Tough openers for Braves, Wolfpack

Kalispell’s two boys basketball teams have quite the challenge awaiting them in Billings this week.

After traveling more than 400 miles, the Flathead Braves and Glacier Wolfpack will have to play arguably the two best teams in Montana in the opening round of the Class AA boys state tournament at MetraPark.

The Braves (12-8 overall) face one of the most decorated players in recent history, Josh Huestis, and the defending champion C.M.R. Rustlers (18-3) at noon on Thursday. Later that day, the Wolfpack (14-7) takes on another hardwood powerhouse, Billings West (18-2), in the nightcap at 8 p.m. The double-elimination tournament ends on Saturday with the 8 p.m. championship.

“I think what happens when it comes down to the state tournament is everyone starts at ground zero and it’s the team that gets hot and plays well right off the bat that succeeds,” Flathead head coach Fred Febach said.

“The question now is ‘What is going to be the X-Factor?’ What team or what person on a team is going to play at a level that people have not anticipated? That is kind of the fun of it, seeing who that’s going to be.”

The turnaround Braves are hoping to regain the spirit of the ’80s, when the program played in three state title games and won twice (1982, 1989). Since then a title drought has taken place and Flathead has come up short in its two appearances in the past 20 years, in 1991 and 2003.

Last year, the program appeared to hit rock bottom as the Braves finished with a 3-18 overall record. It didn’t look hopeful at the start of this season either as Flathead started out 2-4. But the boys went on to win nine of their next 13 games, including a sweep of crosstown Glacier, to finish third in Western AA and earn a state invite for the first time since 2007.

“What I’ve tried to touch on throughout the season is getting to the state tournament is special because it’s so hard to get there,” Febach said.

“We certainly want to enjoy the experience because we feel like we’ve earned our slot.”

Febach credits the revival on the team’s five seniors — Karl Ingram, Tanner Salois, Dean Stimpson, Connor Tice and Jeremy Grosswiler.

“Those five guys made up their minds that they were going to compete at a high level,” Febach said. “Obviously we’ve had a couple younger guys step in also and improve as the season goes along ... It’s been a real team thing. I really like the chemistry with this group of kids.”

At Glacier, the Wolfpack has built a similar foundation. Like Flathead, Glacier doesn’t rely heavily on one star to lead the show. The Wolfpack has three scorers with double-figure averages, seniors Shay Smithwick-Hann (15.1 points per game), Connor Fuller (10.5 ppg) and Grahm Schmaltz (10.1 ppg). The same goes across town at Flathead where the Braves are led by Ingram (13.1 ppg), Salois (10.0 ppg) and sophomore George Sherwood (10.2 ppg).

Smithwick-Hann ranks seventh in AA in scoring and third in rebounding with 9.2 boards per game. Ingram ranks 11th in scoring and eighth in rebounding at 6.9 rpg. Due to an injury, Fuller will not be able to play at state for Glacier, Harkins said.

Last year the Wolfpack advanced to state for the first time and was shell-shocked in the opener against Bozeman, losing 80-58. Harkins said with that first experience out of the way he expects the team to come out with a lot more poise this time around.

“I think last year we were excited to be there, and it’s not that we didn’t want to go and compete but we were very nervous and didn’t know what to expect as a team,” Harkins said. “A lot of the guys that are here this year were there last year and they know what to expect now. They know that we have a tough first-round draw. But they’re excited about it and they’ve been really focused in practice, but not tight. They’ve been very workmanlike.”

C.M.R. and West are the two dynastic forces in AA basketball these days. Between the two programs, they’ve won seven of this decade’s 10 titles. The Rustlers are a perfect 5-for-5 when playing on Saturday night, winning in 2000, ’01, ’02, ’04 and ’09. West has played in the final game four times in that span winning twice, in ’07 and ’08.

Guess who the favorites are again this year?

The Rustlers enter the tournament with the reigning Montana Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in Huestis. The 6-foot-7 senior, who earned a scholarship to play at Stanford next year, will graduate with nearly every basketball honor out there, including last year’s state tournament MVP and last March’s 23rd Annual Hi-Line Invitational MVP. Huestis is third in scoring with 16.9 ppg and first in rebounding with 12.8.

West comes into Thursday with the AA scoring champ, senior Brian Muller (20.3 ppg).

“Our kids know that you’re going to a whole new level. What got you where you are right now isn’t going to be good enough to compete at the state tournament,” Harkins said. “Everybody’s going to bring their very, very best. Last year I think we were just kind of in awe. So the boys now know, in order for us to compete we have to step up to another level.”