Wildcats win overtime thriller over Bulldogs
The Columbia Falls boys basketball team went 2-1 on the week, including two buzzer beaters — one against Ronan Tuesday on the road and another against Whitefish at home Friday night.
The Wildcats beat Ronan 52-49. Ronan tied it up with 16 seconds left. The Cats however were able to break the Chief’s zone press and Cade Morgan hit a three from the top of the key to give the Wildcats the victory as time expired.
The Cats did again Friday night against Whitefish, as William Dyon hit a baseline jumper in regulation to tie the game at 50 with just a few seconds left to force overtime.
The Bulldogs hit a three with about 46 seconds left to go up 53-52, but the Cats had one last possession with about 11 seconds left. Dyon was golden again, hitting a 20-foot jumper as time expired for the win, 54-53.
“That was a pretty emotional win,” said coach Chris Finberg. “A lot of guys played their hearts out.”
It’s been a long time since the boys have won back-to-back buzzer beaters, he noted.
He said the key to the Whitefish game was the Cats took care of the ball — they only had nine turnovers. Dyon had the best game of his career, with 15 points and three assists.
The Cats were then on the road Saturday against Corvallis, where they lost 57-45.
The Cats had a bad first quarter and they never were able to recover.
“We had a bit of a let down,” Finberg said.
The boys will try to get back on the winning track this Thursday as they host Libby. The Loggers lead the conference, but the Cats played them tough on the road earlier this season. They were tied midway through the fourth, but Libby scored the remaining seven points of the game, while blanking the Cats.
“Libby doesn’t hurt themselves,” Finberg noted.
They take high percentage shots and make teams work on the offense end. The Cats need to take care of the ball and keep it close, which they’ve proven they can do after this week.
Game time is 7:15 p.m. The boys are then on the road against Polson Saturday.
A video recap of the Whitefish game is on the Hungry Horse News Facebook page.