Boys drop Bulldogs in OT, but fall to Browning

Wildcat boys basketball brought home an exciting victory against crosstown rival Whitefish Thursday evening before dropping a loss to Browning at home on Saturday.

The Cats defeated Whitefish 60-58 in a roller-coaster of a game on the Bulldog’s court that ended in overtime.

Columbia Falls finished the first quarter down only by two, 17-15, but then fell into a lull in the second quarter, scoring only four points as Whitefish was up 30-19 at the break.

The Bulldogs kept expanding their lead after halftime, leaving Columbia Falls trailing at one point by 15. It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that the Cats caught a second wind and started sailing around the court, closing the gap to lead into the fourth quarter until Whitefish tied it up just before the final buzzer.

“We were able to pull it out in overtime,” said head coach Chris Finberg.

Freshman Jace Hill led the Cats in scoring with 17 points. Allec Knapton had 16 points and 9 rebounds. Cade Morgan had 14 points, Alihn Anderson had 11 and Mason Peters secured 8 rebounds.

On Saturday, Columbia Falls played Browning at home, becoming the first team this season to face the Indian’s full lineup, and ending the evening with a tight 64-60 loss.

“[Browning] had their full squad for the first time, and that definitely makes a difference. They were pretty formidable I thought tonight,” said Finberg following the game.

Finberg said he was pleased with his athletes’ play against Browning, a team that led the conference last season.

“I thought we competed throughout,” said Finberg. “We just had a few times throughout the game where we had a lull offensively.”

Several times throughout the game Browning pulled ahead to significant leads before the Cats rallied to close the gap, including in the fourth when the Cats had it within two, Browning went on a 14-2 run, and the Cats grappled back to a four point loss.

“To give the kids credit, they battled back and made it a fairly close game at the end,” said Finberg.

Jace Hill led the team with 28 points and seven rebounds. Allec Knapton led in rebounds with 11 and scored 14 points while Alihn Anderson scored 11 points.

The Wildcats traveled to compete against Ronan on Tuesday after presstime, and will face Eureka at home at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.