Bulldogs battered at state

By CHRIS TUCKER

Whitefish Pilot

The Bulldog basketball team closed the season with a 0-2 record at the state Class A tournament in Belgrade.

"We just didn't get it done, and there's just no excuses," coach Julio Delgado said.

Still, he was pleased that sophomore players on the team were able to see what a state tournament was all about.

"This is invaluable for years to come. The kids will now know what to expect in the next couple of years," he said.

Delgado said he encouraged the team to stick with it throughout the season.

"About the only thing that I ever asked of them all year long was that they let it all hang out and play hard, and I thought they did that at the state tournament," Delgado said.

The Bulldogs faced tough competition at the state tournament March 8-10.

"It just wasn't meant to be," Delgado said. "We played two pretty good teams and we got beat. I couldn't be more proud of those kids and what they accomplished this year, especially after going 0-8 and winning a divisional title, and going to a state tournament and being one of the top-eight teams in the state is a pretty good accomplishment."

Whitefish 47, Hardin 59

The Bulldogs had a rough first quarter during their opening game against Hardin on Thursday, down 12 points at the end of the first, 16-4.

Whitefish played stronger for the rest of the game, but in the end they couldn't make up the first-quarter deficit. The Bulldogs lost 47-59.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs came within four points of tying Hardin, 45-41.

"We just didn't execute at the end, and they built a lead up again," Delgado said.

Sophomore Colt Idol led scoring for the Bulldogs with 17 points, including two three-point goals. Senior Jamie Clogg scored 13 points, and sophomore Aaron Tkachyk scored 11, including three 3-point goals.

Whitefish 4 14 15 14 - 47

Hardin 16 14 12 17 - 59

WHITEFISH - Aaron Tkachyk 4 0-0 11, Luke Fennelly 1 1-3 4, Colt Idol 7 1-2 17, Jamie Clogg 6 1-1 13, David FauntLeRoy 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 3-6 47.

HARDIN - Leo Hugs 9 1-2 21, Taylor Fitzpatrick 3 0-0 6, Josiah Norby 6 0-0 12, Jess Bends 4 1-1 10, Garrell Snell 2 0-0 5, Bryndon Rogers 1 0-1 2, Ben Pease 1 1-2 3. Totals 26 3-6 59.

3-point goals - Whitefish 6 (Tkachyk 3, Idol 2, Fennelly) Hardin 4 (Hugs 2, Bands 1, Snell 1).

Whitefish 41,

Butte Central 48

Whitefish next faced Butte Central and fought for a chance to take part in the consolation round.

The Bulldogs came out strong in the loser-out match and hustled to earn an 8-2 lead in the first few minutes. The Bulldogs led by five points at the end of the first quarter, 12-7, after Tkachyk made a two-point goal at the buzzer.

In the second quarter, both teams scored eight points, but in the third quarter, Butte Central battled back to tie the game at 26 points with 2:41 left. Whitefish ended the third quarter ahead, 30-26.

The Bulldogs, however, found themselves in hot water in the fourth quarter. Butte Central tied the game 32-32 with 5:44 left in play, and pulled ahead in the following four minutes for a 37-43 lead.

Senior Luke Fennelly nailed a three-point shot with about one minute left to close the deficit to three points, 40-43, but Butte pulled ahead to seal the win, 41-48.

"The kids played well against Butte Central," Delgado said. "Their point guard scored 28 points … we didn't really control him very well."

This was the final game for seniors Fennelly, Kenny Overcast and Clogg, but high-scoring sophomores Tkachyk, Idol and David FauntLeRoy will return for the Bulldogs next season.

For more game photos, visit http://www.chuckhaney.com/bb_gallery/index.htm

Whitefish 12 8 10 11 - 41

Butte C. 7 8 11 22 - 48

WHITEFISH - Aaron Tkachyk 0 4-6 4, Luke Fennelly 4 0-3, 9, Colt Idol 3 2-4 8, Jamie Clogg 1 4-6 6, David FauntLeRoy 4 2-3 10, Shawn Watterud 1 0-0 2, Jake Smith 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 12-22 41.

BUTTE CENTRAL - Clay McQueary 2 1-3 5, Matt Boyle 1 2-2 5, Matt Ritter 6 12-14 28, Tanner Neumann 1 7-11 9, Zach Bair 0 1-2 1. Totals 10 23-32 48.