FauntLeRoy sparks Whitefish past Polson
The Whitefish Bulldogs were misfiring on offense and the fuel tank looked empty at times, but David FauntLeRoy provided just the spark they needed.
As a result, the 'Dogs are revved up and heading to Great Falls.
The 6-foot-2 senior co-captain scored a game-high 16 points and helped Whitefish edge Polson 45-41 in a Northwestern A boys divisional challenge game on Monday at Glacier High.
"I look at myself as a spark plug, I just try to bring energy to everything I do," FauntLeRoy said. "I'm not gonna be the guy putting up all the points, but I'll be the guy setting the screens, trying to get the rebounds, just doing what I can to help my team win."
FauntLeRoy's workmanlike performance nearly wasn't enough as Polson came millimeters from taking the lead in the final seconds.
Waylon Michel, who had already drained a 3-pointer for the Pirates, caught the ball and fired a shot straight towards the hoop as the entire gymnasium seemed to hold its breath. The ball spiraled around the rim and barely slipped out and into the hands of Whitefish's Josh Backer, who hit a pair of free throws for the final score.
After that, the Bulldogs could start breathing again.
"Fortunately, he didn't hit it," Whitefish coach Eric Stang said of Michel's potential game-winner.
"It was just one of those nip and tuck games," Polson coach Karl Tait said, "and that end, you know, we had that three and Waylon (Michel) had it lined up perfectly, but what can you do in those situations, you know."
The Bulldogs eliminated the Pirates and locked up second-place from the divisional tournament. They follow first-place Columbia Falls to Great Falls for the state tournament, which begins March 12.
Whitefish came into the divisional as the regular-season champion with a 12-game winning streak. But rival Columbia Falls upended the 'Dogs and suddenly the No. 1-seeded team was climbing up through the consolation bracket with its season on the line.
"Our entire career's came down to 32 minutes and none of us wanted to stop here," FauntLeRoy said. "The guys are stoked that we're going (to state). Now we just want to work on what we need to and hopefully surprise some people."
"He was definitely our MVP for the divisional tournament," Stang said of FauntLeRoy. "It's great when you can have a senior leader come through and do that for you."
Backer scored 10 points, Colt Idol had 9 and Matt Whitehead scored six for Whitefish. Ryan Kelley netted 10 and Tim Rausch and Craig Bagnell chipped in 8 apiece for Polson.
Two days after the traditional divisional tournament finished, both teams took the court with a score to settle. But instead of it turning into a shootout, the game became a defensive contest.
"Our defense stepped up," Stang said. "That's a big reason for why we won tonight, because offensively we were a little flat and had some silly turnovers at the end that we don't need."
The Bulldogs came out in the third quarter with a 6-point lead and let it be known they weren't giving it up easily. On almost every defensive stand, all five players on the court slapped the hardwood.
"Defense is where you win basketball games," said Stang, who was taught the floor-slapping tradition at an early age and embedded it into the Bulldogs from day one. "You gotta play with a fire and intensity … so you slap the floor to get yourself ready to go and show that you're ready to play defense."
It paid off in the final two periods. The Bulldogs managed only 18 second-half points but kept the Pirates right in tow.
FauntLeRoy had four of Whitefish's six points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. The game was knotted at 41-all with 1:20 left until Idol hit a baseline jump shot for Whitefish. After a timeout, Polson came out running a weave of passes around the court, but missed a contested shot in the paint. After that, Backer shouldered the final-minute-pressure from the free throw line and hit 2-of-3.
"At the end, we had a couple plays set up but I guess we got caught up in the atmosphere," Tait said. "It's one of the hardest games we've played all year as far as everybody contributing."
Whitefish 10 17 8 10 - 45
Polson 13 8 10 10 - 41
WHITEFISH - Matt Whitehead 2 1-3 6, Aaron Tkachyk 1 0-0 2, Josh Backer 2 6-7 10, Connor Silliker 0 2-2 2, Colt Idol 4 0-1 9, David FauntLeRoy 7 2-3 16. Totals 16 11-16 45
POLSON - Craig Bagnell 3 2-2 8, Kyle Bagnell 1 3-4 5, Waylon Michel 2 0-0 5, Tim Rausch 3 2-2 8, Ryan Kelley 3 4-5 10, Louis Mohr 2 0-0 5. Totals 14 11-13 41.
3-point goals: Whitefish 2 (Whitehead, Idol), Polson 2 (Michel, Mohr); Total fouls: Whitefish 15, Polson 17; Fouled out: Polson (C.Bagnell)