Boys upset Whitefish, breeze by Polson for championship

Sometimes it takes an attitude adjustment to get you going in the right direction. It doesn’t hurt to have a storied school tradition on your side, either.

Columbia Falls went into the Northwestern A Divisional Basketball Tournament with the boys No. 4 seed, and emerged with an impressive championship.

The Wildcats opened with a dominating 69-47 win over No. 5 Ronan. C-Falls rallied for a 58-53 win over top-seeded Whitefish in Friday’s semifinals. It was all-Wildcats in the championship game Saturday, when C-Falls steamed past Polson, 64-45.

It was certainly a “don’t give up … don’t ever give up” attitude.

C-Falls has plenty of time to prepare for the Class A state tournament March 12-14 at ExpoPark in Great Falls. The ‘Cats face Corvallis, the runner-up in the Southwestern Divisional, at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12. The other first-round pairings: Browning-Laurel, 2 p.m.; Billings Central-Butte Central, 6:30 p.m.; and Dillon-Whitefish, 8 p.m.

‘Cats coach Cary Finberg knew his team needed an attitude adjustment late in the season after going 4-5 in the conference with a game against Ronan to go. C-Falls nipped the Chiefs 51-50, setting the stage for divisionals.

“The kids have been really been starting to play differently,” Finberg said. “I think the kids knew what was at stake.

This was the best we’ve played all year,” he said of the divisional tournament. “They put it together at the right time. We can’t let up. We have to press on.”

A key for the ‘Cats in their three divisional tourney games: They had no single-digit scoring quarter.

In the championship game, C-Falls led Polson 21-12 after one period and 33-21 at halftime. Two Nolan free throws pushed the margin to 20, 47-27, late in the third period.

“We continually put pressure on them defensively,” Finberg said, after his team had been beaten by the Pirates twice during the season. “We moved the ball, we knocked down shots. That helps you in other areas. The kids came to play and the rewards show. They earned it and I’m proud of their efforts.”

Mackey Nolan led the ‘Cats with 17 points and five assists. Mitchell Wassam had 13 points and nine rebounds. Grant Getts added 12 points.

C-Falls trailed rival Whitefish by eight in the second quarter but stayed within striking distance. After a three-point play by Getts gave the ‘Cats a 52-49 lead, Aaron Tkachyk nailed a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs. Moments later, Nolan sank two foul shots and Kyle Howell added two more with :29 to go. After David FauntLeRoy made one of two free throws, Howell scored on a breakaway pass from Nolan and the ‘Cats were in the title game — snapping Whitefish’s 12-game win streak.

“We’d beaten good teams. It was a matter of us going out and being consistent with our effort,” Finberg said. “It was a matter of who was going to make the plays at the end. The kids did a good job of keeping their composure.

“It was a team effort offensively and defensively,” the coach added. “The kids bought into each other.”

C-Falls was 12-for-22 from the foul line, and Whitefish went 8-for-11.

Getts paced the ‘Cats with 16 points and nine rebounds. Kyle Howell added 10 points. Nolan dished out 11 assists and had just two turnovers.

C-FALLS OPENED the tournament with a vengeance, streaking to a 15-2 lead en route to the 69-47 win over Ronan on Thursday. The Wildcats held a 23-point lead after three periods.

Seven-for-11 shooting in the first period sparked the Cats.

Ten of the 11 Wildcats who saw court time scored against the Chiefs, and four players finished in double figures.

Finberg indicated that the close game Ronan to cap the conference season forced the ‘Cats to focus.

“We didn’t want it to come down to the last shot or the last possession again,” he said.

Nolan led the Cats with 14 points and eight assists. Howell, who had eight first-period points, added 13 points. Freshman Austin Barth netted nine of his 11 points in the third period. Wassam had 10 points and 12 rebounds for a double double. Grant Getts had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Nolan Harris led Ronan with 11 points, and Mike Fisher and Dallas Cordier had 10 each.

RONAN (47)

Mike Fisher 3 3-4 10, Dallas Cordier 4 0-2 10, Justin Dustybull 1 0-0 3, Jay Sorrell 0 0-0 0, Nolan Harris 3 3-5 11, Eddie Ness 2 3-3 7, Kyle Hendrickx 2 1-2 6. Totals 15 10-16 47.

COLUMBIA FALLS (69)

Kyle Howell 5 1-5 13, Tanner Barth 1 2-3 4, Matt Triplett 1 0-0 2, Nick Emerson 0 0-2 0, Mackey Nolan 5 4-6 14, Austin Robbins 1 0-2 2, Austin Barth 5 1-1 11, Mitchell Wassam 4 2-4 10, Kaleb Johnson 0 1-2 1, Grant Getts 3 4-4 10, Michael Williams 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 15-29 69.

Ronan    7    7    14    19 — 47

Columbia Falls    18    12    20    19 — 69

3-point goals: Fisher, Cordier 2, Dustybull, Harris 2, Hendrickx; Howell 2. Total fouls: Ronan 22, Columbia Falls 18. Fouled out: Sorrell; A. Barth.

COLUMBIA FALLS (58)

Howell 3 2-2 10, T. Barth 2 1-2 7, Nolan 1 3-6 5, Robbins 1 1-2 3, A. Barth 3 1-3 7, Wassam 3 0-0 6, Johnson 0 1-2 1, Getts 7 2-3 16, Williams 1 1-2 3. Totals 21 12-22 58.

WHITEFISH (53)

Matt Whitehead 1 0-0 2, Aaron Tkachyk 6 0-0 17, Willie Roche 1 2-2 4, Josh Backer 1 0-1 2, Marc Hotzfield 1 0-0 2, Connor silliker 2 1-2 5, Colt Idol 5 4-4 14, David FauntLeRoy 3 1-2 7. Totals 20 8-11 53.

Columbia Falls    15    14    10    19 — 58

Whitefish    17    14    11    11 — 53

3-point goals:  Howell 2, T. Barth 2; Tkachyk 5. Total fouls: Columbia Falls 14, Whitefish 18. Fouled out: Whitehead; A. Barth.

COLUMBIA FALLS (64)

Howell 1 0-0 3, T. Barth 0 1-2 1, Triplett 1 0-0 2, Nick Emerson 0 0-2 0, Nolan 6 5-5 17, Robbins 2 0-0 4, A. Barth 3 1-2 7, Wassam 6 1-2 13, Johnson 1 0-0 2, Getts 6 0-1 12, Williams 0 3-4 3. Totals 26 11-18 64.

POLSON (45)

Craig Bagnell 1 0-0 2, Kyle Bagnell 4 2-2 11, Waylon Michel 4 0-0 11, Peter Hansen 0 0-1 0, Tim Rausch 4 6-6 15, Louis Mohr 1 0-0 3, Ryan Kelley 1 0-0 2, Derrick Rathe 0 1-2 1. Totals 14 9-11 45.

Columbia Falls    21    12    16    15 — 64

Polson    12    9    9    15 — 45

3-point goals: Howell; K. Bagnell, Michel 3, Rausch. Total fouls: Columbia Falls 15, Polson 15. Fouled out: none.