Keeping Score: State champions crowned, basketball thrillers and season highlights

Welcome everybody to another episode of the Keeping Score podcast, presented by Corwin Motors. This week wrestling and swimming comes to an end as the state tournaments wrap up and a lot of basketball to highlight as well, so let’s get into the highlights you might have missed.  

For Glacier Kaura and Niko Coles earned individual championships Saturday at the State All-Class Wrestling Tournament at First Interstate Arena.  

Kaura adds a third title to her resume after winning via technical fall over Flathead’s Bella Downing at 115 pounds. 

In total, the Wolfpack placed six of the eight boys they brought to the tournament and four of the five girls that made the trip. In the boys team race, Billings West capitalized on a solid finals performance to pull away from Flathead and repeat as champions with 278 points. The Braves ended the day at 243.5 with Great Falls in third at 175. Glacier picked up a sixth-place finish. 

Flathead had a pair of boys reach the championship round, but were unable to find the top step of the podium as Aiden Downing fell via pin to Butte’s Bode Hazlett at 144 and Loki Bigras couldn’t rally from an early 7-0 deficit against West’s Gabe Rosales, who took a 14-6 major decision.  Thirteen Braves wrestlers placed in the tournament.  

The Bravettes placed a pair in the finals with Downing falling to Coles and Julia Kay being forced to retire from her match against Helena Capital’s Taylor Lay after an injury to her leg. The Bravettes finished fourth overall in the team standings and second of AA teams behind Billings Senior. 

In AA basketball, the Big Sky Eagles pulled away in the fourth quarter for a win over the Glacier Wolfpack 50-43 Tuesday night.  

The Wolfpack only had one player reach double figures with Liam Ells scoring 13. Glacier took a 38-37 lead into the fourth quarter but were outscored 14-5 in the final frame. 

After trailing by 15 points late in the third quarter, the Glacier girls battled back to tie the game in the fourth, but the comeback attempt fell just short, losing to Big Sky at the Wolf Den 45-41 Tuesday night.  The Wolfpack went on a 15-5 run in the third quarter to bring the game within reach but went scoreless in the final three minutes when the game was tied 41-41. 

Thursday night both the boys and girls Glacier teams were able to beat Belgrade. Cooper Pelc scored 18 points, 10 coming in the fourth quarter as Glacier put away Belgrade 58-38. Glacier’s girls swamped the Panthers 81-48 in the nightcap with Karley Allen and Reese Ramey scoring 22 points each and Rylee Bigelow poured in 16 points off the bench for the Wolfpack.   

A fourth-quarter rally came up short for the Flathead Bravettes Tuesday, with Missoula Hellgate pulling away late to take a 52-45 win.  

Caitlin Converse scored 13 points and Ava Malmin added 11 for Flathead, which fell to 2-11 overall and 1-7 in Western AA games.   

Thursday’s matchup, Big Sky controlled the game from the second quarter on and picked up a 50-30 win over the Bravettes.  

Ava Malmin led Flathead by scoring half of her team’s points, finishing with 15, all of them coming from the 3-point line. It was 14-13 Big Sky after the first and Big Sky increased their lead in each remaining quarter. 

For the Braves their matchup on Thursday with Big Sky was a close game as the Eagles pulled off the road win 52-45.  

Flathead drew to 42-41 with four minutes remaining but could never take the lead. Lyric Ersland led the team with 18 points and Jordan Griffin added 12 off the bench. 

Braves dropped another close game with Butte Saturday, 75-67. Jordan Griffin led the team with 17 points, Lyric Ersland, Brodee Zahn and Korbin Eaton all finished with 14 each.  

For Class A hoops on Tuesday, Columbia Falls took down rival Whitefish 55-28 behind Onnika Lawrence’s 14 points. Taryn Borgen added nine and Whitefish was led by Carmella Alfieri’s 11.  

Thursday’s matchup Kailyn Marengo led all scorers with 14 points, including three 3-pointers and Ronan dominated Whitefish 63-20. 

Also on Tuesday, Braeden Gunlock scored a game-high 21 points, while sister Paeten added 20 and Bigfork cruised past Browning in Northwest A action. Keni Wade added 14 for the Valkyries who stayed undefeated in league play.  

Thursday it was once again the Braeden Gunlock show as she outscored the entire Pirates team with a 35-point night, leading the Valkyries to a comfortable win over Polson 71-27. Paeten Gunlock also reached double figures with 10 points and Payton DeSpain added nine.   

Bigfork boys lost to Browning 57-47. Austin Savik led Bigfork, with 18 points, while Tamret Savik added 14.  Thursday’s matchup Bigfork lost to Polson 47-41. Austin Savik scored 19 for the Vikings and the Pirates outscored the Vikings 15-7 in the final quarter to earn the victory.   

Columbia Falls boys also beat Whitefish on Tuesday with Bjorn Pedersen scoring a team-high 15 points for a 77-52 win. Easton Brooks added 14 points and Grady Hutton tallied 10 for the Wildcats, who led 25-10 after one quarter.  Will Sisson led all scorers with 17 points for Whitefish, including four 3-pointers. 

Kierra Kempainen led all scorers with 10 points as the Libby Loggers struggled to generate any offense in their loss to Columbia Falls 55-12 in Thursday’s matchup.   

For the boys, three Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Bjorn Petersen’s 13 points as Columbia Falls won easily 75-39 over the Libby Loggers on Thursday. Stanley Stremick added 12 for the Wildcats and Easton Brooks finished with 10, all his points coming from inside the arc. 

Moving on to swimming, Glacier senior Olivia Gibbons ended her prep career with a championship at the State Swim Meet that concluded Saturday. Gibbons won the 100 freestyle title and was second in the 100 breaststroke for the Wolfpack, which had several girls get on the podium. 

Teammate Madeleine McGaughy, another senior, finished third in the 500 free and the 100 butterfly for the Pack.   The Pack’s 200 medley relay of Gibbons, McGaughy, senior Hanna Vornbrock and freshman Ella Hummer finished third. Gibbons, McGaughy, Vornbrock and sophomore Kylie Blodgett teamed up to take second in the 200 freestyle relay. 

Flathead boys had two boys make finals in individual events: Miles Flake in the 100 backstroke and Nick Taylor in the 200 Individual Medley. 

That is going to wrap up this week’s highlights, presented by Corwin Motors. A very busy week here with these tournaments going on so if I happened to miss any highlights, please do let me know. Congratulations on incredible seasons for all the swimmers and wrestlers and we will see you all next week on another episode of the Keeping Score podcast.  

Follow our Keeping Score podcast for weekly updates on high school sports and our Poster Player of the Week. Watch and Subscribe on the Daily Inter Lake You Tube channel or your favorite podcast app.