Bulldogs stomp on Pirates
Saturday marked the final basketball game to be played at the current Whitefish High School gym. The Bulldogs made sure it went down in the history books as a victory.
Whitefish secured the 54-46 win Saturday over Polson with a 17-point outburst in the fourth quarter. The four Bulldog seniors were glad to give the home crowd a good show.
“It’s cool to be part of a history that is so rich,” guard Cooper Olson said. “Being able to play in this gym and be the last ones to play on this floor is awesome.”
At the end of the month the Whitefish High School gym will be totally renovated, including a new floor and bleachers. The current gym was built in 1980.
“Since we were kindergartners, we’ve been watching games from up in the stands,” senior Jake May said. “Bulldog basketball has been part of our whole life. We’ve always looked forward to playing here. To get a win tonight is awesome.”
Whitefish coach Mark Casazza agreed that Saturday’s game was a great moment for the four seniors on senior night.
“I remember seeing them in the gym playing basketball when they were fifth- and sixth-graders,” he said. “They just played basketball all the time. They love the game.”
Seniors honored on senior night were Logan Harwood, Jace Kalbfleisch, Cooper Olson, Jake May and manager Courtney Wetsch.
Polson came out strong and took a 13-17 lead in the first quarter after Will Davey nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Whitefish tied it up at 17-17 in the second when senior Logan Harwood made a steal and put in a layup. Olson drained a trey and senior Jace Kalbfleisch scored an and-1 layup to make it 25-21.
Polson regained the lead and went into the final frame up 38-37.
The Bulldogs took over in the fourth with an 11-2 run.
Olson assisted Kalbfleisch twice in the lane. Junior Art Doorn scored a putback, and Olson tallied an and-1 layup to cap the run and put the Dogs in front for good.
Kalbfleisch finished with 14 points to lead the team. Harwood and Olson each added 12.
Whitefish next heads to the Northwestern A divisional tourney as the No. 2 seed where they will face Frenchtown in the first round. Their goal — to take the divisional championship and beat Columbia Falls along the way.
“We’re not done yet,” Olson said. “We’re excited for the next couple of weeks.”
The seniors believe their experience as a unit will serve them well going forward.
“We’ve been playing together since fourth grade,” Kalbfleisch said. “We know where each other are going to be and we work well together.”
“On and off the court were great friends,” Hardwood added. “We have such good team chemistry.”
Whitefish plays Frenchtown in the divisional tourney Friday at 4 p.m. at Ronan High School.
Casazza says it will be a matchup of two high-energy teams.
“It’s speed on speed,” he said. “We are the two fastest teams in the conference. It’s going to be an exciting game.”
“The regular season is over. The real season starts now.”
Polson 17 12 9 8 – 46
Whitefish 13 13 11 17 – 54
WHITEFISH – Keaton Nicholson 6, EJ Havens 6, Logan Harwood 12, Jace Kalbfleisch 14, Art Doorn 4, Cooper Olson 12.