Great Falls drops Flathead
The Flathead boys couldn’t overcome a combined 38 points from Great Falls High’s Kendall Kynett and Blake Thelen, dropping their home basketball opener 59-49 on Saturday night at Flathead High School.
Oz Allen led the Braves (1-1) with 13 points, and Tyler Johnson was the only other player in double figures with 10.
Sam Elliott just missed out on a double-double for Flathead, scoring eight points to go with 11 rebounds.
Great Falls led by four points at the half and pulled away in the fourth quarter by knocking down six of nine attempts from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Flathead went cold down the stretch, shooting just 31 percent from the field in the fourth quarter.
The Braves get a week off before traveling to Columbia Falls for a non-conference matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Great Falls 12 16 14 17 — 59
Flathead 12 12 13 12 — 49
GREAT FALLS: Hunter McKinney 1-4 0-0 3, Kendall Kynett 8-12 2-5 20, Riley Callery 1-2 0-0 3, Blake Thelen 5-11 5-6 18, Kyle Torgerson 2-8 1-2 7, Cash Abbott 2-5 0-0 6, Kevin Boes 1-2 0-0 2.
FLATHEAD: Stephem Bridges 0-1 0-0 0, Eric Seaman 2-6 2-4 6, Oz Allen 5-8 2-2 13, Tyler Johnson 3-8 4-7 10, Sam Elliott 4-11 0-0 8, Anthony Jones 2-5 3-5 7, Dawson Smith 2-5 1-1 5.
Libby 63, Stevensville 55
MISSOULA — Ryggs Johnston dropped 36 points as the Libby offense exploded in the second half to overcome a halftime deficit and beat Stevensville at the Tip-Off Tournament at the University of Montana.
The annual tournament pits teams from the Northwest Conference against teams from the Southwest.
After suffering a blowout loss on Friday, Libby bounced back and scored 22 points in the third and fourth quarters to erase a seven-point halftime deficit.
Libby 13 6 22 22 — 64
Stevensville 12 14 14 15 — 55
Libby: Ryggs Johnston 36, Brian Peck 7, JJ Davis 7, Jay Beagle 5, Nik Jones 3, Keith Johnson 3.
Stevensville: Logan Roth 11, Colby Meeds 10, Alex Gavlak 10, R Rust 10, Sean Craft 8, Ivan Yazack 5, K Behner 1.
Bigfork 56, Shepherd 42
MISSOULA — Four players scored in double figures for Bigfork, whose balanced offensive effort was enough to get past Shepherd at the Tip-Off Tournament.
Logan Gilliard paced the Vikings with 15 points, and Clayton Reichenbach chipped in 13. Anders Epperly and Beau Santistevan added 11 points apiece.
Bigfork led 27-20 at the half and pulled away with a 20-point third quarter.
Bigfork 11 16 20 9 — 56
Shepherd 6 14 7 15 — 42
Bigfork: Logan Gilliard 15, Clayton Reichenbach 13, Anders Epperly 11, Beau Santistevan 11, Chase Chappuis 4, Logan Taylor 2.
Shepherd: Griffin Butsch 14, Tanner Harrell 7, Sam Barthuly 5, Thomas Aigner 5, Jake Trotter 5, Kohl Michels 3, Spencer Lepley 3.
Butte Central 51, Polson 40
MISSOULA — Shade Main scored a game-high 21 points for Polson, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Butte Central at the Tip-Off Tournament.
Polson trailed by only one point at the half, but the Maroons created a bit of separation in the third quarter before outscoring the Pirates 13-7 in the final period.
Butte Central 14 10 14 13 — 51
Polson 14 9 10 7 — 40
Butte Central: Aaron Richards 15, Dan McCloskey 14, Cade Holter 13, Matt Simkins 9.
Polson: Shade Main 21, Asa Askan 14, Micah Askan 3, Trevor Schultz 2.
