Prep hoops: Glacier falls short, twice

In the game of basketball nothing is given for free, but how a team performs at the charity stripe can be the biggest difference between wins and losses.

This was the case Tuesday night in Glacier’s boys basketball loss to the Sentinel, as the Spartans made 17 of 19 from the free throw line to pick up a road win at the Wolf Den 48-41. 

Sentinel’s two-headed tandem of Lincoln Rogers and Carson Towe combined to go 15 of 15 from the line. The Wolfpack went 5 of 10. 

“I think they were the more aggressive team in the first half, getting downhill and creating a lot of contact,” Glacier coach Evan Epperly said. “In the second half we were pretty aggressive too but sometimes that’s just how the game goes.” 

The Wolfpack outscored the Spartans from the field and the 3-point line, but went into halftime down 22-15 after just scoring four points in the first quarter. They came out of the break looking like a different team. 

Glacier outscored Sentinel in the third quarter 17-13 with five different players scoring. They held the Spartans to just three field goals but the visitors were able to add six points from the free throw line, slowing down Glacier’s intensity. 

“I am really proud of our effort and everyone competed hard which is one of the strengths of our team,” Epperly said. “Guys give their full effort no matter what the score is, and I really appreciate that as a coach.” 

Ben Winters led the Wolfpack with 10 points but went down in the fourth quarter with five minutes left and didn’t return. The Wolfpack rallied behind Winters, taking their first lead since the first quarter 40-39 with four minutes left but were held scoreless from the field for the remainder of the game. 

“Ben gave us awesome minutes tonight and played with a lot of heart, it was tough to see him go down,” Epperly said. 

Rogers and Towe were too much to overcome.  

Rogers finished the night leading all scorers with 21 points, 14 of them coming in the second half. Towe finished with 15. The duo combined for 20 of their team’s 26 second half points.  

“Rogers is a tough matchup and is going to be a college player someday,” Epperly said. “At his height he can elevate and shoot over people there isn’t a whole lot you can do besides hope he misses.” 

Sentinel    9    13    13    13    -    48     

Glacier     4    11    17    9    -    41 

SENTINEL — Lincoln Rogers 4 11-11 21, Beau O’Reilly 2 0-0 4, Tyler Stanton 2 0-2 4, Gavin O’Reilly 0 0-0 0, Kade Robinson 0 2-2 2, Carson Towe 5 4-4 15, Brayden Burke 0 0-0 0, Jayson McLennan 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 17-19 48. 

GLACIER — Cooper Pelc 0 0-0 0, Liam Ells 6 0-0 15, Ethan Kastelitz 0 0-0 0, Easton Kaufman 0 0-0 0, Asher Knopik 2 1-4 5, Luke Nikunen 1 0-0 3, Slate Burrington 1 4-6 6, Dylan Banzet 1 0-0 2, Ben Winters 5 0-1 10. Totals 16 5-10 41. 

3-point field goals — Sentinel 3 (Rogers 2, Towe) Glacier 4 (Ells 3, Nikunen) Fouls —  Sentinel 8, Glacier 14. 

Sentinel girls 58, Glacier 54 

In the first game of the doubleheader, Avery Ogren led all scorers with 23 points and the Spartans answered with a run every time the Wolfpack gained momentum. 

Glacier came out the gates slow, losing the first quarter 13-5 and didn’t record their first goal until the final seconds of the quarter on a Karley Allen triple. 

The Pack picked up the pace in the second quarter, outscoring the Spartans 18-13 but coach Amanda Cram thought the team lacked intensity throughout the game. 

“I felt like our effort didn’t meet our program’s expectations tonight,” Cram said. “Any time we took the lead we would take a breath and relax, and that complacency goes with a desire to win and the effort that should follow it.” 

Down 27-23 at the break, the Wolfpack took their first lead of the game four minutes into the third quarter and the game seemed to be shifting in the home team's favor. 

But the Spartans answered right back with a 7-0 run before a Cazz Rankosky 3-pointer was able to stop the bleeding. The pack then went on a 9-4 run of their own, setting up a one-point game heading into the final quarter. 

“I thought our full-court intensity is what was needed, I think in the halfcourt we lacked communication. Offensively it felt like we were waiting for someone to make a shot, and we were looking for a leader,” Cram said. 

Insert Allen. 

She led the team with 15 points, including four 3-pointers but was in noticeable discomfort late in the game, on the verge of tears.

“Karley had the flu with migraine headaches and showed she was tough as nails,” Cram said. “She was complaining her vision was blurry, but she battled, and you have to applaud her effort.” 

Kaitlyn Hammett and Lucy Pfahler each scored 12 for the Spartans with Hammet knocking down a clutch free throw to give the Spartans a 2-point lead with 10 seconds left. 

She missed the second attempt, but Glacier couldn’t secure the rebound and Pfahler laid it in to put the game out of reach. 

Reese Ramey scored 12 points for the Pack on a perfect 6 of 6 shooting from the free-throw line and Allie Krueger finished with seven. 

"We have put ourselves in a seeding position and that can be scary for these girls," Cram said. "They put a lot of pressure on themselves and sometimes they play it safe instead of being aggressive.” 

Sentinel     13    14    12    19    -    58 

Glacier     5    18    15    16    -    54 

SENTINEL — Kaitlyn Hammett 5 1-2 12, Andrin Remmers 0 3-4 3, Nina Sammoury 0 0-2 0, Avery Ogren 10 0-0 23, Callie Crass 2 0-0 4, Shay Casagrande 1 0-0 2, Kenzie Cline 0 2-2 2, Lucy Pfahler 5 2-6 12. Totals 23 8-16 58. 

GLACIER — Rylee Bigelow 2 2-6 6, Karley Allen 5 1-1 15, Allie Krueger 2 3-3 7, Madi Stevens 1 3-4 5, Reese Ramey 3 6-6 12, Olivia Warriner 1 0-0 3, Cazz Rankosky 2 0-0 6. Totals 16 15-20 54. 

3-point field goals — Sentinel 4 (Ogren 3, Hammett 1) Glacier 7 (Allen 4, Rankosky 2, Warriner 1) Fouls — Sentinel 16, Glacier 15. 

    Glacier's Ben Winters (50) goes to the basket in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Glacier High School on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Dylan Banzet (40) shoots in the lane in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Glacier High School on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Ethan Kastelitz (4) shoots in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Glacier High School on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Cooper Pelc (1) shoots in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Glacier High School on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Liam Ells (2) goes to the basket in the second half against Missoula Sentinel at Glacier High School on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier's Ethan Kastelitz (4) shoots in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Glacier High School on Tuesday, Feb. 18. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider