Free throws doom Bulldogs vs. C-Falls

By DAVID ERICKSON - Whitefish Pilot

The aging gym and bleachers inside Whitefish High School may not be able to withstand many more beatings like they took Thursday night when the Whitefish boys basketball team took on the Columbia Falls Wildcats.

The frenzied, near-capacity crowd, consisting mostly of amped-up teens, seemed ready to blow up the entire place by the third quarter. That’s when the Bulldogs took their first lead of the game, 33-32, off Colt Idol’s unanswered five points.

Because the Columbia Falls coach, Cary Finberg, nearly popped a blood vessel on the sideline as he was screaming at the referees, Idol was given three free-throws, which he made to deafening cheers from both sides of the court.

The magic didn’t last for the Bulldogs, however, especially at the free-throw paint. They went 13-23 from the line, painful considering they lost the game 49-57. The easy buckets were not easy for Whitefish, perhaps because of the crowd intensity.

The Bulldogs left a lot of points on the floor, as with nearly every possession, the ball bounced off the rim two or three times before the Wildcats would get a rebound and take it back the other way.

Whitefish made only 15 of their 43 shots from the floor, compared to 21 of 50 for the Wildcats, a 7 percent difference. Columbia Falls didn’t have much luck with free throws either, but their extra six baskets from the floor made the difference.

Other than during the first quarter, which has been rough for Whitefish all year, the boys played with a lot of energy and discipline on defense. Idol had a break-away steal and slam dunk just before half, which almost brought the house down.

The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, as have most of Whitefish’s opponents this season. The Bulldogs battled back after halftime, however, with some key defensive rebounds and clutch three-pointers from Idol and Shawn Watterud.

Watterud hit a buzzer-beater from way out as the third quarter expired, but the momentum couldn’t carry his squad in the fourth quarter.

Idol finished the night with 23 points and two rebounds. Watterud had 13 points in the game. The Wildcats completely shut down Aaron Tkachyk, who finished the night with only one three-pointer. He was completely stymied inside, going 0-8.

The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 0-3 in Northwestern A action, but every game has been close.

C-Falls 21 8 12 16 - 57

Whitefish 10 9 19 11 - 49

Whitefish (0-3, 3-5) — Matt Whitehead 1-2 1-2 4, Aaron Tkachyk 1-9 0-0 3, Shawn Watterud 3-5 5-7 13, Josh Backer 0-0 0-0 0, Marc Hotzfield 1-2 0-1 3, Brian Flickinger 0-2 1-2 1, Colt Idol 9-15 4-6 23, Jake Smith 0-1 1-3 1, David FauntLeRoy 0-7 1-2 1. Totals 15-43 13-23 49.

3-point goals — CF 2-12 (Nolan 1-3, Grilley 1-5), Wf. 5-12 (Watterud 2-4, Hotzfield 1-1, Idol 1-3, Tkachyk 1-4). Rebounds — CF 39 (Getts 9, Grilley 8, Nolan 7, Ridings 5, Bowman 3, team 3, Wassam 2, two with 1), Wf. 27 (FauntLeRoy 6, Watterud 5, Idol 5, Smith 5, team 5, Hotzfield). Assists — CF 9 (Nolan 3, Grilley 2, Bowman 2, Fairbank, Ridings), Wf. 4 (Idol 2, Tkachyk, FauntLeRoy). Steals — CF 11 (Ridings 4, Grilley 3, Fairbank 2, Getts, Bowman), Wf. 4 (Smith 2, Idol, Watterud). Blocks — CF 0, Wf. 1 (Smith). Turnovers — CF 17, Wf. 19. Totals fouls — CF 20, Wf. 19. Fouled out — none. Technicals — CF coach Cary Finberg.