Flathead, Glacier hoops square off with lots on the line
The first crosstown basketball meetings of the year tip off tonight at Glacier High School.
The girls are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 8 p.m.
The girls teams are locked in a tight battle in the Western AA conference standings with each trying to keep pace with the top of the conference.
The Bravettes (7-6 overall, 2-3 Western AA) enter the game in fifth place, but are coming off a near upset of top-ranked Missoula Sentinel on Tuesday. Flathead had won two straight games before that, and are one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the conference.
That offense is spurred by the state’s leading scorer in senior Tiana Johnson, who is averaging more than 18 points and eight rebounds per game.
Glacier (5-7, 3-1) has turned its season around in conference play, winning three of its last four games. The Wolfpack boasts the fifth-best defense in Class AA and has been stellar in conference this season, allowing only 24 points per game in their last three conference matchups.
Senior center Nikki Krueger is second in the state in rebounding and in the top 10 in scoring, leading the team by averaging 12.6 points and 9.0 rebounds a game.
The Glacier girls have won the last 13 meetings against Flathead and lead the all-time series 16-3.
The Wolfpack boys (11-1, 4-0) have been playing like the best team in the state and are currently on a state-best eight game winning streak.
Wolfpack center Jaxen Hashley is one of two players in Class AA averaging a double-double this season, netting 16.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. His return to the lineup has helped Glacier to the best defense in the state this season, holding teams to just 44 points per game, and opened up the floor for the rest of the team, helping Glacier average a Western conference best 55.8 points per game.
Flathead (6-7, 2-3) has struggled of late, losing its last three games after a 2-0 start to the conference season.
That doesn’t mean the Braves have played poorly. Flathead led in each of those losses and has a balanced attack that has given some of the state’s best teams fits, leading the West in field goal percentage in conference games.
Three Braves average double digit scoring, led by Tyler Johnson with 13.3 points per game. Sam Elliott is averaging 10.9 points and Wyatt Potter 10.7 points per game. All three have had 20-point games this season.
The boys teams split games in the regular season last year, Flathead breaking an eight-game losing streak to the Wolfpack to close the regular season, before Glacier prevailed in a state tournament play-in.