Dogs upend Loggers
WHITEFISH — With the help of a strong supporting cast, Connor Silliker and his fellow Whitefish seniors earned one last victory lap at the Dog Pound.
Silliker grinded out 16 points and nine rebounds while sophomore Gage Vasquez had 17 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 49-40 Northwestern A boys basketball victory over Libby on senior night at Whitefish High on Thursday.
“It feels awesome, but it’s sad in an aspect,” Silliker said afterward. “I love playing here. I love the fans, I love the town, I love the school. I’m going to miss it, but this is a great way to go out.”
Whitefish has now won two straight and three of the last four and finishes the regular season 6-12 overall and 2-6 in conference for fifth-place. The Northwestern A divisional tournament starts next Thursday at Glacier High where the top two teams will advance to the state tournament in Butte.
Silliker cashed in seven first-quarter points to give Whitefish a lead that lasted until midway through the third quarter. Libby clawed back with a 7-0 run to make it 28-27 with just under three minutes in the third. But Silliker didn’t let it last and scored four-straight points to retain the advantage.
The Loggers again fought back to within one point with under three minutes left in the fourth, but this time it was Vasquez’s turn to take over. The 6-foot-4 forward scored six of Whitefish’s eight unanswered points and crippled the Loggers for good.
“It was great to see players stepping up like that in a crunch-time situation,” Silliker said.
The Bulldogs went 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and 13-for-19 overall.
But enough about offense, Whitefish head coach Mark Casazza couldn’t say enough about the defense.
“We’re finally playing team defense. That’s what we’ve got to do to be good,” he said. “It was just a team effort and we did it on the defensive end.”
Libby junior Kelly May started the game shooting 3-for-3 from behind the arc and finished with a game-high 21 points. But the Loggers couldn’t produce a second threat on offense and also hit the skids at the free throw line, shooting 4-for-12.
“That’s not going to win many ball games,” Libby coach Wally Winslow said of the team’s free throw shooting.
TJ Benson added eight points, Cree Maloney had five and the third-place Loggers fell to 3-5 in conference and 8-10 overall.
“We executed OK, got some good looks but we broke down defensively a few too many times in the end and that was crucial,” Winslow said. “We need to score more than 40 points though.”
Following the victory, the Whitefish student section rushed the court and gave the Bulldogs some bittersweet affection. After that, the five Whitefish seniors — Silliker, Cole Havens, Zach Maassen, Austin Green and Willie Roche — crossed from one end of the court to the another hand in hand, circled by cheering friends, fans and family.
“It was great for those seniors to go out like that,” Casazza said. “Crashing the boards, playing team defense, this team is doing the little things you have to do to win. This gives them some confidence now heading into the divisional tournament.”
Libby 9 9 13 9 — 40
Whitefish 11 12 10 16 — 49
LIBBY — TJ Benson 3 0-0 8, Cree Maloney 2 1-4 5, Kelly May 7 3-6 21, Garrett Craig 0 0-1 0, Colton Cannon 1 0-0 2, Nate Broden 1 0-1 2, Alex Cislo 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 4-12 40.
WHITEFISH — Mac Roche 2 0-0 4, Kyler Blades 2 0-0 6, Austin Green 1 2-4 4, Cole Havens 0 2-2 2, Gage Vasquez 7 3-4 17, Connor Silliker 5 6-9 16, Drew Galbraith 0 0-0 0, Cooper Olson 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 13-19 49.
3-point goals — Libby 6 (May 4, Benson 2), Whitefish 2 (Blades 2); Team fouls — Libby 14, Whitefish 14; Fouled out — None
CLARIFICATION (Feb. 19) — Whitefish senior Willie Roche joined the four others in senior night honors following the game. Roche, a former starter, was lost for the season due to an injury in a previous game.