Big Sky upends Wolfpack boys
<p>Glacier's Noah Lindsay, left, and Tucker Rauthe battle with Missoula Big Sky's Colin Bingham for a loose ball during the final minutes of the Wolfpack's 47-41 loss in the state play-in game at Glacier on Thursday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
The opportunities presented themselves, but the Glacier Wolfpack’s execution came up just short.
After a key offensive rebound, sophomore Jaxen Hashley converted a pair of free throws to pull Glacier within three points of Missoula Big Sky as 1:19 remained on the clock.
That’s as close as the Wolfpack would get in its 47-41 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night in Western AA state play-in basketball action at Glacier High School.
The Eagles called timeout after Hashley’s free throws cut their lead to 44-41. They proceeded to throw the inbounds pass to nobody. The ball rolled out of bounds underneath Glacier’s basket and the Wolfpack had forced a turnover without any time coming off the clock.
The ensuing possession saw Sam McCamley attempt a 3-pointer for the tie. His shot missed, but was once again corralled by Hashley.
Hashley, guarded by Big Sky’s Colin Bingham, collected the ball and looked to head toward the rim.
That’s when Cory Diaz redeemed himself.
Diaz, who threw the errant inbound pass, snuck in on Hashley and poked the ball away before being sent to the charity stripe immediately following his steal.
The senior made both attempts and the Eagles held Glacier scoreless in the final 40 seconds to earn a state bid.
“It was the game we expected. On paper we were very, very similar and that’s what we got tonight,” Glacier coach Mark Harkins said.
“It was a battle. Our kids played hard and battled hard. Their kids played hard and it’s what you expect from that game.”
Big Sky’s Bingham led all scorers with 13 points, six of which came in the crucial third quarter.
Coming out of the halftime break trailing 22-20, Glacier managed just eight points in the period, digging a hole which it nearly escaped from in the fourth.
The Wolfpack shot 4 for 22 from behind the arc and just 30 percent from the field in the second half.
“(Big Sky is) really physical. They put pressure on our guys and we missed some shots from the floor, but credit to them. They came out and got after us. They played straight man and did a great job with their defense,” Harkins said.
Hashley didn’t mind the physicality from Big Sky.
He scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 boards for his third straight game rebounding in double figures.
“He’s just tenacious, and again, he came up big with 12 boards tonight and he’s been like that all year. For a sophomore to be that physical and that strong is a bright thing for Glacier basketball,” Harkins said.
Cody Norberg, who shot 75 percent from the field, led the Wolfpack with nine points, including a 2 for 3 effort from downtown.
Truman Pisk had seven points for the Wolfpack while McCamley and Noah Lindsay each added five.
Missoula Big Sky 12 10 14 11 — 47
Glacier 11 9 8 13 — 41
MISSOULA BIG SKY — Alex Simmons 4-5 2-2 10, Daxton Schatz 2-5 0-0 5, Cory Diaz 2-9 4-5 8, Colin Bingham 6-12 1-2 13, Jake Tabish 2-2 1-1 5, Nick Simmons 0-4 1-2 1, Drew Sheridan 2-2 0-0 5. Totals — 18-39 9-12 47.
GLACIER — Sam McCamley 2-10 0-1 5, Jaxen Hashley 2-8 4-6 8, Cain Boshcee 0-1 3-4 3, Taden Gilman 1-1 0-0 2, Truman Pisk 3-3 1-2 7, Kade McCutcheon 1-7 0-0 2, Dylan Ruggles 0-1 0-0 0, Noah Lindsay 2-6 0-0 5, Cody Norberg 3-4 1-3 9. Totals — 14-41 9-16 41.
3-point goals — Big Sky 2-12 (Schatz 1-4, Sheridan 1-1, Diaz 0-3, Bingham 0-1, N. Simmons 0-3). Glacier 4-22 (McCamley 1-7, Hashley 0-4, Boshcee 0-1, McCutcheon 0-2, Lindsay 1-4, Ruggles 0-1, C. Norberg 2-3). Rebounds — Big Sky 24 (Tabish 4, Diaz 4) Glacier 30 (Hashley 12, McCamley 4). Assists — Big Sky 6 (A. Simmons 4), Glacier 10 (Gilman 3). Turnovers — Big Sky 10, Glacier 13. Total fouls — Big Sky 13, Glacier 13. Fouled out — None.