Frenchtown 52,
Columbia Falls 38
MISSOULA — Frenchtown erupted for 23 points in the second quarter to build a lasting lead against Columbia Falls at the Tip-Off Tournament.
The Wildcats played neck-and-neck with the Broncs in each of the other three quarters, but the 23-10 margin in the second was too much to overcome.
Austin Green paced Columbia Falls with 14 points.
Columbia Falls is back in action on Tuesday at Glacier.
Columbia Falls 5 10 8 15 — 38
Frenchtown 6 23 6 17 — 52
Columbia Falls: Austin Green 14, Quintin Shriver 8, Logan Bechtel 5, Matthew Morrison 4, Lowell Panasak 3, Morgan 2, Barrett 2.
Frenchtown: Cade Baker 14, Cole 12, Ethan Pyron 10, Adam Botkin 5, Hank Rugg 4, Dawson Leishman 4, Ty Hoppie 3.
Dillon 50, Whitefish 31
MISSOULA — Whitefish struggled to find answers offensively in a loss to Dillon at the Tip-Off Tournament.
Dillon built a 28-18 halftime lead as Whitefish scored just five points in the second quarter. The Bulldogs again went cold in the fourth quarter, scoring only two points in the final period.
Dillon Botner led Whitefish with 10 points.
Dillon 18 10 10 12 — 50
Whitefish 13 5 11 2 — 31
Dillon: Michael Haverfield 26, A Lemieux 9, J Fitzgerald 6, C Allison 5, B Rakich 2, T Walker 2.
Whitefish: Dillon Botner 10, Lee Walburn 9, Sam Menicke 8, M Anderson 4.
Hamilton 73, Browning 68
MISSOULA — Browning allowed a fourth-quarter lead to slip away in a heartbreaking loss to Hamilton at the Tip-Off Tournament.
The Indians led by one at halftime and maintained their lead entering the fourth quarter, but Hamilton scored 27 points in the final period to edge out a victory.
James Gilham scored 13 points for Browning. Tyree Whitcomb had 12, and Ethan Running Crane added 10.
Browning 16 20 11 21 — 68
Hamilton 12 23 11 27 — 73
Browning: James Gilham 13, Tyree Whitcomb 12, Ethan Running Crane 10, Derek Loring 6, Nano Stiffarm 3, Deion Mad Plume 3, Brandon Aims Back 2.
Hamilton: Hunter Omlid 20, Carter Kearns 20, Tanner Goligoski 16, Carson Rostad 7, Tyler Chouinard 6, Cam Rothie 4.
Eureka 40,
Stillwater Christian 31
Eureka jumped out to a 21-12 lead against Stillwater Christian, a margin that proved to be the difference after an evenly matched second half.
AJ Pacella scored 13 points for Eureka, and Jake Kindel added eight.
Elijah Chuang led Stillwater with eight points.
Eureka 10 11 11 8 — 40
Stillwater 6 6 12 7 — 31
EUREKA: Austin Callender 2, AJ Pacella 13, Quade Anderson 5, Colton Cooper 5, Alex Lowe 7, Jake Kindel 8.
STILLWATER: Nizk Svlzbacher 4, Elijah Chuang 8, Jeremiah Hooker 5, Jared Fetveit 2, Caleb Cole-Tinkham 2, Zack Barrett 4, Connor Drish 6.
Late Friday
Bigfork 64, Shelby 38
MISSOULA — Logan Gillard scored 22 points and Beau Santistevan added 19 as Bigfork ran away from Shelby late at the Tip-Off Tournament.
The Vikings jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter and poured it on in the second to take a 40-12 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Bigfork 18 22 18 6 — 64
Shelby 8 4 13 13 — 38
Bigfork: Anders Epperly 11, Clayton Reichenbach 8, Logan Taylor 4, Logan Gilliard 22, Beau Santistevan 19.
Shelby: TJ Reynolds 14, Brock Whited 5, Zac Torgensen 3, Aaron White 5, Logan Leck 2, Macagen McAlister 9.
