Andrew Burgi worried about his flat play pushing him farther down Columbia Falls' bench. Burgi, 17, was the eighth man on a 12-man Wildcat basketball team.

A role player.

The eighth-best of eight Wildcat seniors. A lifelong basketball junkie who, through hard work, made the varsity team as a senior.

His primary role was somewhat abstract - to provide a spark, to boost the chemistry of four better players on the court.

In the previous three games, Burgi couldn't create that spark.

That gnawed at him. Farther down on the bench, four younger players needed the on-court varsity time to prepare for future seasons.

With a few more lackluster games, Burgi figured his limited court time would go to promising juniors and sophomores.

Wildcats vs. Braves

It was the evening of Jan. 17.

The Wildcats, then 7-2, had a home rematch with Flathead, then 6-2. A month earlier, the Braves dominated Columbia Falls 63-56 in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.

The Wildcats are the defending Class A state champs, fielding an experienced, balanced, medium-sized and mobile team. The Class AA Braves are younger with more size and raw talent, along with good team chemistry.

In their Dec. 16 game, the Braves pounded the ball inside, and held a comfortable lead for most of the game.

Burgi played slightly more than two minutes that evening. A few times, he charged inside from the wing to bang his 5-foot-10-inch, 155-pound body against the massive Braves, picking up two fouls and swatting one rebound out to a teammate. Burgi took no shots on Dec. 16, and had no real effect - good or bad - on Columbia Falls' inevitable slide to defeat.

Fast-forward to Jan. 17.

Again, the Braves steadily pulled away - leading 24-17 at the first quarter's end and 27-22 two minutes into the second quarter.

Then Wildcat coach Cary Finberg sent in his third guy off the bench - Burgi - to fill in for starting guard Robbie Dakin.

In nine games, Burgi had gone in from the bench only twice when Columbia Falls was behind - both times against Flathead.

Always be prepared

Burgi inhabits a fuzzy high school basketball world between today's starters and the younger future starters at the end of the bench.

He usually plays two to four minutes a game. If he's lucky or the game is a blow-out, he might get six to eight minutes.

This is often a frustrating, unforgiving world, but also one filled with constant hope.

Rewards are found in making a couple of key plays, contributing anonymously to a win, and just enjoying playing basketball. Pitfalls include screwing up for two minutes with no chance of redemption later in the game, or knowing that good play usually does not lead to extra playing time.

Some roles are obvious, especially with the first string: the top scorers, the best rebounders, the defensive specialists.

Further down the bench, roles are more nebulous to both the coach and players.

The sixth man is the top substitute -practically a starter-level job.

But coaching and playing the seventh and eighth men and beyond - that requires a hard-to-define mix of gut feel, chemistry, mental and emotional toughness, basketball smarts and self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses

Finberg said: "Where being a role payer is tough is figuring: Where do I fit in? … You've gotta be honest with the kid. They've gotta be honest with themselves to a a certain extent. … Earlier in the year, he was searching for his role, and we were searching for a role for him."

It took several games before Burgi's role evolved into primarily keeping the defensive heat turned up in the first half.

Columbia Falls' standard game plan is to play fast and intense - especially in the first half - to tire out opponents. But the same strategy also wears down the Wildcat starters. Burgi's task is to spell starters in the first half, and to play at top intensity for a couple of minutes while other Wildcats on the court are pacing themselves. In the second half, Finberg believes his rested starters match up better against their tired counterparts.

Burgi sometimes enters games when Finberg feels he is the right fit for a fluid combination of players in specific game situations.

Finberg said: "It's important for [role players] to keep their heads in the game. They never know when their number is gonna be called."

Defense

Columbia Falls' game plan against Flathead was pretty much the same as in the two squads' first contest - except that the Wildcats' defense would concentrate more on keeping the bigger Braves out of the middle.

Burgi didn't dwell on his recent doubts when he took the floor.

On the bench, he focused on how Flathead's two stars - 6-foot-8-inch freshman Brock Osweiler, averaging 16 points a game, and 6-foot-6-inch junior Geoff Hogan, averaging almost 13 points a game - kept trying to go straight to the basket against the shorter Wildcats with mixed results.

This is what Burgi wanted to do: Take the floor in a dicey game.

In the next few seconds, two other Wildcats hit two quick baskets off of steals, and Columbia Falls was now behind 27-26 with 5:44 left in the half.

Burgi and guards Kevin Boyer and Guy Smith went into a full-court trap defense. Burgi and Boyer blocked Flathead's ballhandler Mack Andrews from crossing midcourt, while Smith boxed him in from the rear and side. Burgi and Smith cornered Andrews on the right sideline before he could reach midcourt. Andrews tried to fight his way out of the trap, and Smith fouled him. Andrews missed his free throw.

Fighting his way in

Three years ago, Burgi barely made the freshman team on the very last cut - because the coaches liked his work ethic.

His skills weren't up with many of his classmates. He struggled with the pace. His confidence kept coming and going.

Burgi didn't come from much of a basketball background.

