The Bengal boys varsity basketball team is recovering from a Golden Throne defeat to their Clarkston rival that ended with a score of 63-41 Jan. 27. But since that defeat it seems that the road to the state champion has begun.
  After the Golden Throne loss Jan. 27, the Bengals took on the Coeur d’Alene Vikings at home Jan. 31, winning the game in a high-scoring affair. The Bengals scored the most points they had all season, with a final score of 88-82.
  The Bengals then took on the Moscow Bears Feb. 1, winning the game without much stress and a final score of 76-42.  
  A week later, the Bengals took on fellow Inland Empire League team Lake City Feb 7. The Bengals fell by six points against the Timberwolves.
  The team traveled to Post Falls Feb. 10 to take on the Trojans for the second time this season. The Bengals fell by a final score of 84-70.
 “Our season has not been the way we wanted it to go we just need to start playing a lot better so we can go to state,” said senior post Colton Richardson.
The Bengals entered a must-win situation in the last two games of the season this month. In both of those games the Bengals will play against Inland Empire League opponents Couer d’Alene and Post Falls. The Bengals are 1-1 against each opponent.
  The Bengals took on the Vikings Feb. 17 at Booth Hall. This game saw the return of senior Richardson, who suffered from a prior leg injury. The Bengals took care of business this time around against the Vikings winning by an impressive 21 points with the final score at 74-53. Seniors Trystan Bradley and Keeshawn Clarke thrived during this game with Bradley dropping 23 points and Clarke had 15 points.
  The Bengals played the Trojans again in the district championship Feb. 21 in Post Falls. The Bengals came out on top by a score of 51-48 The victory over the Trojans earned a trip to state.
The Bengals will be playing Mountain View to start off the 2017 tournament, the tournament will take place on March 2-4 in Nampa, Idaho, at the Ford Idaho Center.