Braves get back in saddle

Osweiler nets 25 points, 14 boards in Flathead's 63-55 win over CMR

After three weeks without a home game, Flathead's fans were anxious for a show. And following Thursday's humbling loss at Missoula Sentinel, the Braves wanted nothing more than to give them one to remember.

The fans would not be disappointed.

With the 2,600-seat gym packed to the rafters on Saturday, Flathead sent its fans home happy with a 63-55 win over C.M. Russell from Great Falls.

"We love having the fans behind us like that," said Flathead senior Jason Russell, who scored 10 points in the contest. "They gave us so much energy down the stretch."

Not that the Braves needed any added inspiration. From the opening tip, they played like a team possessed.

In fact, they were so aggressive they sent the Rustlers to the line 33 times. Fortunately, CMR helped by hitting on only 17 of those attempts.

"After Thursday, we came in here with our eyes squinted and our ears pinned back," Russell said. "We really wanted the win."

No one played harder early than freshman Brock Osweiler. After netting six points in the first quarter, Osweiler erupted in the second, scoring 11 of Flathead's 13 points in the period.

But because of 13 first-half free throws by the Rustlers, CMR held a slim 26-24 advantage heading into the locker room.

On the opening play of the second half, Osweiler drove to the basket and got three points the old-fashioned way to give Flathead its first lead since the 1:20 mark of the opening quarter.

Those were his last points of the quarter, however, as Osweiler picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench with three. He'd have company as junior Geoff Hogan (11 points) soon picked up his fourth foul and sat the final few minutes of the period. Fellow starters Jeremy DeHerrera and Beau Watkins also were in foul trouble.

Down 40-36, and with every starter but Russell on the bench, Flathead fought back with baskets from Richard Boggs and Russell to knot the score at 40 heading into the final 8 minutes.

"The main thing we took away from the Sentinel game was we found out that we could still play well with Brock in foul trouble," Flathead coach Fred Febach said. "And we were able to do that tonight."

Fortunately, Osweiler avoided further foul trouble and scored five in the decisive quarter. He also nailed three of his four foul shots down the stretch.

After going 0-for-the-field in the first three quarters, Watkins ignited the Braves in final period when he nailed the team's first 3-pointer of the game. Less than a minute later he hit another from downtown, giving Flathead a 46-41 lead with 6:17 left in the game.

"Beau struggled with his shooting, but I wasn't going to take him out or tell him not to shoot," Febach said. "Then he nailed a couple of nice shots, and it got us rolling."

It wasn't easy down the stretch, though. CMR's Steve Wasson scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the final quarter and his basket put the Rustlers up 53-52 with 3:31 left.

That remained the score until the 1:51 mark when Osweiler found Russell in the corner with no defender within 10 feet. He paused for what seemed like a lifetime before nailing just his second 3-pointer of the season. It turned out to be the game winner as the final two minutes turned into a free-throw contest.

"I was going to take it to the hole, but they did a good job collapsing and I kicked it out to Jason," said Osweiler, who had five assists on the night.

"I was looking to pass it, but no one came out to guard me so I looked at the hoop and hit it," Russell said. "Then Brock and I just sort of looked at each other."

In Flathead's team room, Febach and the rest of the coaches always outline goals for every game. The Braves' No. 1 goal on Saturday was to out-rebound the Rustlers by at least 10.

Thanks to 14 boards from Osweiler, Flathead held an amazing 45-20 advantage on the glass.

"It's great to have a presence like Brock on the floor," Russell said. "He's a good passer and he rebounded like no one else tonight."

The Braves improved to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Class AA play with the win. Their next game is Thursday at Missoula Hellgate.

BRAVES 63, RUSTLERS 55

CMR 12 14 14 15 - 55

Flathead 11 13 16 23 - 63

CMR - Andrew Nunez 2 0-2 4, Alex Smith 1 0-2 3, Steve Wasson 6 1-2 14, David Anderson 2 4-6 8, Brad Goodman 0 2-4 2, Kelvin Steele 3 6-8 12, Jasen Remus 4 4-9 12. Totals: 18 17-33 55.

Flathead - Beau Watkins 2 1-2 7, Mack Andrews 1 0-1 2, Jeremy DeHerrera 2 0-3 4, Jason Russell 3 3-4 10, Richard Boggs 2 0-0 4, Brock Osweiler 10 5-8 25, Geoff Hogan 4 3-3 11. Totals: 24 12-21 63.

3-point goals: CMR 2 (Smith, Wasson), Flathead 3 (Watkins 2, Russell). Technical fouls: CMR 1 (Goodman). Total fouls: CMR 21, Flathead 25. Fouled out: Goodman, Steele, Hogan.