Glacier holds off Helena in double overtime
Cohen Kastelitz scored 21 points and Liam Ells added eight including a buzzer beater to force double overtime and the Glacier Wolfpack defeated Helena 70-66 in double overtime in boys basketball.
Helena (1-6, 1-2 in conference) erased a 42-27 deficit in the fourth quarter to force the extra frames but Ells gave the Wolfpack (2-5, 1-2) the momentum.
“It was pretty intense, I decided to make something happen, glad it worked out,” said Ells on the end of overtime. “We really needed a win so that was really big for us.”
In the first half neither side could gain any separation from the other, until a Glacier 6-0 run gave the Wolfpack a 25-20 lead at the half.
After the break Glacier extended the lead out to 35-23 early in the third quarter capped off by back to back buckets from Ells. The Wolfpack would take their largest lead of the game 42-27 on a buzzer beater from Joshua Eagleton to end the third.
In the fourth quarter the Bengals started to fight back, opening the quarter on a 9-0 run to make it 42-36. Glacier would hold the lead until a pair of late turnovers would allow Tevin Wetzel to tie the game with 16 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.
In the first extra frame neither team could get any momentum as nine fouls were called between the two teams. Helena’s Aiden Luker missed a pair of free throws keeping the Bengal lead 59-57 with five seconds left before Ells took the ball the length of the court and got the roll on a floater as the horn sounded and the Wolf Den erupted.
In double overtime Owen Henry knocked down a pair of threes to give Glacier the lead for good.
“Today had just about every emotion possible, we had highs, we had lows,” said coach Mark Harkins. “I was really proud of the kids for finding a way to get it done at the end.”
Helena 9 11 7 27 12 - 66
Glacier 12 13 17 12 16 - 70
HELENA — Jaxan Lieberg 8 2-3 20, Tevin Wetzel 6 6-10 21, Cayton Delsigne 3 0-0 8, Sam Ark 0 0-0 0, Dylan Mosness 0 0-0 0, Manu Melo 0 0-0 0, Eli Peterson 3 3-4 11, Aiden Luker 0 0-2 0, Madden Spaulding 2 2-2 6. Totals 22 13-21 66.
GLACIER — Cohen Kastelitz 9 2-7 21, Liam Ells 3 1-2 8, Luke Nikunen 1 0-0 3, Owen Henry 2, 0-0 6, Easton Kauffman 3 5-7 12, Brantly Salmonsen 4 5-7 13, Josh Eagleton 1 0-0 2, Gabe Christianson 1 0-0 2, Slate Burrington 0 0-0 0, Jackson Endresen 1 1-4 3, Ben Winters 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 14-27 70.
3-point goals — Helena 10 (Wetzel 4, Lieberg 2, Delsigne 2, Peterson 2) Glacier 6 (Henry 2, Kastelitz, Ells, Nikunen, Kauffman). Fouls — Helena 19 Glacier 19. Fouled out — Mosness, Kastelitz, Nikunen.