Slow start dooms Flathead against Bozeman

Junior Lyric Ersland knocked down two 3-pointers and scored 14 points for Flathead, but the Braves lost 71-49 at home to Bozeman in boys basketball.

Fellow junior Korbin Eaton added 14 points of his own, but a slow start put the Braves behind 41-13 at the half.

“We struggled to score in the first half,” said coach Dan Trageser their length and physicality posed a bit of a problem for us.”

Bozeman got the jump early on Flathead as senior Chapman Wiehardt knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter and Bozeman led 24-8 after one frame.

In the second quarter, senior Kellen Harrison found his shot, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the quarter and extending the Bozeman lead out to 41-13 at the break.

Out of the half Bozeman kept their foot on the pedal extending the lead out to 54-19 on a basket from Kash Embry. Flathead soon gathered the momentum though, going on a 15-0 run that continued into the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Bozeman stopped any comeback attempt though as they would grow the lead back out to 69-41 late in the fourth.

“We are changing a lot of stuff philosophy-wise,” Trageser said regarding where his team is heading into the holiday break. “So it's a lot of growing and teaching, right now we are just trying to get them to compete for a whole game.”

Bozeman    24    17    13    17    -    71

Flathead    8    5    18    18    -    49

BOZEMAN — Kellen Harrison 7 2-2 18, Kash Embry 5 2-2 12, Brocton Black 2 0-0 4, Kade Houser 1 0-0 2, Rocky Lencioni 1 0-0 3, Chapman Wiehardt 4 1-2 12, Quaid Ash 3 0-0 7, John Hendricks 2 0-0 4, Torin Jeske 1 3-4 5. Totals 28 8-10 7.

FLATHEAD — Dustyn Franchini-White 2 0-0 5, Brodee Zahn 2 0-0 5, Lyric Ersland 6 0-0 14, Gabe Sims 0 2-4 2, Brody Thornsberry 1 0-0 2, Tyler Williams 1 0-0 3, Korbin Eaton 3 6-10 14, Jordan Griffin 1 1-4 4. Totals 16 9-18 49.

3-point goals — Bozeman 7 (Wiehardt 3, Harrison 2, Lencioni, Ash), Flathead 8 (Ersland 2, Eaton 2, Franchini-White, Zahn, Williams, Griffin). Total fouls — Bozeman 18, Flathead 15. Fouled out —  none. Technical fouls — none.