His maternal grandfather played high school basketball in Indiana. Neither his dad, Robert, a mechanical engineer, nor his mom, Debbie, a registered nurse, are very athletic. While the four Burgi kids - Dan, 20, Andrew, 17, Laura, 15, and Julia, 11 - each have played some sports, only Andrew got into basketball.

He tried basketball and liked it in second grade. His mom saw that he made friends playing basketball and encouraged him to keep at it. Neither son nor parents can explain why basketball transfixed Andrew Burgi while he grew up. He just fell in love with the game. Being a basketball player became part of his self-identity.

"I watched a lot of college basketball. It gave you something to dream about," Andrew Burgi said.

Burgi mostly rode the bench during games in his freshman and sophomore years. He worked hard in practice, slowly beginning to understand that he was not playing at the same pace and intensity as the other players.

His parents worried about how his struggles affected him.

"It was painful to go to a game and he wouldn't play," Robert Burgi said.

His lack of playing time bothered their son. His parents felt his frustration. But they scrupulously stayed away from bothering coaches about their son. However, they once told him that they would approach the coaches about his playing time - if he wanted them to. Their son told them not to.

"He always said: 'I'll stick it out,'" his dad said.

Burgi went to basketball camps. He posted the best attendance among the Wildcats at their off-season workout sessions.

During his junior year, Burgi picked up his intensity during practice. His shooting and defensive skills began to climb to that of his classmates. His ball-handling stayed only so-so.

Burgi played junior varsity during his junior year, but didn't start on that squad.

Fall 2005 rolled around.

Because he didn't play any fall sports, Burgi had Finberg design a workout routine so he could get himself into shape by the time this basketball season began.

Burgi said: "This is my last year. I've gotta make the most of it."

Team player

After Flathead's missed free throw, Columbia Falls rebounded, and Boyer pushed the ball upcourt.

Boyer passed the ball to Burgi on the left wing next to the baseline. Flathead's zone defense collapsed too close to the basket, and Burgi was unguarded.

He shot.

Clang!

The ball bounced high off the forward rim, ricocheting to the court's left side at an angle.

Burgi ran to intercept the ball, catching it while his momentum carried him to the top of the key at the same time Boyer reached the spot.

Instinct took over. Muscle memory from weeks and years of practices kicked in.

Burgi passed the ball two feet to Boyer as his momentum carried him in front of his teammate.

A Flathead player charged at Boyer from the right, hoping to block the Wildcat shot.

Burgi pulled his arms down and planted his feet - setting up a perfect pick to keep the Brave away from Boyer as he swished the basket from the top of the key.

Columbia Falls pulled ahead 28-27.

Supportive parents

Debbie and Robert Burgi sit in the stands for most of their son's games. Whenever he goes in, one parent will tap the other's leg.

Their emotions rise and fall with their son's fortunes.

"You sit there and hold your breath and say: 'Don't make a mistake because your six minutes will be cut in half on the court," Debbie Burgi said.

Burgi values his court time much more in the tighter first-half situations than in fourth-quarter mop-ups - because that shows the coaches have confidence in him, and the game is more fun when the stakes are higher.

"When you're up by 12, a mistake is not going to cost the game. When you're down by four, mistakes will cost you," Burgi said.

Finberg said: "The natural tendency for a kid coming off the bench is to say, 'I've gotta score.' That's not necessarily what the coach is looking for. Just be solid on defense. Don't make mistakes. … You've gotta find a comfort zone. Don't force things."

Originally, Burgi hoped to play more than his normal two to four minutes a game. With a mob of more-experienced seniors, Burgi was comfortable taking few shots.

"I'll set them up to take shots. As long as we win, I'm happy. If I get four points a game, that's fine with me," he said.

But a 4-point-per-game average has eluded him. Burgi didn't score until his fifth game with four points against Hamilton.

"It's been bugging me - going four games without scoring," he said.

Going into Jan. 17, Burgi's statistics for the first nine games were 1.5 points, half a steal, half an assist, slightly less than one rebound and slightly less than one turnover per game. By mid-January, his highest-scoring game was 6 points against Ronan.

For most of a game, Burgi would sit on the bench and study the other team.

One opponent passed sloppily. Another team rebounded poorly. This squad had a wicked press. That kid had an unexpectedly hot shooting hand.

On the court, Burgi often found himself running inside into a mob of much bigger players - grappling, blocking out and trying for rebounds. Or he often ended up on the wing in a zone defense, pressuring ballhandlers on his side of the court.

There was a mental strain in not knowing when his number will be called.

"It kinda throws you off, not knowing when you'll go in. … When you're thinking about going into a game and you don't, you start wondering why not," he said.

Burgi usually plays well in practice, holding his own against the Wildcat starters, forcing both himself and them to improve.

That led him to sometimes envy players on opposing teams.

"It's frustrating at times, sitting against a team you think you can be playing for," he said.

With his limited minutes, a couple of baskets and one or two steals equal success. Every foul and turnover weighs on his mind.

Debbie Burgi said: "If he does poorly, he's tough on himself. When he has a good game, he has mixed emotions. He feels good about it, but is frustrated because he's not playing more."

