Despite losses, Cats beginning to gel as a team

After getting hammered on the road against Glacier the night before, it would have been easy for the Columbia Falls basketball team to fold against Frenchtown at home Saturday. 

Instead, they played their best game of the year and while they still lost, they’re coming together as a team and look like their having fun doing it.

The Cats lost to Class AA Glacier 86-55 and looked lost at times in the drubbing, but against Frenchtown, they shot the ball well and had a 33-24 lead at the half. But they had a bad third quarter — something that’s dogged them all season, and fell short, 61-53 in a hard-fought game.

On Tuesday in Bigfork, it was more of the same. The Wildcats played well the first half and were tied with the Vikings at 24. But they had a rough second half and lost by 15.

The boys are now 0-6. 

Even though they lostin the losses, the team seems to have turned a corner. First-year coach John Anderson has gone with a younger lineup in starters Steven DeCamp, Tyler Murphy, Nathan Riley, Dakota Bridwell and Austin Green. They all played football together. 

Bridwell was quarterback and the rest were all wide recievers. They know how to play as a team and it’s showing. The boys shot 46 percent from the field and 69 percent from the line against Frenchtown. 

But DeCamp, who is emerging as the team’s best defender, got into foul trouble and didn’t play most of the third quarter, which hurt in the Frenchtown game.

Anderson wasn’t happy with the loss, but was pleased with the progress.

“I thought they decided it was time for them to start playing basketball,” he said of the Frenchtown game. “They played with a lot of pride.”

He said they just need to refine the fundamentals and basics.

“It’s a matter of playing defense and hitting the boards,” he said.

After break, the boys travel to Class B Eureka on Jan. 2 and then are home against Class B Libby Jan. 8.

C. Falls 10 16 21 8 — 55

Glacier 25 27 15 19 — 86

COLUMBIA FALLS—Nathan Riley 7-13 0-0 19, Austin Green 1-3 1-2 4, Tyler Murphy 2-3 2-2 6, Dakota Bridwell 4-10 2-2 11, Logan Stephens 2-5 5-5 11, Kyler Burns 1-1 0-0 2, Matthew Morrison 1-1 0-1 2. Totals: 18-38 10-12 55.

GLACIER—Noah Lindsay 2-6 0-0 4, Jake Willich 5-6 0-2 12, Dylan Ruggles 3-4 5-5 11, John Learn 1-5 1-2 3, Tadan Gilman 6-9 0-2 13, Caden Harkins 1-2 0-02, Collin Kazmier 0-0 2-2 2, Drake Dulin 2-3 4-4 8, Brec Rademacher 1-1 0-0 3, Pat O’Connell 3-5 0-0 6, Jake Norberg 5-9 0-0 15, Torin Bowden 3-3 0-0 7. Totals: 32-53 12-17 86.

C. Falls 13 20 5 15 — 53

Frenchtown 17 7 24 16 — 61

Bigfork 14 12 14 20 — 60

Columbia Falls 14 12 7 12 — 45

BIGFORK — Anders Epperly 3, Adam Jordt 10, Joseph Potkonjak 13, Jonathan Landon 9, George Gibson 17, Garrett Beville 8.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Nathan Riley 13, Logan Stephens 6, Austin Green 5, Tyler Murphy 9, Steven DeCamp 8, Dakota Bridwell 4.

Individual stats unavilable.