Players to Watch:
Taren Bateman, Bonners Ferry
Sydney Hinthorn, Bonners Ferry
Brooke Petesch, Bonners Ferry
Jozee MacArthur, Timberlake
Malia Miller, Timberlake
Diana Nelson, Timberlake
Written by: Brandon Baney
Peanut butter and jelly. Peanut butter and chocolate. Peanut butter and bananas. All are great combos (is anyone else hungry?).
Another great combo is Bonners Ferry and Timberlake. The two have been co-existing for the past several years in the lonely, two-team Intermountain League. While the coaches and players involved with love to see some new faces eventually, there’s no denying it: the Badgers and Tigers make for a great pairing that is entertaining for the fans, as the two sides couldn’t be more evenly matched.
These two met a staggering five times a season ago. Timberlake won four of the five matches, twice by five points or less, and twice by double digits.
The Badgers’ lone triumph came in the opening contest of the best-of-three district championship series, a 55-53 victory on Timberlake’s home floor. The Tigers answered in game two with their own nail-biter of a win (46-43) before finally unleashing that pent-up frustration in a 64-25 win in the decisive third game.
So until the Badgers can completely vanquish their rivals from Timberlake, the Tigers will continue to have the slightest edge in this annual battle. Timberlake coach Matt Miller is embarking upon his 20th season as the Tigers’ head coach, and he’ll lean on four seniors and three juniors to lead the way.
“I think our biggest strength should be our balance,” Miller says. “We should be balanced on being able to score inside and outside. We should also have balance in having multiple players able to score.”
A trio of talented junior guards are expected to facilitate the Tigers’ offense in 2024-25. Among them is Miller’s daughter, Malia Miller, who earned All-State honors as a freshman in 2022-23 before missing all of her sophomore campaign with an injury. Payton Young and Sophia Soumas are the other junior guards, and seniors Jozee MacArthur and Marissa Needs also will handle guard duties for Timberlake.
“I’m hoping we will become a tougher team on the defensive end,” says coach Miller. “We also have to get better at anticipating, and we need our defensive rebounding to be better than last year.”
To that end, seniors Lucy Simpson and Diana Nelson will be critical to Timberlake’s success this season. They’ll be counted on to handle the post duties inside, and if they can handle their own against taller opponents, the Tigers will be tough to stop.
As for Bonners Ferry, the Badgers return their own talented group of standouts. Sophomore Taren Bateman is the headliner after earning All-League honors during her freshman campaign, but Eva Willis is another sophomore with potential. Seniors Brooke Petesch and Sydney Hinthorn will also be counted on to provide leadership for first-year head coach Sarah Hummel.
Timberlake and Bonners Ferry won’t match wits until January 18th in Spirit Lake, as part of the annual Backwoods Brawl. The Badgers will then host the Tigers in the regular season finale on February 4th. Then comes the best-of-three district championship series.
If last year is any indication, that series could go the distance. Buckle up.