMBERLY BULLDOGS

Record: 12-14
State seed: #8; Play-in winner
Coach: Daren Garey, 11th season
Players to watch: G Broden Anthony, sr.; G Quentin Pettingill, jr.; G Ryker Larson, sr.; F Gerwin Jeschke, jr.
Notes: Defending state consolation champ. … Beat Weiser in a state play-in game to make it to eighth straight state tournament. … Won two state titles (2022, 1952). … Unranked in the final state media poll. … 1-7 against the field. … Anthony is a 1,000-point scorer. … Jeschke is an exchange student from Germany. … Started season 1-7 (seven straight losses). … Season-high win streak of four. … Filer beat Kimberly in the 2024 Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference championship.

4A State Tournament Schedule

At Eagle High 

Thursday, March 6 

Game 1 — No. 3 seed Sugar-Salem (18-5) vs. No. 6 McCall-Donnelly (14-9), 11 a.m. 

Game 2 — No. 2 Snake River (23-3) vs. No. 7 Filer (14-9), 1 p.m. 

Game 3 — No. 1 Bonners Ferry (21-1) vs. No. 8 Kimberly (12-14), 4 p.m. 

Game 4 — No. 4 Cole Valley Christian (15-7) vs. No. 5 Marsh Valley (13-11), 6 p.m. 

Friday, March 7 

Game 5 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11 a.m. (loser out) 

Game 6 — Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m. (loser out) 

Game 7 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m. (semifinals) 

Game 8 — Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m. (semifinals) 

Saturday, March 8 

Consolation championship 

At Eagle High 

Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 9 a.m. 

Third-place game 

At Eagle High 

Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 11 a.m. 

Championship game 

At Ford Idaho Center, Nampa 

Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2:50 p.m.