Robert Burgi said: " What he's going through, from a life point of view, is good for him. Our fear was that he'd put in the effort and not make the team. We'd think about the other kids who do work hard and don't make it."

Perfect timing

Flathead's Andrews missed a free throw, with Columbia Falls forward Greg Macijunas pulling down the rebound.

Macijunas passed to Boyer, who dribbled up the court and then passed to Smith on the left wing. Smith dribbled along the baseline for a layup.

On the right wing, Burgi saw a horde of Flathead players swarm on Smith, and automatically moved to the rightside baseline to give his teammate a possible escape route for the ball.

Smith's drive reached the key. Four Braves clustered on top of him. Smith dished the ball out to Burgi, whose feet straddled the three-point arc.

Burgi squared up, bringing his right foot just inside the 3-point line.

He shot.

Swish!

"I was relieved," Burgi said. "It was about time I hit a freakin' jump shot when we needed one."

Columbia Falls now led 30-27.

No room for error

Burgi hated the way he played in January's first three games against Libby, Whitefish and Polson

His court time was limited. His ball handling was mediocre. Turnovers haunted him.

Burgi began thinking he would be demoted and moved down the bench.

The Whitefish game was the worst.

Columbia Falls should have blown out the weaker Whitefish team. But the Bulldogs were inspired, and the Wildcats were flat.

Whitefish played Columbia Falls closely for the first three quarters, taking advantage of a lot of missed Wildcat shots and lackluster play.

Suffering the previous week from a head cold, Burgi didn't feel up to snuff when he went in late in the first quarter. "I felt like I was going through the motions," he said.

Burgi committed a turnover right away. He pressured a Bulldog into making a wild pass. Burgi missed an easy shot. And he twice fouled a Bulldog.

All in roughly two minutes.

"When you come out and screw up right away and see that pissed-off look on Cary's face, you have a real drop in confidence," Burgi said.

Finberg pulled Burgi just after the second quarter began. "I wasn't expecting to go back in," Burgi said.

The Wildcats' first string finally clicked and pulled away late in the game to win 67-55.

In Finberg's eyes, Burgi fell into a role player's pitfall of trying to do too much in a short period of time. Burgi wanted to do too much on offense before he could get a feel for the rhythms of a particular game, and that would confuse him.

"He was not letting the game come to him," Finberg said. "Starters can get into the flow of a game, and see how the flow is going."

Those three games, especially the Whitefish one, highlighted a cruel fact of life for a role player.

All the Wildcat seniors individually have had flat periods on the court. Sometimes, the whole team couldn't score a basket for long stretches, bailing itself out with a tight defense.

The first-stringers get time to work their ways out of their on-court doldrums. If a first-stringer starts out cold, he gets a chance to get into a groove.

Role players like Burgi don't get that luxury.

If Burgi starts out cold, Finberg will replace him faster than usual.

"That's part of the role. If you play well, you're left in. I have to be there. That's that," he said.

Early in the season, whenever Burgi was involved with a turnover or a bad play, he figured that he and his teammates shared the blame.

But that attitude evolved into Burgi mentally taking 100 percent of the responsibility for any miscues in any play he participated in.

"I have to work harder to be better prepared each day," he said.

Being able to click on court at a moment's notice was Burgi's designated job.

Burgi said: "Coming out and being on - that's pretty crucial at this point."

Making a difference

Flathead's Jeremy Deherrera drove the ball upcourt against the same Burgi-Boyer-Smith full court trap defense that troubled his teammate a minute earlier.

The Brave zipped between Boyer and Burgi to cross midcourt. Boyer stuck with Deherrera. Burgi's role called for him to drop back to the upper part of the key to guard against Flathead penetrating through the middle. Burgi slipped back to that spot.

Deherrera dribbled and - from the right - penetrated a Wildcat defense that was still setting up. Boyer stuck to him, slipping inside and ahead to solidly block Deherrera about eight feet from the basket.

Braves Osweiler and Beau Watkins hovered just outside of the left side of the key.

Through the key, Deherrera dished the ball out to them - squarely into Burgi's hands.

"I saw it coming right at me. I thought 'Oh my God, it's right there,'" Burgi said.

The Wildcats' Smith had trailed both teams downcourt, and saw Burgi intercept the ball. Smith yelled something.

Burgi couldn't really hear his teammate through the gym's noise, as he spun left, tightly cradling the ball. But he saw Smith.

He lobbed the ball high and ahead of Smith racing alone toward Columbia Falls' basket. Smith's layup spun out of the basket, but the Wildcat guard grabbed his own rebound and scored from two feet out.

Columbia Falls led 32-27 with 4:49 left in the half.

"It was nice to finally have a good game. It shows I can play in a big game and have an impact," Burgi said.

The Wildcats would eventually win 78-69.

Burgi would play slightly less than two minutes in this game, and had only a few seconds left on court when a stunned Flathead called a timeout to deal with the sudden shift in momentum.

At the timeout whistle, Columbia Falls' players whooped and jumped

Burgi and Macijunas grabbed each other, leaped and bumped chests.

A few seconds later, Burgi went back to the bench.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com