Cats drop pair to open basketball season in Frenchtown

The Wildcats basketball season opened with a pair of losses over the weekend as Columbia Falls fell to Glendive and Corvallis at the Western A Tip Off Tournament in Frenchtown.

The Cats saw a fourth-quarter lead evaporate in their first game of the season Friday as they fell to the Glendive Red Devils 55-50. The Cats struggled from the field throughout the contest, shooting just 18 of 55, including 5 of 23 from beyond the arc. The Cats also had their troubles at the foul line, where they were 9 of 21.

“There was some good with the bad. I thought our effort was good in the first game and that we competed well. We just didn’t shoot very well,” head coach Chris Finberg said. “As badly as we shot, the fact that we had a lead in the fourth quarter was pretty amazing. The effort was there, we just couldn’t get the ball to go in the hoop.”

Allec Knapton led the Wildcats with 11 points and eight rebounds against the Red Devils while Cade Morgan had nine points, five steals and two rebounds. Mikey Tamburelli was the leading rebounder for the Cats with 10 and added five points. Also scoring for Columbia Falls were Dillon Shipp with eight points, Jack Price with seven, William Dyon with six and Jake Bulawsky scored four.

The Cats stayed close to Corvallis through two and a half quarters Saturday, but the Blue Devils pulled away to win 66-43 behind a strong surge in the late third and early fourth quarters.

I thought we needed better effort,” Finberg said. “Once the game started slipping away, I felt our effort started to slip and we didn’t play with much energy. I’m not sure what the reason for that was, but it was disappointing. As a coach, that is something I will have to figure out.”

The Cats forced 18 turnovers in the loss and committed just 15, but were outrebounded by the Blue Devils 31-18.

Tamburelli led the Cats with 11 points and Shipp was also in double figures with 10. Morgan added nine, Knapton had five, Price scored four and John Dyon and Aaron Trueblood each scored two. No Wildcat had more than three rebounds.

The Cats season continues Saturday as they travel to Stevensville to face the Yellowjackets.