Marsh Valley falls to defending champion Bonners Ferry in 4A state semifinals

EAGLE – A loss in the state tournament is always hard.

Marsh Valley coach Chris Ball praised each player as they left the locker room following Friday’s 67-54 loss to top-seeded Bonners Ferry in a 4A state semifinal.

The defending state champion Badgers took an early lead, and even as the Eagles chipped away and got the deficit down to single digits in the second half, it wasn’t enough against an athletic and bigger Bonners Ferry lineup.

The Eagles were under .500 late in the season, but beat Snake River twice to win the district tournament title and earn their spot at state.

Ball said, that despite the ups and downs of the regular season, he reminded his team that it could compete with some of the top programs in the state and their gritty disposition was perfect for tournament time.

They couldn’t hold off Bonners Ferry, but there’s still a trophy up for grabs when the Eagles face McCall Donnelly on Saturday in the third-place game.

“In life you’re always going to get knocked down,” Ball said. “What we told (the team) is that this is life, and how you respond to that game tomorrow is going to be your approach …You got to step up and it’s our last game and we really want to go home with some hardware.”

Jaxson Smith finished with 18 points and Justis Whitworth added 12 points and six rebounds for Marsh Valley.

Three players finished in double figures for Bonners Ferry, with Asher Williams scoring 30.

Saturday’s third-place game between Marsh Valley (14-12) and McCall-Donnelly is noon at Eagle High.