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Keeping Score: Freeride World Championships, basketball showdowns and wrestling wins

by Keeping Score Podcast
| February 4, 2025 2:10 PM

Welcome everybody to another episode of the Keeping Score podcast presented by Corwin Motors. This week we have a local skier turning heads in Austria, Flathead and Glacier pick up some dual wins in wrestling and a short week of basketball as a lot of games were postponed due to inclement weather, so without further ado, let’s get into this week’s highlights you might have missed.  

Whitefish freeskier Townsend Reed competed in the YETI Freeride Junior World Championships in Kappl, Austria, a few weeks back but still wanted to give him his credit. Reed was ranked fifth in the world going into the competition that included 64 elite junior athletes from 16 countries. 

The fourth male skier to take off from the dramatic peak, Reed was putting down what experienced commentator Flo Orley described as the winning run of the day, when he fell, just before the finish.    

Reed expressed gratitude for the support of his friends, family and the local ski community, including Whitefish Mountain Resort, the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation and Andy Connelly, who helped spark Reed’s passion for skiing.    

Reed went on to say. “Whitefish is such a good place to grow up as a skier, I just continue to be amazed by the community and how close everyone is.” This story was from the Whitefish Pilot so thanks to Julie Engler for a great story, be sure to go check it out.  

In basketball, Ronan outscored Bigfork 23-15 in the fourth quarter to take a 67-52 win in boys basketball Tuesday. Austin Savik led the way with 22 points for the Vikings who led 37-34 heading into the final frame. 

The girls picked up a win with Braeden Gunlock scoring 24 points and Paeten Gunlock adding 21 as Bigfork used a strong second half to pull away from Ronan 59-30. 

Also on Tuesday, Carson Gulick and Will Sisson scored 18 points apiece as Whitefish defeated Libby 84-54 in boys basketball.  Carson and Will knocked down four 3-pointers each as the Bulldogs made 16 shots from behind the arc. No results for the girls were given. 

On Friday, Wildcats outscored the Indians 19-11 in the fourth quarter, to earn a Northwest A win at home over Browning, 55-53.  

The win moved the Wildcats into first place in the standings and gave Browning its first loss in league play. Reggie Sapa came up clutch for the Wildcats, scoring a game-high 14 points, six of them coming in the fourth quarter. Grady Hutton was the other double-digit scorer with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, his only two of the game. 

On the girls side, Shaylee Heavy Runner led all scorers with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Browning Lady Indians picked up a Northwest A win over the Columbia Wildkats 71-54.   

Taryn Borgen led the Wildkats with 16 points and was the lone scorer from beyond the arc with two 3-pointers.   

For Class AA basketball, Missoula Sentinel’s Carson Towe scored 27 points and fueled a big third quarter that carried the Spartans over Flathead 62-46 on Thursday. Lyric Ersland had 15 points and Korbin Eaton added 12 for the Braves. 

The Bravettes also lost their matchup with Sentinel 53-33. Mattie Thompson scored 13 points for the Bravettes, who led 14-11 after one quarter and then went cold. Ava Malmin hit a pair of threes and added eight points for Flathead. 

Saturday afternoon, Zane Gillhouse led a balanced Missoula Hellgate offense with 13 points, and the host Knights weathered a couple Flathead charges to take a 64-56 win. Jordan Griffin scored 25 points for the Braves, who trailed 13-4 early and 32-24 at halftime, but battled back in the third quarter. Korbin Eaton finished with 13 points and Lyric Ersland added 9. The girls game was postponed. 

Glacier’s girls had a flying start Thursday, but it was Missoula Hellgate that got things going in the second and third quarters for a 57-50 victory. Reese Ramey scored 23 points to lead the Wolfpack pouring in 18 after halftime. Karley Allen scored 17 points in the first half and finished the game with 20. The girls game on Saturday with Sentinel was postponed. 

The boys also battled with Missoula Hellgate, but they escaped the Wolf Den with a 56-52 victory over the Wolfpack.  

Asher Knopik led the way with 14 points for the Wolfpack, who fell to 2-8 on the season and 1-5 in conference.  

Cooper Pelc tallied 12 and Liam Ells finished with 10.  Their game against Sentinel on Saturday was also postponed.  

Moving on to wrestling, A trip to Missoula netted three lopsided dual wins for the Flathead wrestling program Tuesday, with the Brave Brawlers winning twice and the Bravettes once. 

Coy Miller (132 pounds) and Kohen Riley (190) both picked up two pins on the day as the Flathead boys beat Hellgate 74-6 and Big Sky 61-12. 

On Thursday, Daniel Pederson earned a pair of pins as Glacier boys wrestling picked up dual wins over Missoula Big Sky and Missoula Hellgate. Pederson took just 17 seconds to pin Hellgate’s Linus Peterson at 215 pounds as the Wolfpack earned a 54-16 win over the Knights. Against Big Sky, Pederson pinned Trey Thomas in 1:23 as Glacier earned a 42-35 victory. 

Matthew and Mark Ahner grabbed a pair of pins apiece as the Wolfpack boys split duals with Helena and Capital Friday. Glacier bested Helena 47-23 and fell to Capital 60-23. Aiden Sweat shined with a pair of technical fall victories at 110, a 15-0 win over Capital’s Pate Engstrom and a 19-1 decision over Helena’s Titus Rivers. 

The Wolfpack girls split their duals in the Capital City, downing the Bengals 24-0 and falling to the Bruins 6-0. Mikaela Julius, Ella Labrum, Kylie Shine and Kortni Speed all earned pins in the Wolfpack victory. 

A shorthanded Flathead boys swimming team finished 8th at the Missoula Invite Saturday, while the also-undermanned Glacier teams finished 11th for the boys and 12th for the girls. Ella Hummer finished fourth in the girls 100-yard butterfly to lead the Wolfpack swimmers.  

The teams took 13 athletes combined to the meet, while resting their top swimmers for the State meet in Great Falls Feb. 13-15. 

That is going to wrap up this week’s news for Keeping Score presented by Corwin Motors. Thank you to everyone joining us, I have been your host Josh Amick, I will see you all net week, take care.  


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