Playoff games at FHS on Thursday
The Daily Inter Lake
Flathead High School will host two Western AA basketball playoff games on Thursday.
The Bravettes will entertain Missoula Big Sky at 5:30 p.m. with the Braves welcoming Helena High to the FHS gym at 7.
No season passes will be accepted. General admission for adults is $6 and for students $4.
Reserved seats will not be sold. Doors open at 4 p.m.
The Braves (12-8, 6-6) and Bravettes (14-6, 8-4) both finished as No. 4 seeds in league play. Big Sky (11-8, 7-5) and Helena High (7-13, 4-8) are No. 5 seeds.
Thursday's winners advance to the Class AA state tournament March 8-10 in Billings.
The FHS boys and Helena split during the regular season. The Braves lost in Helena, 59-50, but won at home, 82-75.
The Braves own a 7-2 mark at home.
"We believe we do," said FHS boys coach Fred Febach of his Braves matching up well with the Bengals.
"They have some good size, some good athletes. What we're looking to do is find our shooting shoes."
Flathead shot just 20 percent (10 of 50) in Saturday's loss at Butte.
"The ball wouldn't go for us," Febach said.
"One of those games where it didn't seem to be (our day)."
The FHS girls also split with its playoff foe - Big Sky. The Bravettes beat the Eagles at home, 59-52, but lost at Big Sky, 55-38.
The Bravettes are 9-1 at home this season. The lone loss was to C.M. Russell.
"It will be a tough matchup for us because of (Big Sky's) Jocelyn Tinkle," said FHS girls coach Kim Elliott.
"She's just an incredible basketball player."
Tinkle scored 16 points in the meeting in Missoula, 18 in Kalispell.
"This is a huge game for (our) seniors," Elliott said.
"Any gal who has ever put on a Bravette uniform should come out and support them. These girls do play off the fans, get energy (from that)."
The Flathead girls finished in a four-way tie for first place in the conference with Helena Capital, Missoula Sentinel and Butte, all with 8-4 marks, but because of tie-breakers, dropped to the fourth seed.
Capital's sweep of Big Sky, which was the next highest placer, gave the Bruins the No. 1 seed.
Sentinel picked up the No. 2 seed with Butte No. 3.
Had Flathead beaten Butte in Butte on Saturday, the Bravettes would have gained the No. 1 seed.
The top two seeds automatically advance to state.
Butte and Missoula Sentinel finished 1-2, respectively, in the boys standings to earn automatic trips to state.
Final Standings
Western AA Boys
League Overall
W L W L
Butte 10 2 15 5
Missoula Sentinel 8 4 15 5
Helena Capital 8 4 11 9
Flathead 6 6 12 8
Helena High 4 8 7 13
Missoula Big Sky 3 9 8 11
Missoula Hellgate 3 9 7 13
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Western AA Girls
Helena Capital 8 4 11 9
Missoula Sentinel 8 4 15 5
Butte 8 4 13 7
Flathead 8 4 14 6
Missoula Big Sky 7 5 11 8
Helena High 3 9 6 14
Missoula Hellgate 0 12 4 16