Flathead takes 2 from Hellgate
A pair of free throws by senior guard Matt McLean clinched a nail-biter for the Flathead boys, as the Braves escaped with a 71-69 home win over Hellgate on Thursday.
The Braves led by as many as 13 in the second half but faced a barrage of 3s from the Knights, who caught fire in the fourth quarter. Hellgate hit five of its seven 3s in the fourth, closing a pair of sizable leads by the Braves and tying the score with just six seconds to play.
“It was unbelievable,” Flathead coach Fred Febach said. “We did everything we could, they were just hitting everything.”
But they fouled the wrong player at the end, as McLean hit both of his free throws to seal the win for the Braves. McLean was an astounding 15 for 15 from the charity stripe, hitting just one field goal in the game, a 3-pointer in the first quarter, to finish with a team-high 18 points.
Hellgate shot 68 percent from the field in the second half, and was 7 for 15 from deep in the game, including 5 for 9 after halftime. Flathead was saved at the free-throw line, shooting 72 percent as a team making 20 of 27 in the second half. Hellgate hit just eight free throws all game.
Three Braves finished in double figures, with George Sherwood scoring 17 points and Shea Schroeder adding 13 and eight rebounds.
The win clinches a home game for the Braves in next week’s play-in game. They are currently 6-5 in Western AA, just a game up on Missoula Sentinel, but hold a tiebreaker with the Spartans after winning both meetings this season. Flathead closes the regular season at 8 p.m. tonight at Glacier.
Missoula Hellgate 14 13 16 26 — 69
Flathead 19 16 11 25 — 71
MISSOULA HELLGATE — Harvala 4-6 0-0 11, Dylan Bewley 0-1 0-0 0, Brady Henthorn 5-8 0-0 11, Brendan Jones 5-8 1-2 14, Kyle Booi 1-4 0-0 2, Jake Arledge 2-3 0-1 4, Kole Swartz 1-1 0-1 2, Zach Peevey 8-14 7-8 23, Lucas Wittkopp 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 27-48 8-12 69.
FLATHEAD — Chris Cronk 2-3 0-0 4, Matt Tokarz 1-5 1-1 3, Drew Crosby 1-2 0-0 3, Matt McLean 1-1 15-15 18, George Sherwood 7-13 2-4 17, Austin Jones 4-6 1-3 9, Shea Schroeder 3-5 7-11 13, Nick James 2-2 0-1 4. Totals: 21-37 26-36 71.
3-point goals: Hellgate 7-15 (Harvala 3-4, Bewley 0-1, Henthorn 1-3, Jones 3-3, Arledge 0-1, Peevey 0-3); Flathead 3-9 (Cronk 0-1, Tokarz 0-2, Crosby 1-2, McLean 1-1, Sherwood 1-3); Rebounds: Hellgate 24 (Peevey 6); Flathead 23 (Schroeder 8); Assists: Hellgate 12 (Arledge 3); Flathead 12 (Sherwood 4); Steals: Hellgate 8 (Peevey 5); Flathead 8 (McLean 3); Turnovers: Hellgate 14; Flathead 14; Team fouls: Hellgate 27, Flathead 13; Fouled out: None.
Girls
Flathead 34, Hellgate 24
MISSOULA — The Flathead girls grinded out a 34-24 victory over Missoula Hellgate on Thursday to stop a four-game losing skid.
The Bravettes got up on the Knights 7-2 after the first eight minutes and slowly built on the lead to come out with the win. Flathead led 15-11 at half and 27-20 after the third.
Janessa Heine led Flathead with nine points. Emma Andrews added eight.
The win moves the Bravettes to 3-8 in Western AA and 8-11 overall. Flathead will close its regular season at 6 p.m. tonight at Glacier.
Flathead 7 8 12 7 — 34
Hellgate 2 9 9 4 — 24
FLATHEAD — Tess Brenneman 1-8 0-0 2, Brittany Earnest 1-3 1-2 3, Jenessa Heine 4-7 1-3 9, Emma Andrews 4-11 0-0 8, Cassie Krueger 3-6 0-0 6, Megan Jones 0-1 1-2 1, Emily Russell 0-2 0-0 0, Kelsey Davis 0-1 2-4 2, Ashlee O’Dell 11-5 1-4 3, Malia Ozegovich 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 14-46 6-15 34.
MISSOULA HELLGATE — Nettie Pew 1-9 4-7 6, Hydee Wilson 3-10 0-1 6, Kelsey Meagher 1-7 0-0 2, Cara Guderian 1-5 0-0 2, Jenae White 1-2 0-0 2, Hannah Cook 0-3 2-4 2, Jillian Adams 2-6 0-0 4, Fran Farr 0-2 0-0 0, Sophie Hainlin 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 9-46 6-12 24.
3-point goals – Flathead 0-6, Hellgate 0-11. Total fouls – Flathead 17, Hellgate 15. Fouled out – none. Rebounds – Flathead 39, (Krueger 9, Brenneman 7, Heine 7), Hellgate 31 (Adams, 6, Meagher 6). Steals – Flathead 8 (Brenneman 5), Hellgate 10 (Guderian 3, Adams 3). Turnvoers – Flathead 14, Hellgate 13.