Crosstown split: Kennedy Moore hits big shot; Pack boys lead wire to wire

Flathead's Kennedy Moore (14) knocks down a jumper to take the lead late in the fourth quarter against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Noah Cummings (40) is defended by Flathead's Lyric Ersland (13) on his way to the basket in the second half at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Flathead's Jordan Griffin (42) drives to the basket guarded by Glacier's Cohen Kastelitz (1) in the second half at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Kiera Sullivan (5) drives to the basket in the first quarter against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Galcier's Cohen Kastelitz (1) works under the basket against Flathead's Stephen Riley (4) in the first half at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Flathead's Sami Dalager (33) goes to the basket guarded by Glacier's Jaidyn Pevey (3) in the fourth quarter at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Flathead's Gabe Sims (20) blocks a shot by Glacier's Jackson Endresen (23) in the first half at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Reese Ramey (23) drives to the basket in the first quarter against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Noah Cummings (40) shoots guarded by Flathead's Lyric Ersland (13) in the first half at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Flathead's Chloe Converse (25) shoots in the second half against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Glacier's Brantly Salmonsen (10) drives to the basket in the first half against Flathead at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Flathead's Mattie Thompson (24) shoots in the second half against Glacier at Glacier High School on Thursday, Feb. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by JON ALLEN
Staff Writer | February 2, 2024 12:00 AM

Kennedy Moore knocked down the go-ahead jump shot with 45 seconds left and the Flathead Bravettes picked up their first win in Western AA play over crosstown rival Glacier 54-48 Thursday.

“I saw that they had no height on me, so I might as well go post up, and it worked,” said Moore after a 17-point performance in her final regular season crosstown game

Mattie Thompson added 12 points for the Bravettes, who trailed by three entering the final quarter.

“My teammates found all the good looks for me, it’s kind of a blur,” said Thompson.

Reese Ramey scored 17 for the Wolfpack, including a pair of early 3-pointers which jump-started the Glacier offense. Karley Allen added 14 for the Wolfpack.

Flathead owned a 14-13 lead after one quarter despite Ramey scoring 10 points in the frame for Glacier.

The Wolfpack would make sure the game stayed close at the break as Allen would get a layup at the buzzer to make it a 25-24 Bravette lead.

Jaidyn Pevey put Glacier (3-8, 1-6 in league) up 36-31 late in the third quarter, but Flathead answered, scoring the next five to tie the game up.

Tied at 47, Moore’s jumper put the Bravettes ahead for good. Flathead (4-7, 1-6 in the Western AA) went 5-for-8 from the foul line in the closing seconds.

“It was always going to be a battle,” said Bravettes coach Kaylee Fox. “We just were hoping to keep it close so we could have a chance at the end. Made a couple of big free throws and some clutch stops on the defensive end.”

Flathead 14 11 8 21 - 54

Glacier 13 11 12 12 - 48

FLATHEAD — Ava Malmin 0 0-0 0, Quin Tennison 0 0-0 0, Kennedy Moore 6 4-6 17, Harlie Roth 3 1-2 8, Celie VandenBosch 1 1-4 3, Mattie Thompson 6 0-1 12, Chloe Converse 3 0-0 8, Sami Delager 3 0-1 6. Team totals 22 6-14 54

GLACIER — Jaidyn Pevey 1 0-0 2, Kiera Sullivan 1 0-0 2, Kenedee Moore 2 0-0 5, Julia Hagemeier 0 0-0 0, Karley Allen 5 2-6 14, Charlotte Osler 1 0-0 2, Noah Fincher 0 0-0 0, Reese Ramey 7 1-2 17, Cazzland Rankosky 1 0-0 2, Madison Terry 1 2-2 4. Team totals 19 5-10 48.

3-point goals — Flathead 4 (Converse 2, Roth, Moore), Glacier 5 (Ramey 2, Allen 2, Moore). Fouls — Flathead 12, Glacier 19. Fouled out — Sullivan.

Glacier boys 57, Flathead 50

Noah Cummings scored 20 points against his former team as Glacier jumped out early on the Braves and never relinquished the lead.

“I felt a lot more at home than the first time,” Cummings said. “I have a lot of support behind me, and I think as a team we sealed it.”

Brantly Salmonsen and Cohen Kastelitz each added 10 points for the Wolfpack (6-5, 5-2 in Western AA games), who struggled to put away the Braves late.

“I thought we did a great job for three quarters,” said Glacier coach Mark Harkins. “Then in the fourth quarter they were able to dictate what they wanted to have happen. They sped us up, they caused some chaos and we didn’t handle that well.”

Lyric Ersland led Flathead (0-11, 0-7) with 12 points, including a pair of threes in the second quarter that closed the deficit to 22-18.

Glacier scored the first nine points of the game but only led 13-8 after one.

Cummings scored eight points in the second quarter including a late three which gave Glacier a 25-19 halftime lead.

The Wolfpack offense continued to grow the lead in the third as Easton Kauffman made it 34-23 with a Euro-step layup.

Glacier kept the lead in double digits for most of the final quarter until Dustyn Franchini-White scored four straight to make it 47-41.

From that point on it was a free throw shooting contest, and the Wolfpack knocked down 8 of12 to close out the victory.

“We have a good team,” Harkins said. “Our motto this year is ‘Strong together,’ and I think they do a pretty good job of playing for each other.”

Flathead 8 11 6 25 - 50

Glacier 13 12 10 22 - 57

FLATHEAD — Dustyn Franchini-White 1 6-6 8, Stephen Riley 2 2-2 6, Brodee Zahn 0 0-0 0, Lyric Ersland 3 4-6 12, Gabe St. Germain 1 0-0 2, Gabe Sims 1 2-2 4, Brody Thornsberry 2 2-2 6, David Moody 0 0-0 0, Korbin Eaton 2 1-2 6, Jordan Griffin 3 0-0 6. Team totals 15 17-20 50

GLACIER — Cohen Kastelitz 5 0-6 10, Luke Nikunen 1 1-2 3, Owen Henry 0 0-0 0, Easton Kauffman 2 2-6 7, Brantly Salmonsen 2 6-8 10, Josh Eagleton 0 4-6 4, Slate Burrington 1 0-0 2, Jackson Endresen 0 1-2 1, Noah Cummings 7 4-6 20. Team totals 18 18-36 57.

3-point goals — Flathead 3 (Ersland 2, Eaton), Glacier 3 (Cummings 2, Kauffman). Fouls — Flathead 27, Glacier 16. Fouled out — Franchini-White, St. Germain, Thornsberry.