Idol too hot to handle
WHS star breaks school record with 39-point effort
WHITEFISH - Whitefish's offense was packing plenty of heat Thursday night at the WHS gym.
Colt Idol exploded for a school record 39 points and Shawn Watterud helped out with 23 as the Bulldogs rolled past Libby 90-64 for a Northwestern A boys' basketball victory.
"I got my looks," Idol said of his big night.
"If I get a few in a row, I feel more confident. When I'm not forcing shots, I get a higher percentage."
Idol came out firing early, scoring 16 points in the opening eight minutes as Whitefish jumped out to a 20-13 advantage.
Libby fought back to trail 36-34 at the half, but then Watterud went on the offensive with three treys en route to a 16-point third quarter as the Bulldogs went back in front 65-52. It turned out to be a 29-point quarter for Whitefish and Libby never recovered.
"I was focusing on defense," WHS coach Eric Stang said.
"I wasn't paying attention to all the buckets we were hitting."
Idol scored Whitefish's first six points in the contest to get the Bulldogs off to a good start.
He finished with six treys and went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
"It was the first game where he (Watterud) and I were clicking together," Idol said.
"Shawn was so confident in his shots. Even before he shot it, I knew it was going in."
Watterud came in averaging 12 points per game. He also had a big night on the defensive side with a team-high five steals.
Idol's trey with 4:35 to play was the one that broke the record. Whitefish led at that point 75-60.
Idol set the school record on Dec. 14 at home versus Glacier with a 38-point performance. In that contest, he was held scoreless in the opening quarter.
Idol came in averaging 21.4 points per game. Libby's Jim Mee, the league's No. 2 scorer at 21.2, finished with 24.
Whitefish (9-8, 5-5 Northwestern A) connected on 10 treys, which accounted for one-third of its scoring. The Bulldogs had an equally impressive night at the free- throw line, going 22-for-27.
The 90 points was a season high.
"It was huge, a must win for us," Stang said.
"What most pleased me was we had a team effort. Everyone contributed in some way."
Jake Smith led Whitefish in rebounding (10) and Matt Whitehead was tops in assists with six.
David FauntLeRoy had 11 points to give the Bulldogs three in double figures. Nine WHS players scored in the contest.
"I was pretty disgusted at half time," Stang said.
"We did a great job in the first quarter dominating the boards. We had three or four offensive rebounds. I think we got comfortable a little bit (in the second quarter) and they scratched their way back into it."
Stang told his players to "body up on somebody" in the second half. He didn't want Mee, Joel Fuller and Bryan Cooper taking over.
Fuller finished with 11 points and Cooper had seven.
Conner Benson had 12 points for the Loggers.
Whitefish concludes regular-season action Saturday at Frenchtown while Libby (9-8, 4-5) entertains Polson.
Libby 13 21 18 12 - 64
Whitefish 20 16 29 25 - 90
Libby (9-8, 4-5) - Zack Rowan 2 1-3 6, Conner Benson 5 2-2 12, Jim Mee 8 7-7 24, Joel Fuller 4 3-5 11, Colton Cannon 1 0-0 2, Bryan Cooper 3 1-2 7, Kelly May 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 14-19 64.
Whitefish (9-8, 5-5) - Matt Whitehead 0 2-2 2, Shawn Watterud 9 2-2 23, Alex Elespuru 1 0-0 3, Willie Roche 1 0-0 2, Marc Hotzfield 1 2-2 4, Colt Idol 13 7-8 39, Connor Silliker 1 1-3 3, Jake Smith 0 3-4 3, David FauntLeRoy 3 5-6 11. Totals: 29 22-27 90.
3-point goals: Rowan, Mee; Watterud (3), Elespuru, Idol (6); Team fouls: Libby 21, Whitefish 16; Fouled out: None.