Players to Watch:
Asha Abubakari, Bonners Ferry
Ciara Soumas, Timberlake
Marissa Needs, Timberlake
Written by: Christian Weaner
With Kellogg and Priest River both moving down to the 2A ranks this school year, the 3A Intermountain League (IML) is now just a two-horse race between Bonners Ferry and Timberlake, and it should be a good one this season.
For the past six years, Timberlake has not only dominated the IML but the entire 3A classification. The Tigers have won four state titles since 2016 and have been IML regular season champions for nine consecutive seasons.
But the tide started to shift a little bit last season when Timberlake lost a shocker to Kellogg in the IML Championship Game on its own home floor. The Tigers rebounded for a tight 53-50 win over Bonners Ferry in the second-place game, but they fell in the state play-in game to Weiser and missed out on a chance to defend their 2021 title.
Timberlake lost last season's leading scorer and rebounder McKennah Kronenber, as well as key contributors Parker Wall and Emma Patrick. Head Coach Matt Miller, entering season No. 18 in Spirit Lake, does return three All-Conference players from 2021-22 in sophomore Marissa Needs, junior Jenna Chase and senior Ciara Soumas, however.
Soumas, Needs and sophomore guard Jozee MacArhtur should all play big roles for the Tigers, who will look to score a lot from the outside this season.
"I think our offensive strengths will be our perimeter play," Miller said. "We have multiple guards that can attack the hoop, shoot from the perimeter, and create shots for teammates."
Bonners Ferry, meanwhile, is coming off a 10-12 season where the Badgers' young players showed a lot of promise. The Badgers did not lose any players from last season, and junior post players Asha Abubakari and Markynn Pluid both have another year of experience under their belt after both girls earned All-IML honors as sophomores last season.
Senior guard Mia Blackmore and juniors Braylyn and Avery Bayer should all get a lot of minutes for the Badgers this season as well.
Head Coach Travis Hinthorn is now entering his sixteenth season coaching girls basketball at Bonners Ferry, and he believes his team has what it takes to compete for the IML crown this year.
The biggest keys for success, according to Hinthorn, will be getting better shot selection, scoring more second chance points and getting to the free throw line. Bonners Ferry has the height advantage over Timberlake in the post with Pluid and Abubakari, but the Badgers will also need to put a big emphasis on ball handling when league play begins if they want to dethrone the nine-time defending league champion Tigers.
"If we can take care of the ball against [Timberlake's] pressure and keep up with their speed, it should be some great games," Hinthorn said.