Wolfpack gather forces for another tourney run

Last season was a banner one for the Glacier boys basketball team, which went 17-8 and picked up the second State AA trophy in program history with a third-place finish.

Nine seniors, including 6-foot-7 Noah Dowler and a bevy of 3-point shooters, graduated off that squad, leaving coach Mark Harkins to fill in a lot of spots.

It certainly helps to have Cohen Kastelitz to build around. The 6-3 senior was the lone junior to get ample minutes last season, and he averaged 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.

“He’s just relentless,” Harkins said. “His motor is phenomenal, he’s really athletic and a great leader. He’s just a great example for the other kids and how we expect them to play.

“So that’s going to help us. But Cohen’s the only kid back for me that has any varsity experience at all. They’re all kind of learning our system and expectations. That’s the biggest challenge.”

With the season opener at Great Falls Russell looming, Harkins has a starting five roughed out: Jackson Andresen, a 6-4 senior, and Brantly Salmonsen, a 6-5 senior, are inside along with Kastelitz; Liam Ells is at point guard and fellow junior Luke Nikunen at the shooting guard.

So there’s size, even before 6-6 Noah Cummings — one of three Flathead players to transfer to Glacier — becomes eligible on the new year (guard Josh Eagleton and forward Slate Burrington are eligible now). Cummings averaged 16 points in 2022-23.

“We don’t have a real tall kid like we did with Noah, but we have a lot of kids from 6-3 to 6-5,” Harkins said. “I like our length and I think that will help us defensively, especially.”

Ben Winters, a 6-5 senior, and Gabe Christianson, a 6-3, senior provide more height inside; on the outside is 6-3 senior guard Owen Henry and 5-11 junior Easton Kauffman.

Harkins rates Ells as a great defender and leader, and along with Nikunen can uphold the Wolfpack’s reputation of hitting open threes in their inside-outside offense.

“We lost some great shooters but we have some guys who put a lot of time in,” Harkins said. “I’m excited about this team. We don’t have a lot of experience, but the ceiling’s high. 

“All of our kids have the potential to fill in for those seniors we lost. We just need to see who’s going to step up.”

Wolfpack girls

A rough couple of seasons has given way to high hopes for the Glacier girls, who boast a more veteran squad in Amanda Cram’s fifth season as head coach.

“Things are honestly pretty darned great,” Cram said this week. “We are older this year and more experienced and just ready to go.”

Four seniors, four juniors and a sophomore lead the Wolfpack, which won just two games a year ago and five the season before that. 

Noah Fincher, who led the team in scoring (9.1-point average) and rebounds (4.2), is back alongside fellow seniors Madison Terry, Kiera Sullivan — she missed last season after ACL surgery — and Julia Hagemaier.

“Noah is who we look to for a lot of leadership and being competitive on both sides of the ball,” Cram said. “Kiera returns and defensively she’s strong, and she put in a lot of work to become a great offensive player.”

Scoring was tough for Glacier last season, and juniors Reese Ramey (6.1 ppg in 2022-23) and Kenedee Moore (5.9 ppg) could come up big alongside 6-footer Jaidyn Peevey and 5-8 Charlotte Osler inside.

“I really think she’s going to be quite the force to be reckoned with,” Cram said of Pevey, who spent the last two seasons on the junior varsity. “She’s ready to go.”

Ramey has played a lot of minutes starting her freshman year and she and Moore are nuisances on defense. Moore was the top 3-point threat a year ago as well.

“Reese has put in the work to be a dominant guard,” Cram said. “Kenedee is a phenom and will pick up right where she led off last year. Defensively, for being a small guard she is pretty incredible, and also good at scoring from the perimeter and being crafty around the rim.”

Karly Allen, who averaged 5.4 points as a freshman, is another “veteran” that Cram feels will do good things at both ends of the floor.

The season begins with two home games this weekend: The Pack play Great Falls Russell Friday at 7 p.m. and Great Falls High Saturday at 2. Glacier lost to both on the road to start last season; but that was then. 

“What we were looking for is how to turn the corner after the last two years and be competitive in AA,” Cram said.

    Glacier's Kenedee Moore (11) looks to shoot in the first half against Helena during the Western AA Divisional Tournament at Flathead High School on Friday, March 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)