Girls
Glacier 44, CMR 30
GREAT FALLS — Glacier kept Great Falls CMR in single digits in each of the first three quarters to claim a road win in Class AA play.
Kali Gulich scored 15 points, and Anna Schrade chipped in 11 to lead Glacier to victory in the low-scoring affair.
Glacier 10 4 16 14 — 44
CMR 5 9 3 14 — 30
Glacier: Ellie Stevens 2 2-5 6, Kali Gulich 6 1-2 15, Cadie Williams 1 0-2 2, Aubrie Rodemacher 3 0-0 6, Abi Manger 0 1-2 1, Anna Schrade 3 4-6 11, Alivia Atlee 1 0-0 2, Riley Shirley 0 1-2 1.
CMR: Allie Olsen 3 1-2 7, Kayci Edwards 0 2-2 2, Addison Gardner 4 6-10 17, Kyra Willis 1 0-0 3, Brynn Klinefelter 0 1-2 1.
Great Falls 38, Flathead 31
GREAT FALLS — Flathead was held under 35 points for the second consecutive night and allowed a halftime lead to slip away in a loss at Great Falls.
The Bravettes carried a 15-13 lead into the locker room, but Great Falls scored 25 points in the second half as Flathead’s offense faltered down the stretch.
Clara Vandenbosch led Flathead with eight points, while Maddie Walter poured in six.
Erin Watt scored a game-high 18 points for Great Falls.
Flathead 4 11 10 6 — 31
Great Falls 7 6 14 11 — 38
Flathead: Sadie Wilson 1 0-0 2, Maddie Walter 2 2-4 7, Kaysie Malmin 0 1-2 1, Mary Heaton 2 1-3 5, Hannah O’Dell 1 0-0 2, Clara Vandenbosch 3 1-3 8, Taylor Henley 3 0-1 6.
Great Falls: Erin Hocker 1 2-2 4, Katie Nicholson 1 2-4 4, Jorgie Hawthorne 5 0-2 10, Gracie Lins 1 0-3 2, Erin Watt 7 4-5 18.
Bigfork 53, Malta 34
MISSOULA — Bigfork scored 32 points in the second half, nearly as many as Malta in the entire game, to pull away for a big victory at the Tip-Off Tournament.
Bigfork’s Jaime Berg exploded for a game-high 29 points in the victory.
Rakiah Grende added eight point for the Valkyries.
Bigfork 10 11 16 16 — 53
Malta 4 9 10 11 — 34
Bigfork: Jaime Berg 29, Rakiah Grende 8, Ellie Berreth 4, Shae Anderson 3, Ansleigh Edgerton 3, Jordan Nelson 3, Abby Ellison 2, Abby Lembke 1.
Malta: Kelbee Denham 13, Kyleigh Schipman 6, Erica Smith 4, Janessa Malmend 3, Carly Garfield 2, Ella Schye 2, Raina Mortenson 2, Kloie Marks 1, Taylor Eggebrecht 1.
Columbia Falls 46,
Frenchtown 30
MISSOULA — Columbia Falls limited Frenchtown to nine points in a dominant first half to earn a 16-point victory at the Tip-Off Tournament.
Frenchtown outscored the Wildkats in both the third and fourth quarters, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make up for its 28-9 deficit at halftime.
Hannah Gedlaman scored 17 points to lead Columbia Falls.
Ryley Kehr and Trista Cowan threw in eight apiece for the Wildkats.
Columbia Falls plays at Glacier on Tuesday.
Frenchtown 7 2 10 11 — 30
Columbia Falls 13 15 9 9 — 46
Frenchtown: Liv Williams 16, Kylie Willett 5, Meg Delaney 4, Syd Channer 3, Kiya Shelton 2.
Columbia Falls: Hannah Gedlaman 17, Ryley Kehr 8, Trista Cowan 8, Savvy Ellis 6, Dari Douglas 5, Diana Vasquez 2.
