Players to Watch:

Braeden Blackmore, Bonners Ferry
Asher Williams, Bonners Ferry
Ridge Williams, Bonners Ferry
Hunter Higgins, Timberlake
RajaNee Olivieri, Timberlake


Written by: Keller Sherman

The Intermountain League saw its membership cut in half over the summer. Kellogg and Priest River dropped down to the 2A Central Idaho League leaving only reigning league champion Bonners Ferry and Timberlake. The Badgers seem to be the clear favorite over the Tigers to win the conference. Bonners Ferry has made it to the state tournament both seasons under Nathan Williams. As he enters his third season on the Badgers sideline, he will look to make it three straight trips to state.ate.

The Badgers bring back three all-conference honorees from last season. Braden Blackmore, Asher Williams, and Ridge Williams all return for Bonners Ferry. A new incoming player brings height and will be a player on both ends of the court in Thomas Bateman. While only one senior was lost from last season’s team, Williams does not undermine how his absence will be felt by the team as he states “Ethan Hubbard was a well-rounded player, but will miss him greatly on the defensive end of the court. He was unselfish and was a great person to coach.”

The three returning all-conference honorees will be the lead figures on Bonners Ferry’s offense. Blackmore is a huge threat as the team leader in assists and 2nd highest team scorer. He is also praised for the way he breaks down opposing defenses and creating opportunities for the other players to get great shots in.

The older of the Williams brothers, Ridge Williams had to miss some of last year due to injury, but once he was back in the starting lineup, he immediately became one of the Badgers’ best players last season. Now with the chance to play a full senior season, he will look to be much more productive while showing his ability to penetrate, shoot, and rebound.

His younger brother, Asher Williams had great numbers as a freshman and was the team’s leading scorer. With three years still ahead of him including this season, he will only continue to grow as a player. His height will help him reach the basket and perhaps open up more dunk opportunities and also further showcase his versatility and ability to score from both inside and outside.

Overall as a team, Bonners Ferry utilizes a spread offense that puts pressure on opposing defenses. They will look to be better at making free throws, especially at the state tournament should they get back there for the third straight year.

Williams believes that defense travels. He has made it a focal point within his team and improvement has shown in spades on the court. The defense has continued to get better in both seasons Williams has been in charge. However, the Badgers have been lacking in height, but after intense work in the weight room, the players have grown and will be able to match up better in size. Even with the improvement that has been made overtime in Williams’s tenure, he still believes that there can still be improvement in communication on the defensive end.

Bonners Ferry has depth and Williams has coached a majority of the players on his roster since their grade school days. With 8-10 years of experience under their belts, the players are very familiar with the game and are ready to be all in and compete night in and night out. The coach and players are aligned in their goals, mindset, and willingness to reach success and Williams is excited to see what his team can do this season. As long as the defense can stay elite and the team as a whole can stay healthy, the Badgers could make some noise at the state tournament this season.

While every game matters, Bonners Ferry should have January 27th and February 17th circled on their calendar. That’s when their only two conference games will be played against their lone league colleague; Timberlake. The White Tigers would love nothing more than to play spoiler to the Badgers, and they have some players that will help them compete.

Timberlake will have Raj Olivieri and Hunter Higgins as players that will help the White Tigers compete in every game in the eyes of Bonners Ferry head coach Williams. They will look to improve on a 8-13 record overall and 1-5 overall identical to former conference rival Priest River who moved to the 2A ranks over the summer.

Bonners Ferry will be back in the state tournament as long as they handle business against Timberlake in the district tournament. As long as free throw shooting is cleaned up, the Badgers could be poised to make a deep run once they are there.