Call me a lot of things, but not surprised
While the high schoolers step aside — aside from the scads of all-star contests across the state — we pause to take stock of Montana State’s unexpected Big Sky Conference men’s basketball championship Wednesday night.
Not unexpected for me, mind you. I matriculated through the University of Montana during the Mike Montgomery Era, and watched extremely talented Griz teams lose in the championship game in 1984 to Nevada and then in 1986 to Montana State.
The Cats and Griz hadn’t played for the Big Sky’s berth in the NCAA men’s tournament since then, and I have to tell you that Montana, led by three-time league MVP Larry Krystkowiak, was a decided overdog in 1986. So of course Kral Ferch, Tony Hampton and Tom Domako lit up the Griz for nine 3-pointers in an 82-77 win.
You can call me a lot of things, but you can’t call me surprised.
My surprised face showed up last Thursday, when I checked in on the Columbia Falls Wildcats’ first-round game at the State A boys basketball tournament, and saw they were trailing 19-2.
The defending champion Golden Eagles won that game 62-49 and ended up in the title game, where the magic ran out in a 53-28 loss to Dillon.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, won three games and claimed the third-place hardware.
“We came into Lewistown thinking it was going to be a good game, and didn’t really show up,” Columbia Falls post player Cody Schweikert Saturday at the Butte Civic Center. “And I mean, we just kind of got our (stuff) rocked.”
“Basically we asked, you guys want your season done, or do you want to keep going and end your season on a win?” head coach Chris Finberg said. “We reset our goals, because our goal was to win the state championship. We said, ‘OK, let’s send these seniors out with a trophy to take back home.’ “
From there the Cats rocked and rolled, knocking off Glendive 67-61 and Hamilton 71-48. ahead of a 58-53 consolation game win over Butte Central. That gave the Cats their first state trophy in Finberg’s eight seasons.
“So I can’t thank these seniors enough,” the coach said. “And hopefully our younger guys can carry on from that foundation that those seniors have set.”
Columbia Falls loses eight seniors; Bigfork’s Valkyries lose three. If there was a surprise to the State A girls, it wasn’t that Billings Central won yet another state title, 41-38 over the Vals.
It was that Bigfork, after making 13 of 16 free throws in the game’s first 26 minutes, didn’t return to the line. Or that Central shot just three free throws in the final six minutes, including two misses with 7.9 seconds left. Or that Bigfork still shot seven more freebies than the Rams.
What’s important — what’s cool — is that Bigfork has gone third, first and second at state in its last three seasons. The defending State B champion Vals came extremely close to a historic repeat, and did anyone notice that Fairview’s boys were third at last year’s State C, then runner-up to unbeaten Missoula Loyola in the State B on Saturday?
Bigfork’s Big Three — or Big III, to honor the Big Sky tournament MVP — of Braeden Gunlock, Paeten Gunlock and Ava Davey return next season. If they are playing Saturday night at state, I will not be surprised.
Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 758-4463 or at fneighbor@dailyinterlake.com