Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Reardan boys take second in tournament
REARDAN – The Screaming Eagles's boys basketball team defeated Lake Roosevelt 70-58 and then lost to Bonners Ferry, 66-57 to place second in the Reardan Lions Club Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-28.
Reardan and Lake Roosevelt both entered the game unbeaten and highly ranked in 2B basketball.
From the get-go, the teams knew they were in for a battle when their efforts to score were thwarted by their opponents' stingy and physical defense. The Raiders blocked shot-after-shot, and Reardan played just as tough on their defensive end of the court. Reardan's high scoring offense sputtered until Rysen Soliday took things into his hands. His seven points put the Screaming Eagles ahead 12-10 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Justin Vaughn pulled the Raiders' defense out with two long range bombs. His eight points helped Reardan take a 29-25 lead at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, Lake Roosevelt trailed by two points, but that's when Reardan's Maveric Sobotta showed up. Sobotta played sparingly in the first half because of foul trouble, but came up big when his team needed him. He scored 16 points in the second half to help Reardan pull away for the 70-58 win.
Soliday led his team in scoring with 19 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Vaughn and Sobotta had 18 and 16 points, respectively. Sobotta also had four rebounds and two steals in his big second half. Jakari Singleton had 10 points, two steals, one blocked shot, and controlled the boards with 12 rebounds. Zander Thornton and Fred Frolov scored four and two points, respectively, and Evan Krupke scored one point. Krupke also pulled down three rebounds to go with two steals and a blocked shot.
Ivan Alejandre led the Raiders in scoring with 26 points.
"When I left the game with fouls in the first half, I felt like I let my team down a little bit," Sobotta said. "In the second half, I wanted to maximize my opportunity and to be as valuable to the team as I could. I took what was given to me."
Sobotta said his team was more focused in the second half than in the first.
"We were locked in," he said. "Coach Green told us to play like he knew we could, and we did."
Sobotta said the win was a team effort but reserved special praise for three of his teammates.
"Justin Vaughn was hitting his threes tonight. Rysen was as tough as always and Zander Thornton was big on defense."
The Screaming Eagles' win put them in the championship game against Bonners Ferry, which defeated Manson in their preliminary game. The Badgers are Idaho's defending state champions and features the Idaho Player of the Year Asher Williams. They entered the game ranked #1 in Idaho 4A and are undefeated this season.
Reardan stepped onto the court unfazed by Bonner Ferry's resume and distinct height advantage. Singleton set the tone for the Screaming Eagles' aggressive play by meeting the Badgers' strength head on. In the early minutes, he attacked the basket to score six points. While he did the inside work, Sobotta, Soliday and Vaughn each did their part by sinking 3-point shots from behind the arc. After one quarter, Bonners Ferry clung to an 18-17 lead.
In the second quarter, the Badgers outscored Reardan 18-9 to lead 36-26, going into the locker room. Williams scored 15 first half points for Bonners Ferry.
After intermission, the Screaming Eagles' defense stiffened, and their outside shots hit the mark. They limited Williams to three buckets in the quarter and outscored the Badgers 20-15. Frolov sank two 3-point shots and Thornton and Sobotta each added another to fuel the comeback. At the end of three quarters, Bonners Ferry led 51-46.
The fourth quarter was a barnburner.
After Bonners Ferry extended its lead to 53-46, Vaughn hit two 3-pointers from the corner to bring the Screaming Eagles to within one point. The Badgers scored again, but Singleton responded with a basket to bring Reardan back to within one point with 4:37 remaining in the game.
Bonners Ferry ended Reardan's dream of an upset by scoring the next eight points to seal the 66-57 win.
Williams ended the game with 32 points for Bonners Ferry.
Singleton and Soliday both scored 13 points for Reardan. In addition, Singleton pulled down a game high 10 rebounds and recorded two steals and a blocked shot. Vaughn scored 12 points. Sobotta and Frolov each scored six points. Sobotta also had four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Thornton and Krupke scored five and two points, respectively.
"The boys played a solid game," Reardan head coach Jake Green said. "It got rough and ugly, but they pushed through. We saw things from both of our opponents this weekend which will make us a better team. We are grateful to Lake Roosevelt and Bonners Ferry for coming to town for the Lions Club Tournament."
Bonners Ferry head coach Nathan Williams said the game had the feel of a state playoff game.
"Reardan pushed us to our limits," he said. "Their hustle, grit and tenacity was very impressive and a challenge to play against. I know that they will win a lot of games and do well in the post season."
Williams said that his team has played in the last two state championship games and that they won the title last year.
"We are senior heavy this season and this game is something we really needed."
He expressed gratitude for the kindness of Reardan's players, coaches and athletic director (Kenton Clairmont).
"I had several Screaming Eagles' fans come up to me and shake my hand after the game. It's a wonderful community and a great basketball team," he said.
Bonners Ferry is 7-0 on the season and remains at the top of Idaho's Great Basin League.
The loss was Reardan's first of the season. They take a record of 8-1 into their next home game against Warden Friday, Jan. 3. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
Reader Comments(0)