Hill’s late 3-pointers send C-Falls to Western A

COLUMBIA FALLS — Jace Hill scored 27 points, including two 3-pointers in the final seven seconds, to lead Columbia Falls past Ronan 63-62 Friday and into the Western A boys basketball divisional.

Hill’s heroics came after Columbia Falls (11-8) trailed 61-51 with 4 minutes left in this Northwest A play-in game. Ronan still led 62-57 when Hill hit a three with seven seconds left.

Columbia Falls fouled, and after the Chiefs missed the front end free throw the Wildcats rebounded, Hill split a double-team near midcourt and got off the game-winner with .04 on the clock. The buzzer sounded before his fourth 3-pointer of the game found the net.

Cody Schweikert added 16 points and six rebounds for Columbia Falls, which takes the No. 4 seed out of the Northwest into next week’s Western A tournament in Hamilton.

Elijah Tonasket scored 22 points and Marlo Tonasket added 21 for Ronan, which ended up 9-9. This was the program’s third matchup in eight days; each team had won on the other’s floor before Friday.

Ronan 18 15 20 9 - 62

C-Falls 16 17 15 15 - 63

RONAN — Elijah Tonasket 22, Marlo Tonasket 21, Peyton Cates 7, Ted Coffman 5, Ruben Couture 4, Dillon Pretty On Top 3.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Jace Hill 27, Cody Schweikert 16, Alihn Anderson 8, Mason Peters 5, Mark Robison 4, John Dyon 2, Hunter Goodman 1.

Libby 43, Whitefish 34

LIBBY — Caden Williams scored 16 points, eight during a fourth-quarter comeback that carried Libby over Whitefish in another Northwest A play-in game.

Tyler Andersen scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter for the Loggers (14-5), who now take the Northwest’s No. 3 seed into next week’s Western A Divisional in Hamilton. Andersen hit a three and helped keep the Bulldogs (7-11) at bay with a 4-for-4 performance at the line. Libby hit eight straight free throws in the fourth.

Whitefish’s Bodie Smith scored a game-high 18. Talon Holmquist added 10; he scored all of the Bulldogs’ eight third-quarter points, after which they led 27-24..

Whitefish 13 6 8 7 - 34

Libby 14 6 4 19 - 43

WHITEFISH — Bodie Smith 18, Talon Holmquist 10, Jaxsen Schlauch 4, Fynn Ridgeway 2.

LIBBY — Caden Williams 16, Tyler Andersen 11, TJ Andersen 8, Ryder Davis 4, Cy Stevenson 2, Ivan Cano 2.