Fuller, Glacier outhustle Big Sky
Football season is over, but Glacier guard Connor Fuller is still playing like the team's fullback.
With less than six seconds left in Saturday's Western AA basketball game between Glacier and Missoula Big Sky, the 5-foot-11 junior dove to the ground into a pile of players and wrapped his hands around the basketball. They were still glued to the ball when a resounding whistle stopped the play, and the lead referee stuck his thumbs in the air, signaling a jump ball. Every head in the gym turned quickly towards the red possession arrow. Glacier ball, Glacier victory.
Fuller, a starting fullback for the Wolfpack football team, finished with three points including the deciding basket and the Wolfpack narrowly out-did the Eagles 51-48 on Senior Day at Glacier High.
"Connor Fuller came out and scrapped and clawed," Glacier coach Mark Harkins said. "He made some huge hustle plays, just like a lot of our kids did today."
Senior Ben Cutler scored a game-high 23 points, Shay Smithwick-Hann had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and the fifth-ranked Wolfpack won its fifth-straight game, all against conference foes.
Spencer Powell paced the Eagles with 12 points and Mike LaValley added 11.
"It was a great game. Both teams just battled their hearts out," Harkins said.
The final minute of play went back and forth with each team trading leads, but it was Fuller's put-back lay-in that gave Glacier a one-point lead with 30 seconds left. Big Sky rushed down court and put up an errant shot that fell to the court. After Fuller won the scrum and Glacier got the ball, Big Sky fouled Smithwick-Hann, who hit two clutch free throws to put the Pack up by three. Big Sky got the ball back with 3.8-seconds left, but failed to get a good look for a final shot.
"We were able to win in a half court game, which is important for us," Harkins said. "As defenses get better and better, you're going to have to score in a half court game. We missed a lot of shots, and we found other ways to score."
The Wolfpack trailed by as many as eight and scored only eight points in the second quarter.
"Credit to Big Sky. They came out and dictated tempo like crazy," Harkins said. "They were in control the first part of the game."
Big Sky built a lead after Glacier went ice cold. The team shot 7-for-25 from the floor in the first half and went 0-for-5 from three-point range.
In the second half, the temperature started rising for the Wolfpack offense, and the old run and gun machine came to life.
"We got the tempo up to where we wanted it and went from there," Harkins said. "Then the fourth quarter kind of turned into a slugfest."
Ben Sansaver finished with four points, Logan Quay chipped in four of his own as the Wolfpack went 9-0 at home this season.
Missoula Big Sky 11 14 10 13 48
Glacier 11 8 19 13 51
BIG SKY Evan Klaudt 1 4-4 6, Spencer Powell 5 2-4 12, Mike LaValley 5 0-0 11, Brandt Montelius 2 0-0 4, Ryan Devlin 2 2-3 6, Drew Owens 0 1-2 1, Ed Apostol 2 0-0 4, Brooks Nuanez 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 9-13 48.
GLACIER Josh Doty 1 0-0 3, Connor Fuller 1 1-2 3, Shay Smithwick-Hann 4 4-5 12, Logan Quay 2 0-0 4, Mike Rasmussen 1 0-2 2, Ben Cutler 7 5-7 23, Ben Sansaver 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 10-16 51.
3-point goals Big Sky 1 (LaValley), Glacier 3 (Cutler 2, Doty 1). Total fouls Big Sky 21, Glacier 15. Fouled out none; Total rebounds Big Sky 31 (Montelius 8), Glacier 36 Smithwick-Hann 12); Turnovers Big Sky 11, Glacier 12