Glacier gets another shot at Helena

Glacier came oh so close once before, so the Wolfpack head to Helena High for tonight's Western AA playoff game in boys' basketball pretty relaxed and confident.

Maybe this time they will get the upset.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The playoff-game winner earns a trip to the Class AA state tournament March 6-8 in Great Falls.

"These guys are huge, very big up front," Glacier coach Mark Harkins said of the Bengals.

"We played them really tough (in Helena). The game was tied with a minute to play."

Helena, with five senior starters 6-foot-4 and taller, managed to pull that one out, 60-54.

When the two teams met three weeks later at Glacier on Feb. 15, it was a much different story. Helena rolled to a 51-31 victory.

"They did a great job controlling the tempo," Harkins said.

"They played great defense, packed it in. They force you to score from the outside."

Helena enters this matchup with a 10-10 mark overall. The Bengals have struggled down the stretch, winning just twice in seven games.

Glacier is 3-17 overall. The Wolfpack have dropped 10 in a row.

"We like our chances," Harkins said.

"We know we're the underdogs."

But Harkins said his players have been loose in practice and are focused on the task at hand.

"We've been competitive in a lot of games," he said.

"If the right things happen, if we shoot the ball well, get the tempo up, who knows what will happen."

Glacier's starting lineup will consist of: Connor Fuller, sophomore, 5-foot-10, point guard; Ben Cutler, junior, 5-10, guard; Josh Doty, junior, 6-3, forward; Shay Smithwick-Hann, sophomore, 6-4, forward; and Mike Rasmussen, junior, 6-2, post.

Cutler and Smithwick-Hann are averaging 18.9 and 18.6 points, respectively. Fuller is next at 6.2.

Smithwick-Hann is the leading rebounder, averaging 10.4 per contest. He's also blocking 1.9 shots each time out.

Grant Fink leads the Bengals in scoring, 18.1 points per game. The 6-7 senior also tops the team in rebounds at 12.4.

Steven Foster, 6-6, is averaging three rebounds and six points per game.

Fink had 21 points and nine rebounds in the first meeting with Glacier. Cutler had 22 for the Wolfpack and Smithwick-Hann 12.

Fink and Foster both had nine points in the second meeting. Cutler led all scorers with 11.

"The kids have done a great job all year," Harkins added.

"They came in every day and worked with a great attitude. I just hope they can be successful."