'Dogs come up short to top-ranked C-Falls

It could have been an upset for the ages — but Goliath wouldn't topple.

An untimely injury and a flurry of three-pointers sank a dagger into Whitefish's chances of knocking off top-ranked Columbia Falls on Jan. 16, as the Wildcats pulled away in the fourth quarter in front of a packed house for a 73-50 win.

"They do a great job of putting pressure on you the entire game," Bulldog coach Mark Casazza said. "They are so big and physical and have long arms. We were worried about that, but I think our guys were physical with them, too."

The loss dropped White-fish two games back of undefeated Columbia Falls — which has knocked off three Class AA teams — in the conference standings, and one game behind both Libby and Polson.

Not only did the 'Dogs lose the game, they lost senior captain Willie Roche for the season. Roche went down in the second period beneath the 'Cats' basket with a torn ACL and MCL.

"He's done for the season," Casazza said. "But I told him, 'You're still the team's captain. The guys need you now more than ever.' He is still a huge role for this team down the stretch.

"Our backs are against the wall now. We had a tough weekend, and we lost Willie, but the last two practices have been our best all year."

Whitefish (3-6, 1-2) had their chances against one of the deepest Columbia Falls rosters in recent history. They weathered three quarters worth of offensive storms, pieced together a 7-0 run in the third, and found themselves in reach of an improbable upset in the fourth.

Down by 16 points with six minutes on the clock, senior Drew Galbraith was fouled as he made a hard move to the basket for a layup. The "and-one" play put the 'Dogs within 13 points and brought the Whitefish bench to their feet.

Galbraith followed with a blocked shot on the other end of the floor, but just as quickly as the 'Dogs grabbed a chunk of momentum, the 'Cats snatched it away.

Columbia Falls unleashed a tornado of deep jump shots, including four consecutive three-pointers, and swept away any hopes the Bulldogs had of an upset. The Wildcats scored 27 points in the final period to win the cross-valley rivalry game by 23 points.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by big men Connor Silliker, who dropped 15 points, and Gage Vasquez, who added 14.

Whitefish grabbed the lead early in the opening period after Vasquez knocked down a jumper from the foul line and Austin Green nailed a three-pointer from the corner.

Solid defense from the 'Dogs held Columbia Falls scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of play.

Then the Cats pulled away with an 11-0 run to take a seven-point first-quarter lead.

Roche went down in the second period, but junior Kyler Blades and freshman Cooper Olson helped fill the void as Whitefish rallied in the third quarter to pull within nine points.

Silliker knocked down five points amidst a 7-0 run, including a three-point play and a put-back.

Mac Roche ended the third quarter with a three ball, but the 'Cats put the game away in the fourth behind four three-pointers from Kyle Howell and Michael Williams.

Whitefish next hosts Flathead on Thursday. The Class AA Braves knocked off the Bulldogs 61-55 on Jan. 8.