Balanced Braves are back
Eight Flathead players score in 72-56 blowout
Seemingly in the driver's seat in mid-February, Flathead lost four of its last five games to force a one-game playoff against Missoula Big Sky, with a berth in the Class AA state tournament on the line.
After showcasing a balanced scoring attack throughout much of the season, the Braves' offense suddenly turned into the two-man game of Brock Osweiler and Geoff Hogan. And the team's record suffered.
"We've gotten away from the team game lately, and it didn't work for us," Hogan said.
On Saturday, the Braves got back to their brand of basketball.
Jeremy DeHerrera scored a game-high 20 points to lead three Flathead players in double figures, as the Braves won 72-56 over Big Sky.
Hogan had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Beau Watkins added 10 points for Flathead, which saw eight players score.
"The key to us winning is a total team effort," Hogan said. "And we got one tonight."
The win gives the Braves their first appearance in the state tournament since 2003, when the team's current seniors were freshmen. DeHerrera is one of those seniors.
"There's no better feeling than this," said DeHerrera, who was drenched with sweat after playing nearly 29 minutes. "I'm exhausted, but it's a good exhausted."
DeHerrera kicked off his team's scoring with a 3-pointer, and had six first-quarter points as the Braves led 16-7 after one.
Flathead's lead grew to 27-9 after Watkins hit a trey with 5:23 left in the first half, but the Eagles rallied to cut their deficit to 33-25 at halftime.
The Braves turned up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, holding Big Sky to eight points.
Paul Morris, who averaged 19 points in the two regular season match-ups against Flathead, had only six points through three quarters thanks to Hogan's defense. DeHerrera was tasked with containing McHale Anderson, the Eagles' outside threat, and held him to seven points in the contest.
Morris finished with 16 points but shot just 4 for 18 from the field. Mitch Johnson also scored 16 for Big Sky (10-11).
"The key to guarding Morris isn't trying to block his shot, it's trying to stay in front of him," said Hogan, who picked up two early fouls but managed to avoid further foul trouble.
"I challenged Geoff by putting him on Morris," Flathead coach Fred Febach said. "And he stepped up to the challenge.
"We set the tone with our defense. The last time we played [Big Sky] we didn't do a very good job."
The fourth quarter turned into a free-throw contest, with Flathead sinking 16 of 21 at the line in the final eight minutes. Mack Andrews sunk 9-of-10 foul shots in the final frame and finished with nine points.
Brock Osweiler shot just 2 for 12 from the field, but finished with eight points, 18 rebounds and two emphatic blocked shots that helped set the tone early.
"They didn't take it inside for a while after that, and I wouldn't have either," Hogan said. "The paint was his area tonight."
Flathead (14-7) will open the state tournament at Butte Civic Center against East No. 1 seed Billings West on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
"Billings West is No. 1, but we can still pull it off," DeHerrera said. "We're the underdog, and we're hoping they look past us."
BRAVES 72, EAGLES 56
Missoula Big Sky 7 18 8 23 - 56
Flathead 16 17 15 24 - 72
Missoula Big Sky - Stephen Tuttle 0-1 1-2 1, Paul Morris 4-18 8-11 16, Sean Rabe 2-3 0-0 4, Ty Owens 0-5 0-0 0, Jordan Taylor 1-1 0-0 2, McHale Anderson 2-5 2-2 7, Blayne Larson 2-2 0-0 6, Mitch Johnson 5-11 4-5 16, Tyler Wisby 0-0 1-5 1, Jordan Featherman 1-5 1-2 3. Totals: 17-51 17-27 56.
Flathead - Ryan Gregg 0-1 0-0 0, Beau Watkins 3-11 2-2 10, Gary Rivers 0-0 0-2 0, Mack Andrews 0-0 9-10 9, Jeremy DeHerrera 7-17 5-8 20, Burk Schaible 0-1 3-4 3, Jason Russell 2-3 1-1 5, Richard Boggs 1-2 0-0 2, Brock Osweiler 2-12 4-8 8, Geoff Hogan 5-10 5-7 15. Totals: 20-57 29-42 72.
3-point goals: Missoula Big Sky 5-14 (Morris 0-4, Anderson 1-4, Larson 2-2, Johnson 2-4), Kalispell 3-12 (Watkins 2-8, DeHerrera 1-3, Russell 0-1). Rebounds: Missoula Big Sky 18 (Rabe 6), Kalispell 45 (Osweiler 18). Total fouls: Missoula Big Sky 27, Kalispell 23. Fouled out: Rabe, Owens, Russell.