BASKETBALL: Bigfork whips Eureka in 7B opener
<p>Bigfork's Logan Taylor splits Eureka's Tayler Sherwood (40) and Sam Hannay (30) as he puts up a shot during the third quarter of the Vikings' 58-17 win at Bigfork on Thursday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>Bigfork's George Gibson shoots over Eureka's Sam Hannay during the third quarter in Bigfork on Thursday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
BIGFORK — Bigfork held Eureka to two baskets in the first half on its way to a 58-17 rout in a District 7B conference boys basketball game on Thursday night.
The Vikings ran out to an 18-2 lead in the first quarter and scored the first 13 points of the second quarter before stepping off the gas, scoring just four more points in the final 5:20 of the first half to take a 34-4 halftime lead.
Bigfork held the Lions to two points for the first seven minutes of the third quarter, stretching its lead to 44-6. Eureka scored a pair of threes in the last minute of the third, but Bigfork found an answer at the close of the period when Levi Spanogle sunk a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Vikings a 49-12 lead.
With a running clock in the fourth quarter, the Bigfork bench outscored Eureka 9-5.
Spanogle led Bigfork with 11 points as the Vikings bench scored 33 points.
“We came out guns blazing,” Vikings coach Sam Tudor said.
“We had some freshmen come in and score right away. It always helps to have that bench play. That was probably the best part of our game tonight.”
Jamie Good led the Lions with five points.
“We’re young and inexperienced on the floor,” Eureka coach Seth Braach said. “It took us the first quarter and a half to settle down and not play scared.
“We don’t put up a lot of shots. We’re getting better at that. We’ll get there.”
Bigfork heads to Libby on Saturday and hosts Columbia Falls on Tuesday.
Eureka is off until after the holidays.
Eureka 2 2 8 5 — 17
Bigfork 18 16 15 9 — 58
EUREKA — Jamie Good 5, Colton Cooper 3, Brad Stein 2, Sam Hannay 4, Lucas Blankers 3. Totals: 6 2-6 17.
BIGFORK — Anders Epperly 4, Adam Jordt 6, Joseph Potkonjak 7, Jonathan Landon 6, Logan Taylor 2, Levi Spanogle 11, George Gibson 9, Colton Reichenbach 6, Beau Santistevan 2, Garrett Beville 2, Randy Stultz 3. Totals: 23 7-9 58.