Cats claw past Braves
Columbia Falls overcomes early deficit, beats Flathead 78-69
COLUMBIA FALLS - It's said that revenge is a dish best served cold. With the way Columbia Falls scorched the nets against Flathead on Tuesday, however, it was obvious the Wildcats disagree.
After losing to the Braves in Kalispell last month, the Cats were determined to best their Valley rivals in the rematch and flashed their mettle to the hometown crowd, winning 78-69.
"After what happened last time, we knew we had to step it up on our home floor," said senior Guy Smith, who poured in a game-high 20 points. "We really worked hard to get ready for this game."
All the preparation appeared to go for naught early, as the first quarter was a carbon copy of last month's contest. The teams traded baskets through the first four minutes, then Flathead rolled off a 14-6 run to go up 22-14 with 31 seconds left in the opening frame, giving the Cats a gut check in the process.
"We weren't going to let them do this to us again," Smith said. "We had to play better."
Junior Kevin Boyer did his best to keep the Cats in the game, scoring seven of his 15 points in the first quarter, but C-Falls still trailed 24-17 heading into the second.
Then the Cats broke out their secret weapon - their defense. In one memorable stretch, Smith had two coast-to-coast layups off of steals, as Columbia Falls fought back with an 11-0 run to take a 32-27 lead midway through the second stanza.
"We put in a new defense against them because we knew they had a height advantage," Smith said. "We wanted to shut down their inside game and make them pass the ball around the perimeter."
Columbia Falls made a few changes on offense, as well, and it paid off to the tune of a near season-best 78 points. Their high of 80 came in a blowout win over Ronan on Dec. 23.
"We added some new wrinkles on offense and defense, and Flathead was confused when we switched to them," Wildcats coach Cary Finberg said.
It was still nip-and-tuck as halftime neared when perhaps the key moment of the game occurred. Positioning himself for an offensive rebound, Flathead freshman Brock Osweiler was whistled for a push, picking up his third foul and changing the tone of the entire second half in the process.
"Our main goal was to get their big guys in foul trouble," said Columbia Falls senior Greg Macijunas, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds. "We just kept taking it inside and trying to pound it."
That strategy backfired early as Osweiler had a pair of confidence-crushing blocks in the first four minutes, but with the 6-foot-8 center in foul trouble, it negated his presence in the paint.
"You have to give all the credit to Columbia Falls," Flathead coach Fred Febach said. "They had a great gameplan and they did a great job executing it.
"We played well enough to beat most teams, but not tonight. We played well, but they played better."
Osweiler (13 points) was one of four Braves in double figures. Beau Watkins led Flathead (7-2) with 15 points, while Geoff Hogan had 13 and Jeremy DeHerrera added 11.
The win was the sixth straight for Columbia Falls, which improved to 8-2.
"We're starting to develop that killer instinct," Finberg said. "We're not where we need to be yet, but we're getting there."
Both teams are in action Thursday, with the Cats traveling to Missoula Hellgate and the Braves hosting Whitefish.
WILDCATS 78, BRAVES 69
Flathead 24 19 11 15 - 69
Columbia Falls 17 25 14 22 - 78
Flathead - Ryan Gregg 1 0-0 3, Beau Watkins 6 1-4 15, Mack Andrews 2 2-3 8, Jeremy DeHerrera 5 1-1 11, Jason Russell 2 0-1 4, Richard Boggs 1 0-0 2, Brock Osweiler 5 3-9 13, Geoff Hogan 6 1-1 13. Totals: 28 8-19 69.
Columbia Falls - Kevin Boyer 6 0-0 15, Robbie Dakin 2 4-7 9, Steffen Anderson 2 1-2 5, Guy Smith 8 4-5 20, Andrew Burgi 1 0-0 2, Dillon West 1 0-0 2, Greg Macijunas 8 2-5 18, Nick Beckwith 2 3-4 7. Totals: 30 13-24 78.
3-point goals: Flathead 5 (Gregg, Watkins 2, Andrews 2), Columbia Falls 4 (Boyer 3, Dakin). Total fouls: Flathead 21, Columbia Falls 20. Fouled out: Beckwith, DeHerrera.