Vikings outlast Glacier in opener
The Wolfpack's anxious wait grew longer than expected, and its performance was even better than anticipated.
The Glacier High School boys' basketball team made an encouraging debut Friday night, losing a 71-57 nonconference game to visiting Coeur d'Alene.
The opening tip, scheduled for 7 o'clock, was pushed back more than two hours after the Vikings' bus got a late start from Idaho before suffering a slight detour near Montana 200.
Class AA's newest team shrugged off the delay, hanging with one of Idaho's elite programs while never looking overwhelmed.
Glacier took a 3-0 lead when sophomore forward Shay Smithwick-Hann nailed an opening-minute 3-pointer. The Wolfpack led through most of the first quarter, and went to halftime trailing 32-28.
"Coeur d'Alene beat the defending 5A champs in Idaho a couple weeks ago, and we played hard the whole game," Smithwick-Hann said. "We've got five guys that can work together, and then the guys coming off the bench played amazing."
Junior guard Ben Cutler led the Wolfpack with 16 points, followed by sophomore guard Connor Fuller with 11. Smithwick-Hann tallied nine points, along with a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Ben Sansaver had seven points and three rebounds, while junior forward Josh Doty totaled six points and four boards.
The Wolfpack held a slight height advantage over the guard-oriented Vikings, but Coeur d'Alene's speed and pressure defense allowed it to gradually pull away in the second half.
"I was really encouraged with our effort," Glacier coach Mark Harkins said. "We played hard. That's the No. 1 key to our game, and those kids played their hearts out."
Glacier shot 46.4 percent from the floor, but made only 12 of 28 free throws while committing 15 costly turnovers.
"They kind of pressured the ball a little bit more (in the second half)," Smithwick-Hann said. "That kind of put us in a funk a little bit, but we just needed to take the ball to the hole a little bit more and kick it out."
Coeur d'Alene shot 36.1 percent from the field. The Vikings drained seven of 19 3-pointers, but few came from wide-open looks.
Devin Austin led the Vikings with 26 points, followed by Nate Clinton with 14.
"They're a great shooting team, but I was pleased (with our defense)," Harkins said. "We've got things we can work on.
"We need to identify shooters when we're in the zone, and maybe put a hand up. But for the most part, for our first game, execution-wise, both man and zone, I was pleased."
Coeur d'Alene coach Kent Leiss made a victorious return to Kalispell after guiding Flathead to the 2003 state tournament when Harkins was a Braves assistant.
The Wolfpack is back on the floor today, hosting Great Falls CMR at 4:30 p.m.
Coeur d'Alene 22 10 15 24 - 71
Glacier 14 14 6 23 - 57
COEUR D'ALENE (4-0) - Devon Austin 26, Nate Clinton 14, Jon LaTorre 8, Andrew Prohaska 6, Johnny Carlson 4, Brad Mitchell 4, Connor Williams 4, Taki Ahhee 3, Darin Palmer 2.
GLACIER (0-1) - Ben Cutler 16, Connor Fuller 11, Shay Smithwick-Hann 9, Ben Sansaver 7, Josh Doty 6, Kramer Wilson 2, Mike Rasmussen 2, Cody Grosswiler 2, Logan Quay 2.
3-point goals - CDA 7-19, Gla. 3-13. Rebounds - CDA 51, Gla 33. Steals - CDA 2, Gla 4. Blocks - CDA 1, Gla 0. Turnovers - CDA 10, Gla. 15. Fouled out - Clinton, Doty.