Braves blow out Bulldogs
Flathead moves to 8-2 with 78-54 win over Whitefish
Hey, nobody's perfect. Even after making mincemeat of several defenses throughout Montana, Flathead freshman Brock Osweiler is still prone to rookie mistakes, as he showed Thursday against Whitefish.
Near the end of the third quarter of what was becoming a blowout, Osweiler had a chance to slap an exclamation point on a big bounce-back game after Tuesday's emotional loss at Columbia Falls.
He found himself streaking toward the basket and raised up for a dunk that would have brought down the house. But the shouts of the Flathead faithful were drowned out by the loud clank as Osweiler's potential first in-game jam of the season found the back of the rim.
"When I first got the ball, I saw a Whitefish player in front of me and I wanted to dish the ball off," Osweiler said. "But I knew the fans would go nuts if I didn't try to dunk it, but by the time I took off it was too late. I had no angle.
"I'll get one (a dunk) eventually."
Fortunately for the Braves, that was about all that went wrong for Osweiler on the night. He poured in a game-high 19 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, as Flathead won convincingly, 78-54, over the Bulldogs.
Three other Braves also reached double figures, including junior Geoff Hogan whose three early baskets helped get his team off on the right foot. He finished with 15 points.
"They (Whitefish) kept watching me, and Geoff did a good job sealing off his man and getting into the lane," Osweiler said.
Normally a man-to-man defensive team, Whitefish was forced to run a zone due to the absence of top defender Jake Cummings. Two of the team's other senior leaders, Sam Penzi and Mike McCracken, were both in foul trouble and eventually fouled out.
"We were trying to buy some time and stay out of foul trouble by going with a zone, and it didn't work," Bulldogs coach Derek Schulz said. "We also tried to take care of Osweiler, but Hogan is so dangerous.
"He really hurt us tonight."
Whitefish was also burned by the Braves' outside shooting, as Flathead's five 3-pointers eventually opened up the paint even more for Hogan and Osweiler.
"The outside shooting is so key
to keeping defenses honest," Hogan said. "Our guards really did the job tonight."
Flathead's starting backcourt of Beau Watkins and Jeremy DeHerrera both reached double figures, with DeHerrera scoring 13 points and Watkins 12. In all, nine players tallied for the Braves (8-2).
Senior Cody Idol led Whitefish (4-6) with 12 points. He was the only Bulldog to score more than eight points.
The Braves were also bolstered by much-improved free-throw shooting. After a Shaquille O'Neal-esque 8-of-19 performance from the line in Tuesday's loss to Columbia Falls, Flathead responded by sinking 19 of 24 foul shots against Whitefish.
"It's been a while since we've shot free throws well," Flathead coach Fred Febach said. "That's a big key for us."
Thursday's win marked the halfway point of the season for the Braves. Their next game is next Friday at home against Missoula Big Sky. Whitefish is in action on Saturday when it hosts Hamilton at 6 p.m.
BRAVES 78, BULLDOGS 54
Whitefish 10 14 17 13 - 54
Flathead 23 19 17 19 - 78
Whitefish - Sam Penzi 3 0-0 6, Luke Fennelly 2 2-2 6, Byron Whitcomb, Jeremy Howard 1 2-3 4, Cody Idol 4 3-5 12, Colt Idol 2 3-4 8, Jamie Clogg 2 4-6 8, Mike McCracken 3 1-1 7. Totals: 18 15-21 54.
Flathead - Ryan Gregg 2 0-0 5, Beau Watkins 4 2-2 12, Gary Rivers 0 2-2 2, Mack Andrews 1 1-2 4, Jeremy DeHerrera 5 2-4 13, Jason Russell 1 4-4 6, Richard Boggs 0 2-2 2, Brock Osweiler 7 5-6 19, Geoff Hogan 7 1-2 15. Totals: 27 19-24 78
3-point goals: Whitefish 3 (Whitcomb, Cory Idol, Colt Idol), Flathead 5 (Gregg, Watkins 2, Andrews, DeHerrera). Total fouls: Whitefish 22, Flathead 21. Fouled out: Penzi, McCracken.