Western B divisional: Vikes grind out a victory over Loyola

The Bigfork boys basketball team used tenacious half court defense to grind out a 46-27 win over Missoula Loyola in the Western B divisional tournament semifinals at Flathead High School Friday.

Normally a high-flying transition team, Bigfork was forced to adapt against Loyola, which used its athleticism to shut down the Vikings’ running game. Bigfork countered with full-court pressure to slow down Loyola and the result was what Bigfork forward Colter Trent called a “grindfest.”

“That was probably the biggest game of our high school careers and I think we handled it really well,” said Trent, who led the Vikings with 14 points.

Bigfork committed 22 turnovers but overcame that deficiency with its defense. Its pressure didn’t cause many turnovers, but it forced Loyola to play a half-court game.

“Our press wasn’t to steal or trap,” Bigfork coach Kurt Paulson said. “It was mostly to slow them down. They hardly got any transition baskets and that’s their thing.”

Loyola shot 18 percent from the field while Bigfork shot 52 percent.

“Our gameplan was to come out with intensity and that’s what we did all four quarters,” Bigfork guard Austin Jordt said. “We knew it was going to be a game like this.”

Bigfork never trailed but maintaining its lead wasn’t always easy. After Trent drilled a 3-pointer to give the Vikings a 19-12 lead early in the third quarter, the Rams went on 5-0 run to cut their deficit to two.

“I told the guys in huddle, ‘That’s their run,’” Paulson said. “That’s their only run of the half and we have to counter.”

With Loyola looking for a game-tying field goal, Bigfork guard Chris Landon picked off an inbound pass and found Jordt streaking down the court for an easy layup. Trent followed with a pair of tough buckets in the paint, nipping Loyola’s momentum in the bud.

“They score in bunches and we knew that coming into the game,” Trent said. “Coach told us before the game that they’d go on runs and we just had to handle them.”

Loyola’s J.J. Anderson countered with a 3, but Bigfork scored the last four points of the quarter and dominated the final frame, pouring in 17 points to Loyola’s 7.

Jordt was Bigfork’s second-leading scorer with 12 points. Josh Sandry contributed six points off the bench.

“He handled the ball, played great defense and got us a big layup,” Paulson said of Sandry. “That kid stepped up huge.”

Landon tallied a game-high nine rebounds, Trent grabbed seven and Bigfork outrebounded Loyola 31-20.

Anderson and Forestt Cooper led Loyola with nine points apiece.

Bigfork will play Florence today in the Western B championship game. Tipoff is 8:45 p.m. at Flathead High School.

The two finalists split in the regular season with Bigfork beating Florence 49-44 at home and losing 55-38 on the road.

Bigfork1061317—46

Loyola37107—27

BIGFORK — Colter Trent 4-7 4-6 14, Austin Jordt 4-7 3-8 12, Josh Sandry 2-2 2-2 6, Seth Roessmann 1-5 2-2 5, Tyler Kirby 2-2 0-0 4, Chris Landon 1-1 1-3 3, Christian Evans 1-4 0-0 2. Cameron Nissen 0-1 0-0 0, Logan Lamm 0-0 0-0 0, Isaac Martel 0-0 0-0 0, Ryder Trent 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-29 12-21 46.

LOYOLA — J.J. Anderson 2-15 3-4 9, Forestt Cooper 3-3 3-4 9, Tony Madsen 1-1 2-4 4, Matt McHugh 0-5 2-2 2, Shane Olson 1-2 0-0 2, Josh Janssen 0-10 1-2 1, Patrick Kosena 0-0 0-0 0, Zach Hollenback 0-1 0-0 0, Stephen Sellman 0-0 0-0 0, Kevin Swanson 0-1 0-0 0, Danner Linhart 0-0 0-0 0, Jake McElroy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 7-38 11-16 27.

3-point goals - Bigfork 4-9 (Trent 2, Jordt, Roessmann), Loyola 2-18 (Anderson 2). Rebounds - Bigfork 31 (Landon 9, Trent 7), Loyola 20 (Cooper 4, Olson 3). Assists - Bigfork 4 (Trent 2), Loyola 2 (McHugh, Anderson). Blocks - Bigfork 3 (Landon, Nissen, Sandry), Loyola none. Steals - Bigfork 5 (Jordt 2, Landon 2), Loyola 11 (Janssen 4, Madsen 2, Anderson 2). Turnovers - Bigfork 22, Loyola 12. Total fouls - Bigfork 17, Loyola 21. Technical fouls - non. Fouled out - Kirby, Janssen.

Florence 59, 

Deer Lodge 30

Florence got off to a hot start and cruised to a win over Deer Lodge in the other semifinal.

The Falcons outscored the Wardens 15-4 in the first quarter and led 22-10 at halftime.

Rhett Baerlocher and Aaron Ward led Florence with 16 and 15 points, respectively. 

Ryne Baerlocher added 11 points.

Andrew Little Owl Pierson led Deer Lodge with 11 points.

Florence1571621—59

Deer Lodge461010—30

FLORENCE — Ryne Baerlocher 5-9 1-1 11, Rhett Baerlocher 5-11 6-7 16, Chantz Hotsinpiller 0-5 0-1 0, Mike Finlay 2-3 0-1 4, Aaron Ward 5-8 2-5 15, Brady Pickering 1-1 1-2 3, Brandon Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Kade Hornaday 0-0 0-0 0, Tommy Shepard 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Mangun 0-1 0-0 0, Brad Schaff 2-2 1-2 5, Travern Smith 2-2 1-2 5. Totals 22-42 12-21 59.

DEER LODGE — Tritty Clark 0-3 2-4 2, Derek Walker 0-4 0-0 0, Jessee Vasquez 2-8 0-0 5, Rodney Hunter 2-5 4-5 8, Andrew Little Owl Pierson 4-6 3-4 11, Tennyson Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Kota Crowe 1-4 0-0 2, Ethan Johnston 0-1 0-0 0, Jake Simpson 0-1 2-4 2, Khael Lowery 0-0 0-0 0, Logan Beck 0-1 0-0 0, Justin Marshall 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 9-36 11-18 30.

3-point goals - Florence 3-12 (Ward 3), Deer Lodge 1-12 (Vasquez). Rebounds - Florence 29 (Rhett Baerlocher 8, Finlay 7). Deer Lodge - 25 (Hunter 6). Assists - Florence 8 (Ryne Baerlocher 2, Ward 2), Deer Lodge none. Blocks - Florence 3 (Rhett Baerlocher 2), Deer Lodge none. Steals - Florence 16 (Rhett Baerlocher 5, Hotsinpiller 4), Deer Lodge 4 (Clark 2). Turnovers - Florence 12, Deer Lodge 19. Total fouls - Florence 18, Deer Lodge 19. Technical fouls - none. Fouled out - none.