Practice makes perfect

NBA All-Star Allen Iverson has provided a lot of sound bites over the years. But perhaps his most infamous

came when he was asked about his practice regimen, or lack thereof.

NBA All-Star Allen Iverson has provided a lot of sound bites over the years. But perhaps his most infamous came when he was asked about his practice regimen, or lack thereof.

"We're talking about practice," AI said in May of 2002. "We're not even talking about the game, when it actually matters."

Better not say that within earshot of Kevin and Jessica Boyer. Just ask them how they feel about practice.

"We've always liked it," said Jessica, a junior at Columbia falls. "My brother and I are always shooting around and working on our games."

"If our gym isn't open, they're trying to find a way to get it open," Wildcats coach Cary Finberg said.

If the two-hour daily practices with her team weren't enough, Jessica is constantly asking her dad to let her into Deer Park's gym. On any given day, there's a better than even chance she and Kevin will be there.

"She's such a gym rat," Wildkats coach Kris Salonen said. "Ever since seventh grade, when she was coming to our open gyms, she's always been trying to get better."

It even got to the point that, just prior to their holiday break, Salonen told Jessica to stay out of the gym for a few days.

"Surprisingly, I listened," Jessica said.

But there's no denying that all the hard work she's put in has paid off. Jessica has transformed herself from a tentative sophomore, just trying to find her way on to the varsity team, to the Wildkats' leading scorer through the season's first seven games. She's averaging about 10 points per contest, helping Columbia Falls to a 4-4 mark.

"She's always had the skills and fundamentals, but she was always a passive player," Salonen said. "Now she has more confidence, and she's more aggressive. I just tell her to keep shooting, even when she misses."

Jessica has taken that advice to heart. In her first game of the season, she scored 11 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter to cap a 45-42 comeback win over Cut Bank. Two weeks later, against Hamilton, she nailed five 3-pointers on her way to a career-high 23 points in Columbia Falls' 79-44 win.

"If you need a 3, she's the one you set the screen for," senior captain Kate Marcille said.

She also managed to showcase another skill against Hamilton - her defense. In one memorable sequence she and fellow junior Callie Spencer frustrated Hamilton's coach so much that he pulled his entire starting lineup from the floor.

"That felt really good," said Jessica, who leads the Kats with just over two steals per game. "Offense is more fun, but I love playing defense, too."

"She's always on the ball, trying to take the other team out of their offense," Salonen said. "Even if her shot's off, she always finds a way to contribute on defense."

Of course, she's had a lot of practice trying to guard her older brother in their one-on-one battles.

"That's really helped my defense," Jessica said.

Although she gives up around six inches to Kevin, Jessica has even managed to pull out a win or two over the years.

"Every time I beat him, I was on fire with my shots," Jessica said.

"Yeah, she's beaten me a couple times," Kevin said. "But she usually gets mad when we play, so we don't even play one-on-one much anymore."

Being so close in age, and playing the same sport, there's certainly some sibling rivalty between the Boyers. But it's friendly, more than anything.

"We're always trying to out-do each other," Kevin said. "But we're pretty close, so we also try to help each other out. She's going through the same thing I went through last year."

Earlier this season, Jessica managed to one-up her brother. After the Cut Bank game, the Inter Lake's headline mentioned Boyer, so everyone assumed it was about Kevin. But when the story turned out to be about Jessica, their dad put the story on the breakfast table and moved Jessica to the head of the table.

"It's nice knowing you have a little sister that's doing well," Kevin said. "I'm proud of her."

Despite the obvious size difference, their games are more alike than you would think. They even sport the same jersey number.

"She used to be No. 10, so I don't know why she changed to No. 13," Kevin said.

"Maybe she wants to be like me," he added with a laugh.

His name may not be Mike, but there are plenty of players out there who wouldn't mind being like Kevin.

The senior is averaging nearly 18 points per game for the 5-2 Wildcats. That's not just a team-high, but it also leads Northwestern A.

"He came in as a shooter when he was a freshman, but he's worked hard to develop an all-around offensive game," Finberg said. "He can still shoot, but now he can put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket.

"He's one of the hardest working kids I've ever had, and it's paid off."

Like his little sister, Kevin also plays smothering defense, averaging two steals per contest.

"He's always been a good defensive player," Finberg said. "He just does everything well."

His teammate and fellow senior Guy Smith agrees.

"He's a player every team would love to have," said Smith, who leads the team in steals and is second in scoring with 13 points per game. "He's a great team player and a good leader."

He's also accustomed to winning. As a junior, he helped lead the Cats to a 20-3 record and the Class A title. He was also an all-conference honorable mention.

"No matter what, we'd always find a way to win," Kevin said. "It was a nice feeling."

Although the Cats got off to a slow start this season, they've managed to reel off three straight wins. Finberg expects a lot more to come.

"I'm pretty happy with where we are right now," he said. "We're heading in the right direction."

As for the girls, they're battling hard to make it to state for the first time in two years.

And once basketball season is done, Jessica will move on to the track team, where she finished fourth in the state in the 1,600 meter-run in 2005. She's shooting for the state title this year.

Kevin, meanwhile, will prepare for college after graduating in May. He'll also prepare to play in July's 60th annual Montana Shrine Game in Great Falls. He was selected as a defensive back for the West football squad.

The Cats are next in action on Friday at home against Polson. The Kats will be at Polson the same day. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.