3 eastern Idaho teams among 4A state championship hopefuls

EASTERN IDAHO — For much of the season, Bonners Ferry and Snake River were battling for the 4A classification’s top spot. The latter was forced into a play-in situation by a scrappy Marsh Valley squad. And Sugar-Salem, which has won four state title in the past four years, is always a contender.

The trio of championship hopefuls will each play Thursday at Eagle High School, with a potential showdown between Snake River and Sugar-Salem waiting for Friday.

The state tournament begins Thursday, with games at six different venues scheduled to start at noon, 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Winners will advance into the semifinal round, while losers will continue to play in hopes of claiming a consolation finish.

Here is a breakdown of all eight 4A state qualifiers.

BONNERS FERRY BADGERS
Record: 21-1
State seed: #1; District 1 champ
Coach: Nathan Williams, fifth year
Players to watch: G Asher Williams, sr.; G Thomas Bateman, sr.; G Brody Rice, sr.; F Sulay Abubakari, jr.
Notes: At state for fifth straight year. … Seeking third straight state title game appearance. … Won first state title last year with a 54-47 win over Teton. … Ranked No. 1 in every media poll this season. … Top offense (75.2 ppg) and defense (42.8 ppg) in 4A. … Won 38 of its last 39 games dating back to Dec. 28, 2023. The only loss during that stretch came to Lake City, the No. 2 seed in the 6A tournament, on Feb. 10 (70-65). … Won four straight IML titles under head coach Nathan Williams, who was the classification’s All-Idaho Coach of the Year last season and holds a career record of 87-26. … Average winning margin this season is 33.7 points per game. … Notable wins include 6A Coeur d'Alene (71-52), 2B Reardan (Wash.) (66-57), 5A Sandpoint (80-44), 5A Lakeland (71-55), 5A Lewiston (58-55), 5A Moscow (74-35, 66-50). … Montana Tech commit Asher Williams (6-6) is a returning three-time All-IML selection and two-time All-Idaho Player of the Year. He recently hit the 2,000-point milestone, averages 28.7 ppg and scored a school-record 50 points against Timberlake on Jan. 18. … Bateman (6-5) is a returning two-time All-IML selection and an All-Idaho second team pick. He recently hit the 1,000-point milestone and averages 16.5 ppg. … Rice (6-3) is a returning All-IML selection and runs the offense, averaging 8.2 ppg. … Abubakari (6-7) can shoot from the perimeter, averaging 8.8 ppg. … Seniors have all been playing together since third grade.

COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN CHARGERS
Record: 15-7
State seed: #4; District 3 runner-up
Coach: Leif Karlberg, first season
Players to watch: PG Isaiah Holsinger, jr.; G/F Cooper Kollmann, so.; W Adam Ashmead, sr.; G/F Soren Fraas, fr.
Notes: Qualified for state for the third year in a row, including a runner-up finish last season. … Won three state titles in program history (2002, 2004, 2012). … Tied for fifth in the final state media poll of the season. … 0-3 against state qualifiers (all three losses to McCall-Donnelly). … Second-highest scoring team (59.1 ppg) among state qualifiers and third-best defensively (47.2 ppg). … Three players average double-digit scoring: Fraas (13.0 ppg), Holsinger (11.6) and Kollmann (10.5). … Fraas also averages a team-best 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. … Holsinger leads in assists (4.4) and is the Chargers’ top 3-point threat, knocking down 46 triples this season at a clip of 42.2%.

FILER WILDCATS
Record: 14-9
State seed: #7; District 4 champions
Coach: Rob Anderson, eighth season
Players to watch: G Preston Volle, sr.; G Owen Grant, sr.; G Xavier Kelsey, sr.
Notes: Second straight state tournament appearance. … Back-to-back Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference champions. … Went 0-2 in the 2024 tournament. … Seeks first state championship and has yet to play in a title game. … Looks for first state trophy since 2014 (third). … Unranked in the final state media poll. … Season-high win streak of five games. … 5-5 against the state tournament field.

