Flathead's gym will be rockin' for first crosstown basketball game of season
The Flathead and Glacier boys and girls basketball teams will renew their crosstown rivalries today when the two Kalispell schools meet at Flathead High School.
The Glacier boys are looking to avenge their state tournament semifinal loss to Flathead a year ago while the Flathead girls are eager to break a four-game losing streak against Glacier.
“The atmosphere is going to be great,” Glacier boys coach Mark Harkins said. “For crosstown, the kids always play hard. This is going to be exciting for sure.”
The Glacier boys (10-2 overall, 3-1 Western AA) lead the all-time crosstown series 7-5 and are ranked No.1 in the Class AA Associated Press poll, but they’ll have to refocus after being handed their first conference loss to Helena Capital on Saturday.
Despite that loss, Flathead boys coach Fred Febach said he considers Glacier the best team in the state.
“They’re the team to beat,” he said. “They’ll be the toughest team we have faced, although Capital is pretty good too.”
The Wolfpack feature a 7-foot center in senior Ryan Edwards, who has signed a letter-of-intent to play college basketball at Gonzaga, and a plethora of quick, athletic guards and wings, making them an opposing coach’s nightmare. When asked what concerns him the most about Glacier’s squad, Febach said, “What doesn’t concern me I think is the better question. They’ve got the big kid in the middle and he changes virtually everything. You don’t run up against 7-footers in Montana very often, so he certainly changes the game, but he’s surrounded by some awfully good, talented players that can run and score and play defense.”
Despite being hobbled by an ankle injury earlier this season, Edwards is Glacier’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. Point guard Evan Epperly also averages double-figures with 10.8 points and fellow starters Matt Peters, Logan Iverson and Kyle Griffith contribute to Glacier’s balanced offense with averages of 9.3, 8.8 and 8.0 points, respectively.
“It’s a big challenge,” Febach said. “But I think overall we match up pretty well with them. It’s just a matter of who can take charge of the game and control the game with poise out there, because this place is going to be full.”
Like Glacier, Flathead (8-3, 3-1) also has a tall difference-maker at center. While 6-8 Garth West doesn’t quite measure up to Edwards, he has been just as productive, averaging 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds to lead Flathead in both categories. Flathead also has a quick point guard to match up with Epperly in junior Blaine Newman. A first-year starter, Newman averages 11.1 points and scored a career-high 26 against Capital on Friday. Senior forward Shea Schroeder is Flathead’s third-leading scorer with 9.8 points per game.
Beyond bragging rights, the winner will also get the upper hand in the race for Western AA’s top seed. Glacier, Flathead, Capital and Missoula Hellgate all have one conference loss.
Glacier beat Flathead in both of last year’s regular season contests by scores of 68-63 and 57-33 before the Braves triumphed at the state tournament in a 63-58 upset. With today’s game on Flathead’s turf, Harkins said his team will have to overcome a hostile crowd.
“That’s an intimate gym,” he said. “Everybody is right on top of you. It’s fun. Most of the games we’ve played there the last couple years, you can’t hear. We have to use hand signals because I can’t yell at the kids and tell them what to run. It’s loud.”
The Glacier girls (9-3, 2-2) improved their record in the crosstown series to 7-3 after sweeping Flathead (6-4, 2-2) a year ago, but both teams enter this year’s first crosstown game with positive momentum. The Bravettes have won three of their last four games, the one loss being a 45-44 nailbiter against unbeaten Capital. Glacier had won six in a row before falling 59-44 to Capital on Saturday, but coach Kris Salonen said that game was closer than the final score as the Bruins hit several free throws down the stretch to increase their margin of victory.
“I think the girls will respond really well,” Salonen said. “We played them tight pretty much the whole game. The girls gave themselves a chance to win the game and we fell short.”
Glacier prides itself on its defense, holding opponents to 38.8 points per game, but it also has a potent offensive weapon in 6-1 junior Cassi Hashley, who averages 13.2 points and 11.2 rebounds. She had two huge games over the weekend, scoring 20 points in Glacier’s win over Helena and 22 points in the loss to Capital. Senior guard Kailea Vaudt and freshman guard Hailee Bennett are Glacier’s second and third-leading scorers with 7.3 and 6.3 points per game, respectively.
Flathead’s leading scorer is junior guard Emma Andrews (14.8 points), who scored 27 points in Saturday’s win over Helena. Salonen said she’s the player Glacier’s defense will have to key on, but she’s not Flathead’s only offensive option.
“They’ve got so many kids that are starting to come around for them,” Salonen said. “They’re just feisty and they play hard.”
Senior forward Emily Russell averages 10.4 points and junior 5-11 post Jenessa Heine averages 7.3 points.
Glacier and Flathead are tied for third place in Western AA behind Capital and Missoula Sentinel.
The girls game will tip off at 6 p.m. and the boys game will follow at approximately 8 p.m.