Whitefish boys blow by Flathead
The Whitefish boys were not about to let the Flathead Braves sneak up on them again.
The Bulldogs went on a 14-0 run in the first quarter en route to a 68-50 nonconference basketball win over a depleted Flathead squad on Saturday night in Kalispell.
Whitefish senior Aaron Tkachyk nailed three 3-pointers during the run and finished with 22 points. Colt Idol followed with 17 and the Bulldogs avenged a Jan. 2 collapse to the Braves that ended with a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds by Flathead guard Danny Salois.
But in Saturday's game, neither Salois nor Flathead's other two seniors, Tyler Hawkins and Cody Bouley, were suited up after stepping off the team earlier in the week, according to Flathead coach Fred Febach.
"Their explanation to me was they were going to graduate early and move on. That's what I was told," Febach said.
"They moved on and we've moved on."
The departures mean Flathead's starting lineup takes another hit after already losing former standout Brock Osweiler, who graduated early in order to attend Arizona State University this spring.
Up to this point of the season, Hawkins averaged nine points-per-game, Salois averaged just over eight, and Bouley averaged roughly four rebounds-per-game.
The Braves (1-5) started two sophomores, two juniors and a freshman in Saturday's rematch, and began the game right where it left off, with a one-point lead due to a pre-game technical foul. Junior Karl Ingram sank the free throw and eventually scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Freshman George Sherwood netted nine points and grabbed seven boards, and Mike Vanarendonk scored eight for Flathead.
Whitefish's David FauntLeRoy scored 10 and Connor Silliker netted seven.
Unlike previous games this season, Whitefish (4-4) built an early lead and never looked back.
"We didn't get complacent. That's what we struggled with last week and the week before," Whitefish coach Eric Stang said. "We get satisfied with (a lead) too soon, too early."
Flathead outscored Whitefish in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs kept a firm grip on their double-digit advantage.
"There were times there tonight where we got a little complacent, but we kind of pulled our rubber bands around our neck and snapped out of it, and kept building on the momentum that we had," Stang said.
The Bulldogs won their second game in a row and shot exceptionally from the free throw line, making 19-of-24.
"We had a great game, we did a lot of great things, but we'll enjoy it till midnight and come Monday, we'll get ready to go at it again," Stang added.
The Bulldogs are heating up heading into conference play, and Febach said he expects them to make a run at the Northwestern A crown.
And despite losing four seniors, Osweiler included, the Braves' season isn't a toss away either, the Flathead coach said.
"As a group we talked about it," Febach said regarding his remaing team. "We're going to look at it as a positive. It's a chance for other kids to step up, fill a role, play, get valuable experience, and most importantly it's a chance for us to come together as a group and as a team."
"Sometimes you see more about character in a team when they face adversity than when everything is going smoothly," he added. "Yeah, we're going to face some adversity, but I've liked what I've seen from the kids who are left with us."
Febach said his young nucleus is already showing the drive for success, from the freshman level on up.
"My philosophy is, there's no age requirement with leadership," he said. "It's somebody taking it upon themselves, I don't care if it's a freshman or a sophomore or a junior stepping forward and setting an example."
Whitefish 14 19 17 18 - 68
Flathead 5 13 18 14 - 50
Whitefish - Matt Whitehead 3 0-0 6, Aaron Tkaychk 7 5-6 22, Willie Roche 2 0-1 4, Josh Backer 3 4-4 10, Connor Silliker 3 1-2 7, Colt Idol 4 9-10 17, David FauntLeRoy 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 19-24 68.
Flathead - Tanner Salois 4 0-0 8, Ian Gillespie 1 0-0 2, Karl Ingram 7 6-8 20, Jesse Bennett 1 0-2 3, George Sherwood 3 3-4 9, Mike Vanarendonk 3 1-2 8. Totals 19 10-16 50.
3-pointers - Whitefish 3 ( Tkaychk 3), Flathead 2 (Bennett, Vanarendonk)
Total fouls - Whitefish 16, Flathead 21; Total rebounds - Whitefish 39 (Idol 5, FauntLeRoy 5), Flathead 32 (Sherwood 7, Ingram 7); Fouled out - None; Technicals - Whitefish (bench), Flathead (Salois)