KIMBERLY BULLDOGS
Record: 12-14
State seed: #8; Play-in winner
Coach: Daren Garey, 11th season
Players to watch: G Broden Anthony, sr.; G Quentin Pettingill, jr.; G Ryker Larson, sr.; F Gerwin Jeschke, jr.
Notes: Defending state consolation champ. … Beat Weiser in a state play-in game to make it to eighth straight state tournament. … Won two state titles (2022, 1952). … Unranked in the final state media poll. … 1-7 against the field. … Anthony is a 1,000-point scorer. … Jeschke is an exchange student from Germany. … Started season 1-7 (seven straight losses). … Season-high win streak of four. … Filer beat Kimberly in the 2024 Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference championship.

MARSH VALLEY EAGLES
Record: 13-11
State seed: #5; District 5 champ
Coach: Chris Ball, second season
Players to watch: G Justis Whitworth, sr.; F Kaden Hansen, sr.; G Jaxon Smith, jr.
Notes: At state for the sixth time in seven years. … Tied for fifth in the final media state poll of the season, its first appearance of the season. … Didn’t get above .500 until the district tournament, where it upset Snake River twice. … Ended the season with four straight wins, including three over teams who were ranked in the state media poll. … Won two state titles (2021, 1988). … The Eagles have gone 6-3 at state in their last three outings, which also includes a third-place showing in 2022. … Hansen leads the team in scoring at 16 points per game. Whitworth is averaging 12 ppg and 6.0 assists, and Smith is putting up 11 ppg and 3.0 steals.

MCCALL-DONNELLY VANDALS
Record: 14-9
State seed: #6; District 3 champion
Coach: Jason Tinney, 13th season
Players to watch: SG Sam Penny, sr.; PF Michael Foster, sr.; G Sam Scott, sr.; PG Maddox Arnold, sr.
Notes: Went two-and-out at state last season but earned runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2022. … Never won a state championship. … Unranked in the final state media poll. … Enters state on a seven-game winning streak. … Penny is a returning All-Idaho second-team pick and is averaging a team-best 21.5 points per game this season along with 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. … Well-rounded scoring, with Foster (12.0 ppg), Scott (9.7) and Arnold (8.8) each making significant contributions. … Foster leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game, and Arnold is tops in assists at 4.6 a night. … 3-0 against the only state qualifier it faced (Cole Valley Christian).

SNAKE RIVER PANTHERS
Record: 23-3
State seed: #2; Play-in winner
Coach: Robert Coombs, 32nd season
Players to watch: F Marcus Coombs, sr.; G Dawson Jackman, sr.; F Bridjer Howard, so.
Notes: At state for the 10th year in a row and have placed five times during that stretch, including third a year ago. … The Panthers were the top seed a year ago before getting upset by Teton in the semifinals. … Spent most of this season ranked No. 2 in the state media poll, but two losses to Marsh Valley at districts dropped them to third in the final rankings. … This is the 15th team under Coombs to win at least 20 games. … Coombs is closing in on 600 career wins and has won five of the program’s eight state titles with the last coming in 2013. … Boasts a top-3 offense (59 ppg) and defense (43.9 ppg) in the classification.

SUGAR-SALEM DIGGERS
Record: 18-5
State seed: #3; District 6 champ
Coach: Shawn Freeman, 12th season
Players to watch: G Ace Clark, jr.; F Frank Fillmore, so.
Notes: Did not qualify for state last season after winning a title in 2023. … Won state championships in 2017, 2018 and 2020. … Were knocked out of the tournament after going 0-2 in 2022. … Currently riding a five-game winning streak, two wins shy of its season best (seven) set in December and January. … Beat Teton twice (50-42, 59-52) to win its district tournament. … Ranked second in the season’s final state media poll.