Stevensville 47, Libby 29
MISSOULA — Three players in double figures were enough to push Stevensville past Libby at the Tip-Off Tournament as the Loggers struggled on offense.
Libby fell behind 21-14 at halftime, and Stevensville separated itself late with a 15-point fourth quarter.
Brooklyn Rainer led the Loggers with eight points.
Libby 4 10 9 6 — 29
Stevensville 8 13 11 15 — 47
Libby: Emma Gruber 2, Alli Collins 4, Linsey Walker 2, Sammee Bradeen 3, Khalyn Hageness 5, McKenzie Proffitt 3, Shannon Reny 2, Brooklyn Rainer 8.
Stevensville: Maddie Weber 7, Megan Pendergast 15, Evynne Alexander 11, Angel Richards 10, Kayla Schmiedeke 4.
Butte Central 44, Polson 25
MISSOULA — Polson led after the first quarter but was held scoreless in the second and went cold again in the fourth in a loss to Butte Central at the Tip-Off Tournament.
Butte Central led 19-12 at halftime and outscored Polson 13-3 in the fourth quarter.
Jaycee Frydelund led Polson with 13 points.
Butte Central 10 9 12 13 — 44
Polson 12 0 10 3 — 25
Butte Central: Kloie Thatcher 9, Tricia Joyce 8, Maddie Kump 7, Emma Keeley 5, Taylor Harrington 4, Megan Michelotti 4, Delaney Hasquet 3, Cassidy Strizic 2, Shea Davis 2.
Polson: Jaycee Frydelund 13, Olivia Perez 3, Alex Pierre 3, Quinn Motichka 3, Kaelyn Smith 3.
Dillon 37, Whitefish 35
MISSOULA — Dillon overcame a halftime deficit to down Whitefish in a tightly contested defensive struggle at the Tip-Off Tournament.
Marly Bender scored 10 points for Whitefish. Annisa Brown added nine for the Bulldogs.
Whitefish 8 12 4 11 — 35
Dillon 11 7 7 12 — 37
WHITEFISH: Kit Anderson 3, Claire Carloss 5, Annisa Brown 9, Peyton Kastella 6, Marly Bender 10.
DILLON: Brynley Fitzgerald 23, Paige Rouse 9, Jordan McKay 2, Josey Jones 2, Kyndall Peterson 1.
Hamilton 53, Browning 50
MISSOULA — Ronnal Jordon scored 17 points and Olivia Hall added 14 for Browning in a close loss to Hamilton at the Tip-Off Tournament.
The Indians trailed 27-23 at halftime and cut their deficit to two after the third quarter but fell short in the end.
Hamilton 10 17 12 14 — 53
Browning 13 10 14 13 — 50
Hamilton: Cariann Kunkel 21, Tessa Della Silva 9, Tristy Searle 7, Mallory McGill 7, Kara Nye 5, Jordan Taggert 2, Lauren Ryter 2.
Browning: Ronnal Jordon 17, Olivia Hall 14, Tamika Guardipee 6, Dulce Skunkcap 4, Danalya Polk 4, Lacie Goss 3, Veronica Reed 2.
Eureka 50,
Stillwater Christian 22
Sienna Utter scored 16 points as Eureka overpowered Stillwater Christian.
Erryn Thier poured in 13 points and added five steals for the Lions, who limited Stillwater to four points in each of the first three quarters.
Eureka led 26-8 at the half.
Maggie Graves had eight points and eight rebounds for the Lions.
Victoria Hanson and Selah Neumann shared scoring honors for the Cougars with eight points each.
Eureka 11 15 8 16 — 50
Stillwater 4 4 4 10 — 22
Eureka: Megan Hanson 2, Sienna Utter 16, Liz Pacella 2, Maggie Graves 8, Karlee Frost 2, Cassie Hammack 7, Erryn Thier 13.
Stillwater: Victoria Hanson 8, Abigail Hudson 2, Helen Hashley 3, Lulu Neumann 1, Selah Neumann 8.