Physical CMR boys defeat Glacier

Glacier's Asher Knopik (11) shoots guarded by Great Falls CMR's Brady Pike (21) in the third quarter at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Ethan Kastelitz (4) drives into the paint for a shot in the first quarter against Great Falls CMR at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Cooper Pelc (1) shoots in the first quarter against Great Falls CMR at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier head coach Evan Epperly watches the Wolfpack in the third quarter against Great Falls CMR at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Liam Ells (2) knocks down a three in the first quarter against Great Falls CMR at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Asher Knopik (11) drives to the basket in the third quarter against Great Falls CMR at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Cooper Pelc (1) tries to dribble around Great Falls CMR's Drew Etcheberry (5) in the third quarter at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Ethan Kastelitz (4) shoots guarded by Great Falls CMR's Jonah Van Tassell (4) in the third quarter at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Ben Winters (50) knocks down a shot in the paint in the third quarter against Great Falls CMR at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Easton Kauffman (5) drives to the basket in the second quarter against Great Falls CMR at Glacier High School on Friday, Dec. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by JON ALLEN
Staff Writer | December 14, 2024 12:00 AM

The Rustlers lived up to their nickname Friday.

Dean Blair scored 16 points and CMR’s defense troubled Glacier all evening, spoiling Evan Epperly’s coaching debut with a 56-40 victory in boys basketball Friday at the Wolf Den.

“Credit to CMR, that’s a good basketball team,” Epperly said. “They are well-coached and they are physical. I thought they made us uncomfortable tonight.”

Jonah VanTressell added three 3-pointers — all in the first half — for the Rustlers (1-0), who never trailed.

Asher Knopik led the Wolfpack (0-1) with 11 points, going 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Ethan Kastelitz added a spark off the bench, scoring nine points on a trio of three-balls.

“We had moments in the game where we made plays, we made shots,” Epperly said. “Unfortunately for us we didn’t make enough of them ... Just got to bounce back tomorrow.”

VanTressell hit his first triple during a 10-0 run for CMR in the first quarter that ballooned the lead out to 13-3. The Rustlers used a 1-3-1 zone to force the Wolfpack into multiple turnovers.

“We try to make our practices physical, but you can’t simulate big strong athletes like CMR has,” Epperly said.

Glacier battled back with a 5-0 mini run late in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 19-14. Blair ended the run right before the first half horn to give the Rustlers a 21-14 lead.

Out of the half both teams traded threes with Knopik and Liam Ells hitting for Glacier, while Blair and Ben Cunningham making shots from beyond the arc for the Rustlers. Cunningham finished with 10.

The Wolfpack would get no closer than four in the second half as CMR kept up the defensive pressure.

Brady Henzel grew the lead back to double digits late in the third before Kastelitz fired a little life into the Wolfpack on his second triple.

It was short lived. Blair continued to work in the paint early in the fourth, making it 41-28.

The Rustlers found their biggest lead of the night when Nate Reeves got a steal and lay-up, followed by another bucket to put CMR up 51-34 late.

Glacier is back home Saturday against Great Falls High.

CMR 13 8 16 19 - 56

Glacier 5 9 13 13 - 40

GREAT FALLS CMR — Nate Reeves 3 0-0 7, Jonah VanTressell 3 0-0 9, Drew Etcheberry 0 0-0 0, Brady Henzel 3 0-0 6, Caleb Taylor 1 0-0 2, Ben Cunningham 4 1-1 10, Brady Pike 1 0-0 2, Dean Blair 6 3-4 16, Ruben Chevis 0 0-0 0, Carson Pike 0 0-0 0, Roman Block 0 0-0 0, Nick Donester 1 0-0 2, Miles Duda 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 4-5 56

GLACIER — Cooper Pelc 0 0-0 0, Liam Ells 2 0-0 5, Hayden Endresen 0 0-0 0, Ethan Kastelitz 3 0-0 9, Easton Kauffman 2 0-0 4, Asher Knopik 2 6-8 11, Luke Nikunen 1 0-0 2, Garrett Endresen 0 0-0 0, Slate Burrington 0 1-2 1, Blake Pittman 0 0-0 0, Dylan Banzet 1 0-0 2, Ben Winters 3 0-0 6. Totals 14 7-10 40.

3-point goals — CMR 6 (VanTassell 3, Reeves, Cunningham, Blair), Glacier 5 (Kastelitz 3, Knopik, Ells). Fouls — CMR 13, Glacier 8. Fouled out — none.