So where were we?
Break is over for local hoops scene
The Daily Inter Lake
Time to kick it back into gear with the holidays being over.
So where were we?
The Eureka high school boys basketball team was the hottest team in northwest Montana prior to the Christmas and New Year's break.
Isiah Linnell is averaging 17.8 points per game with 8.2 rebounds per game and - along with Danny Cameron, Spencer Sartori, Zach Richter, Tony Boka, Clete DeShazer and John Davis - has the Lions off to a 6-0 start. They are 3-0 in Northwestern A play with a road victory over preseason favorite Libby.
The two-time defending state champion Columbia Falls Wildcats are right on the Lions' heels with a 2-0 conference record. The team with no returning starters from last year is 4-2 overall with losses to Class AA Flathead and Southwestern A Frenchtown. But Chase Grilley, Karsten Peterson, Dustin Gibson, Chase Fairbank and Co. are finding a groove where more than 10 players are seeing a lot of action in each game. Coach Cary Finberg's subsitutions of rotating five players in at a time is becoming a common scene.
"This is so much fun being a part of the wins instead of just being a mop-up player," said Grilley, who is a junior. "We aren't as big as those state championship teams (from Columbia Falls) so we have to work a lot harder and play more as a team. We have to trust our teammates a lot more. Having all this depth is a cool feeling. The second unit that goes in either gains us some points or keeps us where we are. They don't lose anything. We are all equally talented."
Libby is 2-1 in conference and 4-1 overall with its lone loss to Eureka. Jim Mee leads all of northwest Montana in scoring with 22.6 points per game. Kyle Baker and Charley May are also scoring more than 10 points per game apiece.
The Class AA Flathead High School boys got to spend the holidays with a good feeling in their stomachs after beating Helena Capital 65-49 on Dec. 22. But that score wasn't really indicative of the beating the Braves put on after leading
25-8 and 38-16. The victory evened the Braves' Western AA record to 1-1. They are 3-2 overall with losses to Couer d'Alene and Helena High. Brock Osweiler's 15.0 points per game and Danny Salois' 11.3 points per game lead the Braves.
The most surprising aspect of the Braves this season is not the play of the 6-foot-8 Osweiler or junior post Geoff Hogan, but the play of the team's guards with Jake Thiesen leading the way.
"When Geoff and Brock get going early, teams have to get down on them and confine them in some way and that leaves us some shooters outside," FHS coach Fred Febach said. "I believe I have some kids that can shoot the ball. We are a good basketball team and teams are going to have to play well to beat us if we don't beat ourselves."
On the girls side of the local hoops scene, Bigfork was the hottest team going into the break. The Valkeryies are 3-0 in Northwestern A games and 5-1 on the year. Their only loss was to Class AA power Missoula Big Sky - and the Vals still put up 51 points. Hatie Bowen and Alyssa Fierro are each scoring more than 10 points per game to lead the Vals.
Only one other team has a none-losing overall record in the Northwestern A. That's Columbia Falls, which is 3-3. But the Wildkats are fourth in the conference standings at 1-1 because Whitefish is 2-0 and Polson is 2-1.
Whitefish is led by the conference's leading scorer in Ashley Ferda. She is scoring 16.2 points per game. While the Bulldogs are unbeaten in conference play, they are 2-4 overall.
Polson is led by Lisa Mathias' 8.5 points per game. Like Whitefish, the Pirates' only victories on the season are against Northwestern A opponents. They are also 2-4 overall.
While the Eureka boys and Bigfork girls may have been the hottest teams going into the break, the Class AA Flathead girls may be raising the most eyebrows.
Although the Bravettes have had to spend the holiday break with a rotten feeling in their stomachs after a 62-58 Western AA loss at Helena Capital on Dec. 22, they were riding a four-game winning streak prior to the loss. The Bravettes are 1-1 in conference and 4-2 overall. New head coach Kim Elliott has the Bravettes playing an uptempo, exciting game where 12 different players have all scored in three games. Kendalyn Habel and Lindsay Ingram are averaging 11.8 and 8.5 points per game, respectively.
NW Montana Stats/Standings
As of Dec. 31, 2006
Boys
Western AA
Conf. Overall
W-L W-L
Butte 1-0 4-2
Big Sky 1-0 5-1
Helena 1-1 2-3
Flathead 1-1 3-2
Sentinel 0-0 5-1
Capital 0-1 2-3
Hellgate 0-1 3-3
Northwestern A
Eureka 3-0 6-0
C. Falls 2-0 4-2
Libby 2-1 4-1
Ronan 1-1 3-3
Polson 1-2 2-4
Whitefish 0-2 0-6
Bigfork 0-3 0-6
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Scoring
PPG
Mee, Lib. 22.6
Idol, Wf. 17.8
Linnell, Eur. 17.8
Osweiler, Flat. 15.0
Tanner, Ron. 13.8
Grilley, CF 13.3
Benedict, Bf. 12.3
Baker, Lib. 12.2
Barber, Ron. 12.0
Peterson, CF 11.8
Salois, Flat. 11.3
May, Lib. 10.8
Girls
Western AA
Conf. Overall
W-L W-L
Butte 1-0 4-2
Big Sky 1-0 4-2
Capital 1-0 2-3
Flathead 1-1 4-2
Sentinel 0-0 6-0
Hellgate 0-1 3-3
Helena 0-2 1-4
Northwestern A
Bigfork 3-0 5-1
Whitefish 2-0 2-4
Polson 2-1 2-4
C. Falls 1-1 3-3
Libby 0-2 2-3
Ronan 0-2 2-4
Eureka 0-2 1-4
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Scoring
PPG
Ferda, Wf. 16.2
Mee, Lib. 13.5
Roberts, Eur. 12.7
Habel. Flat. 11.8
Karper, CF 11.0
Bowen, Bf. 10.5
Fierro, Bf. 10.2
Boyer, CF 9.7
Mathias, Pol. 8.7
Ingram, Flat. 8.5
Dedrick, Lib. 8.5
Spencer, CF 8.2