Wolfpack seniors shine

Having played together since elementary school, this group of Glacier seniors knows one another on the basketball court about as well as possible.

It showed on Tuesday as the Wolfpack stormed past Missoula Hellgate 65-52 in a Western AA boys game at Glacier High and helped its chance of hosting a playoff game next week.

The seven seniors made sure their (potentially) last game at home was a good one. Senior Shay Smithwick-Hann had a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, classmate Grahm Schmaltz added nine points and the Wolfpack bounced back after a rare loss at home last weekend and hiked its record to 7-4 in conference and 13-6 overall. The team sits in third place with one game left, at Flathead on Friday at 8 p.m. Flathead sits tied for fourth with games against Glacier and Hellgate still to come.

The second-, third- and fourth-place teams in conference will host a play-in game for a bid to the state tournament in Billings.

“We’ve had such a great senior class. All of those guys have a role and they’re so important to our team that I just really appreciate everything they’ve done,” Glacier coach Mark Harkins said. “This is the class that came in as sophomores and they took some lumps that first year. They remember it and they stayed with it and again I was pleased to see them have a good game tonight.”

Glacier found its fast-paced style from the get-go and built

a 38-24 lead by halftime.

“We had some opportunities but never could get over the hump,” Hellgate coach Jim Sampson said.

Tuesday’s game showcased more than the seven seniors — Smithwick-Hann, Schmaltz, Connor Fuller, Freddie Blodnick, Logan Quay, Mario Venturini, Wiley Fusaro — it showed how the Wolfpack has legitimate depth ready and waiting on the bench. Eleven players contributed offensively for Glacier on Tuesday. On the other end, juniors Trey Griffith and Bryan Chery led a hounding defense that forced 19 turnovers. Griffith had four of Glacier’s 11 steals.

“We just play together really well,” said Blodnick, who had five points.

Standing next to Blodnick after the game, Quay echoed his longtime classmate.

“We’ve all been playing together for a real long time, like since fifth grade,” Quay, who had six points, said. “And pretty much everybody on the team is good friends.”

Junior Colter Hanson came off the bench and had six points in the first half and Fuller hit a pair of 3-pointers a la six points and had five rebounds.

“They work extremely hard,” Sampson said of the Wolfpack. “Mark (Harkins) has done a great job of that and they play to their tempo and to their strengths ... They shot the ball well tonight, and they rebounded the ball well tonight. It just came together.”

Sam Hall paced Hellgate (2-9, 6-13) with 10 points, Jesse Ginn had nine and Mitchell Hall made two 3-pointers en route to eight.

Missoula Hellgate    12    12    14    14    —    52

Glacier    15    23    15    12    —    65

HELLGATE — Ben Hartman 2 0-0 6, Sam Hall 5 0-0 10, Mitchell Hall 3 0-0 8, Nick Joscelyn 0 3-5 3, Carsen Hopfauf 2 0-0 5, Cody Oliver 2 1-1 5, Conner Weston 0 0-1 0, Matt Harrison 2 0-1 4, Zach Peevey 1 0-1 2, Jesse Ginn 4 1-1 9, Jake Arledge 0 0-0 0, Dan Clucas 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 5-10 52

GLACIER — Bryan Chery 0 1-2 1, Grahm Schmaltz 4 0-0 9, Marshall Boyland 2 1-2 5, Freddie Blodnick 2 0-1 5, Colter Hanson 3 0-1 6, Shay Smithwick-Hann 7 4-5 20, Logan Quay 3 0-0 6, Trey Griffith 1 2-6 4, Connor Fuller 2 0-0 6, Jacob Leininger 0 1-2 1, Ryan Edwards 1 0-0 2, Mario Venturini 0 0-0 0, Wiley Fusaro 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 9-19 65

3-point goals — Hellgate 5 (Mitchell Hall 2, Hartman 2, Hopfauf), Glacier 6 (Smithwick-Hann 2, Fuller 2, Schmaltz, Blodnick); Rebounds — Hellgate 34 (S. Hall 8, Joscelyn 6), Glacier 35 (Smithwick-Hann 12, Fuller 5); Turnovers — Hellgate 19, Glacier 13; Team fouls — Hellgate 15, Glacier 18; Fouled out — None