Hoop teams open season tourney

Taste of success in mind for Wildcats

By CHRIS PETERSON - Hungry Horse News

Driving to Billings in February can be no fun. Bad weather. Slick roads. But it's a trip to Billings that is the ultimate goal for the Columbia Falls varsity boys basketball team.

Last year the boys dominated the conference in the regular season — only to get knocked out of the state playoff picture against Libby. This year, many of the players on that team have returned. It left a bad taste in their mouth, to put it mildly.

"Hopefully that taste will fuel these guys," said 12th year head coach Cary Finberg.

The Wildcats have nine returning lettermen and a host of young talent. The varsity team went 16-5, but the JV team went 18-0, the freshman 16-2.

The potential to make a run is there.

"We've got a lot of kids that can play. It's just a matter of sorting it out," Finberg said last week.

The Cats are led by seniors Chase Grilley and Chase Fairbank. Grilley, who averaged 16 points a game last season, was first team all-conference and Fairbank was honorable mention. Cody Bowman and Zane Ridings are also seniors. Both played varsity last year.

The rest of the squad is a mix of young talent, with juniors Grant Getts, Mackey Nolan, Tanner Perry and Tanner Barth, and sophomores Mitchell Wassam and Michael Williams.

On Saturday in the Blue and White scrimmage, Nolan led all scorers with 20, leading the White team over the Blue for a four-point victory.

The White team was down by four heading into the fourth when Nolan stepped it up.

"He willed his team to win," Finberg said.

Finberg said a lot of players are going to get a shot this year.

"It's just a matter of who will step up and take control," he said." By the end of the year, we'll let them figure it out."

The schedule looks to be tough. Ronan, Polson and Whitefish are all solid and Libby, though they lost some key players to graduation, can still be very tough.

The Cats also face AA squads in Missoula Sentinel, Big Sky, Flathead and Glacier High. That's OK — Finberg welcomes the tough schedule.

"I'm not worried about games in December and January," Finberg said.

He just wants to see the team get better and be ready in February when the games really start to count.

The Cats have a host of coaches, too. Chuck Powell is the freshman coach, Dan Block the JV coach, Tyler Jones is a JV assistant, Greg Bauska is varsity assistant and Skip Schroeder is the frosh assistant.

The Cats open the season with the Northwest-Southwest A Tip-Off Tourney, which is held in Whitefish and Columbia Falls this year.

They face Corvallis at home Friday at 8 p.m. and then travel to Whitefish to play Dillon on Saturday at 1 p.m. Dillon is the defending state champion. They beat Browning, 61-55, for the title.

Columbia Falls won back-to-back state titles in 2005 and 2006 — after its first title in 2003 under Finberg.

Fairbank's second stint as girls coach

By JOE SOVA - Hungry Horse News

You'll see a new head coach on the sideline when the Columbia Falls varsity girls open the 2007-08 basketball season this weekend (Dec. 7-8) at the Northwest-Southwest A Tip-Off Tourney in Columbia Falls and Whitefish. He's not really new, though, as Dan Fairbank was the Wildkats head coach for three seasons, from 1996-99.

During that time, Fairbank compiled a 40-28 record, guiding the Kats to first and third places at divisional tournaments. This is Fairbank' s 19th year in District 6.

"I wanted to get back into high school coaching," said Fairbank, a CFJH coach.

Fairbank replaces Chris Salonen. She left the district and is the first sophomore girls coach at new Glacier High School.

The Kats tip off Friday at 6 p.m. against Dillon at Whitefish High School. CFHS hosts Corvallis on Saturday at 7 p.m. to wrap up the tourney.

The Kats have one of the quickest players in the Northwest A — athletic junior point guard Alyssa Ladenburg.

Fairbank has just one senior with significant varsity experience. That's 5-foot-7 Sam Ladenburg. Other seniors this year are 5-7 Sarah Marcille, 5-2 Jylisa Fields, 5-9 Colyne Hislop and 5-7 Cortny Westguard. Juniors Cedar Smith (5-7) and Amanda Milliard (5-8) both lettered last season.

As you can see, there's not much size among the juniors and seniors. But Kelsey DeWit, a 6-foot sophomore, will be counted on close to the hoop.

Those players will have to assume their roles after the Kats lost five key seniors from last season.

"This year we'll play a little more up-tempo," Fairbank revealed. "We'll be shooting a little more. We'll have to be intelligent when it comes to our press."

With a lack of overall size, blocking out on the boards will be critical, according to Fairbank.

"Our biggest key is offensive rebounding," the coach said.

With 6-2 senior Alyssa Fierro leading the way, Fairbank sees Bigfork as the league front-runner. The Vals lost only one player from last season's 16-2 team. Senior Ashley Ferda will help keep Whitefish near the top of the league, and Libby has a strong 6-0 sophomore — Jackie Mee.

Northwest-Southwest A Tip-Off Tourney

Boys Schedule

Friday, Dec. 7

Columbia Falls High School

10 a.m. Dillon vs. Polson

12 p.m. Frenchtown vs. Bigfork

2 p.m. Hamilton vs. Libby

4 p.m. Anaconda vs. Whitefish

6 p.m. Stevensville vs. Ronan

8 p.m. Corvallis vs. Col. Falls

Saturday, Dec. 8

Whitefish High School

9 a.m. Anaconda vs. Bigfork

11 a.m. Hamilton vs. Polson

1 p.m. Dillon vs. Col. Falls

3 p.m. Frenchtown vs. Ronan

5 p.m. Corvallis vs. Libby

7 p.m. Stevi vs. Whitefish

Girls Schedule

Friday, Dec. 7

Whitefish High School

10 a.m. Anaconda vs. Bigfork

12 p.m. Corvallis vs. Libby

2 p.m. Frenchtown vs. Ronan

4 p.m. Hamilton vs. Polson

6 p.m. Dillon vs. Columbia Falls

8 p.m. Stevi vs. Whitefish

Saturday, Dec. 8

Columbia Falls High School

9 a.m. Dillon vs. Polson

11 a.m. Anaconda vs. Whitefish

1 p.m. Stevensville vs. Ronan

3 p.m. Hamilton vs. Libby

5 p.m. Frenchtown vs. Bigfork

7 p.m. Corvallis vs. Col. Falls

Ticket Prices

Adults, $6 and students, $5, for an all-day pass good at both Columbia Falls and Whitefish gyms. Separate fees each day. No single game tickets sold. Activity tickets/passes are not honored.