'Dogs lock up No. 3 seed

Defensive stops led to offensive bursts as Whitefish took care of business at home Saturday night by knocking off the Libby Loggers in their season finale.

The 55-36 Northwestern A boys basketball victory bumped the Bulldogs to the No. 3 seed for the upcoming divisional tournament.

Senior Alex Duroche led the defensive charge and was a key player in a momentum-shifting play that tied the score at 25-25 in the third. The center blocked two consecutive shots on a Libby possession, with the second leading to a Jose Sanchez steal. Gage Vasquez then buried a three-pointer to give Whitefish the lead for good.

“Our defense was a team effort,” Duroche said. “I wouldn’t have gotten the blocks, and Jose wouldn’t have gotten the steal, if everyone wasn’t playing their position so well.”

The defensive stand led to a Whitefish 25-8 run in which Vasquez scored 11 points. The junior forward finished with 18 to lead the team.

“When they’re playing defense like they were, flying around like that, our energy is so much better on offense,” Whitefish coach Mark Casazza said. “Before the game, we talked about how much better we are when we play with that kind of energy.”

Whitefish was desperate for the win after a disappointing loss to Ronan on Feb. 15. The Chiefs surprised Whitefish with a huge fourth quarter. That loss set up a scenario on Saturday where Whitefish would end up the No. 3 seed with a win over Libby, or the No. 5 seed with a loss.

“We said to ourselves, we have got to get back in this race,” Duroche said. “All the guys, not just the seniors, came out to play today. We pushed ourselves in practice and just got it done today.”

Casazza says he’s happy with how the team bounced back from the Ronan game to close out the season with a big win.

“Beating Libby is going to give us some good confidence at divisional,” Casazza said.

Whitefish opens the tournament with No. 2 seed Polson. Win and they move into the championship game. Lose and it’s a long road that likely goes through Columbia Falls to make the state tournament.

“Our entire focus is on Polson,” Casazza said “We have to beat either them or Columbia Falls to go to state.”

The Pirates topped Whitefish in both of their meetings this season, but Casazza thinks they’re beat-able on any given night if the ‘Dogs bring their best game.

“We have to box out really well,” Casazza said. “We have to attack their full-court pressure and look to get easy buckets off that, and we have to get to their shooters and take away their three-pointers.

“We can win, but we have to play our best.”

Whitefish and Polson meet Friday at 4 p.m. at the Ronan High School gym.

Players to watch:

Gage Vasquez is Whitefish’s leading scoring, averaging 16 points per game — third-best in the league. The junior can use his height and mobility to take over games offensively, but coach Mark Casazza notes his ability to get teammates involved with incisive passing. Look for Vasquez to score often on mid-range jumpers and to tally assists from sharpshooters Cooper Olson, Kyler Blades and Mac Roche lurking behind the three-point line.

Drew Galbraith and Alex Duroche provide the ‘Dogs with an intimidating authority in the low post. Galbraith has shown his ability to put up a 20-point game, while Duroche makes his presence known with defensive stops, including 15 blocked shots this season. Combined, the duo averages 11 rebounds a game.

Jose Sanchez is the wild card who can provide a spark off the bench. The exchange student plays at a blistering pace, often scoring on fast breaks and knocking down deadly treys.