Glacier tops Columbia Falls in OT

If and when the debate ever occurs about the greatest basketball games played in Kalispell in recent history, Friday night’s unforgettable clash at Glacier High is sure to be mentioned.

This one had it all.

After missing a shot to win it with no time left in the fourth quarter, the Glacier boys found themselves trailing the undefeated Columbia Falls Wildcats by four points with 13.5 seconds left in overtime. Columbia Falls, the No. 1 ranked team in Class A, had their 11th-straight-victory moments away, until Glacier senior Connor Fuller pushed down court and into the paint where he muscled in a three-point play.

Suddenly the Wolfpack was only down 63-62. Following a timeout, Glacier’s defenders swarmed Columbia Falls’ inbound pass and intercepted the ball.

Amidst a jet-like roar inside the near-sold-out gymnasium, Glacier’s Shay Smithwick-Hann pushed into the paint with the ball and threw up a contested shot that fell with 5.5 seconds left, giving the reborn Wolfpack the lead for the first time since the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

The 6-foot-4 senior made the free throw for the three-point play, and the score hit its final standing — 65-63.

Columbia Falls desperately managed to put up three shots in the final seconds and the last one went in, but at that point it was too late. The referees waved their hands in the air as the buzzer sounded, which no one could hear anyhow.

The Glacier fans stormed the court. The Columbia Falls fans stormed home.

“That was amazing. It was an amazing, amazing game,” Glacier coach Mark Harkins said moments after the thrilling finish. “They’re so good, and it’s such a great team and for our guys to compete and be down and handle some adversity when things didn’t look real good, I was so proud of them.

“That’s the most electric game we’ve ever had here.”

Smithwick-Hann finished with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds while Fuller finished with 17 points for the Wolfpack (6-3), which hit 10 3-pointers in the game, including two by Trey Griffith late in the fourth that gave the team its last lead until overtime. Grahm Schmaltz scored all nine of his points off treys.

“Coach Harkins said in the locker room, there’s never been a game like this in Glacier High School history and you know I don’t think there ever will be or not for a long time,” Smithwick-Hann said. “It was just a great experience. I’m glad to be a part of it.”

In a game that had 11 lead changes, Columbia Falls (10-1) forced three key Glacier turnovers and retook the advantage in the final minute of the fourth after sophomore Austin Barth hit two free throws, making it 53-51. In the following possession, Kyle Howell stole the ball for the Wildcats and earned a trip to the line, hitting one and making it 54-51 with 30 seconds left. Following a timeout, Glacier junior Bryan Chery stepped up and banked in a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to tie the game.

Moments later, Columbia Falls looked intent on taking the last shot of the game, but, with four seconds left, Fuller swooped in, grabbed the ball and raced down court. In a race against time, Fuller hurried off a shot and drew the deadly foul as the buzzer sounded, earning a one-and-one free throw with no time remaining. But the potential game-winning shot was not to be and Fuller hit the rim and it bounced off.

“That was the loudest I’ve ever heard a gym and when Connor Fuller was shooting that last free throw that was just crazy,” Smithwick-Hann said. “I think the room was shaking, that’s probably why he missed it.”

Senior Michael Williams led Columbia Falls with 16 points, Howell had 12 and Mitchell Wassam had 11 and the Wildcats lost their first game since last March’s Class A state championship finale.

“We had our chances. I mean we were up and give Glacier credit, they hit some shots down the stretch and we had our chances to put them away,” Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg said. “Losing right now hurts, losing any time hurts, but like I said our goal wasn’t to go undefeated, our goal is to be ready at the end of the year. This game is going to help us. Unfortunately things didn’t go our way tonight and I would love to watch the film and see what happened because there were mindboggling plays there.”

NOTES: The biggest lead of the game was seven points and only lasted for less than a minute. Columbia Falls led 34-27 just before halftime but Fuller cut it within five just before intermission. Neither team led by more than four in the second half.

Columbia Falls    20    14    7    13    9    — 63

Glacier    18    11    13    12    11    —    65

COLUMBIA FALLS (10-1) — Kyle Howell 4 3-6 12, Nick Emerson 3 2-3 8, Tim Spencer 1 0-0 2, Austin Barth 2 4-5 8, Mitchell Wassam 3 4-4 11, Kaleb Johnson 1 3-4 6, Michael Williams 6 4-5 16. Totals 20 20-27 63.

GLACIER (6-3) — Grahm Schmaltz 3 0-0 9, Bryan Chery 2 0-0 5, Freddie Blodnick 0 1-2 1, Colter Hanson 2 0-0 5, Shay Smithwick-Hann 8 3-7 20, Logan Quay 1 0-0 2, Trey Griffith 2 0-0 6, Connor Fuller 6 3-4 17, Wiley Fusaro 0 0-0 0, Marshall Boyland 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 7-13 65.

3-point goals — Columbia Falls 3 (Howell, Wassam, Johnson), Glacier 10 (Schmaltz 3, Griffith 2, Fuller 2, Chery, Hanson, Smithwick-Hann); Rebounds — Columbia Falls 27 (Johnson 9, Barth 6, Williams 4, Howell 4), Glacier 19 Smithwick-Hann 11); Assists — Columbia Falls 8 (Barth 4), Glacier 13 (Smithwick-Hann 4, Fuller 4); Team turnovers — Columbia Falls 21, Glacier 18; Team fouls — Columbia Falls 15, Glacier 20; Fouled out — None. Technical — Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg.