Cats split the bill in opening tourney

In a rematch of last year's state championship, the Columbia Falls boys basketball team once again held off Dillon for a win.

But the following day, Stevensville showed they, too, can play with the best of them.

And so Columbia Falls settled for a split at the Northwest-Southwest Class A Tip-Off tournament on Dec. 9-10.

The Cats beat Dillon on Friday at home, 44-34, in a game that was tighter than the score would suggest. But Stevensville shot 63 percent as it cruised past the Wildcats the next day in Whitefish, 67-48.

Austin Barth led the Cats against Dillon with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The game was tied midway through the third quarter at 24 apiece in a defensive affair. But the Cats took a three-point lead with a little more than four minutes remaining in the quarter.

That's when Austin Martin came off the bench and hit a trey to put the Cats up by six. Alex Presnell hit a trey a few possessions later to extend the lead.

The Cats held the Beavers to just 27 percent shooting. Barth also had five assists and six blocks. Luke Kazlauskas also had a solid game, with eight points and three rebounds.

Against Stevensville, the Yellowjackets led 34-28 at the break but really turned it on in the third, outscoring the Cats 19-8 in the stanza. From midway through the third to midway through the fourth, they hit 11 consecutive shots.

Wildcat coach Cary Finberg was disappointed in the team's defensive effort.

"Our defense was not very good," he said. "We got what we deserved."

Anthony Correa had 13 points in the loss; Barth had 12. Finberg named Barth his player of the week.

The boys face Flathead High School at home on Friday at 8 p.m. and then play their first conference game against Frenchtown at home on Saturday at 4 p.m.

"We're going to have to come ready to play," Finberg said. "I expect these guys to bounce back."