Early in the season the Thompson Falls Bluehawks hosted and beat the Superior Bobcats. This week, Thompson Falls travelled to Superior and on their home turf the Bobcats came out strong on defense and set the pace early. “We knew that we had to play a great game as the Bluehawks are a class B team who had defeated us earlier in the year,” Bobcat Head Coach Chris Toivonen said. “It was great to see the kids come out with outstanding intensity and build an early lead.” According to Coach Toivonen, everything started with the Bobcat defense – with Zach Benda, Clint Voll and Billy Smith combining for 15-steals. The aggressive defense yielded plenty of offensive opportunities for the Bobcats and big men Clint Voll and Jarrod Tippens dominated the boards. The Bluehawks could not find an answer defensively for Voll and Tippens and the Bobcats capitalized on it. “Voll had a great all around game as he also led the team in rebounds and dished out five assists, tied with Billy Smith for the team lead,” Coach Toivonen said. “Tippens played a good defensive game as well, notching a couple blocked shots and three steals.” Coach Toivonen also mentioned the defensive efforts of Adam Kay and Tucker Smith who “applied great ball pressure, which is key to making a press work properly.” The Bobcats cruised to a victory over the Bluehawks and on Saturday faced off with another team from Sanders County, Hot Springs, at home. “The Savage Heat are an experienced team with lots of talented players,” Coach Toivonen said. “Our kids played a great game, once again bolting to a halftime lead.” Defense was once again key for the Bobcats, who once again utilized a press at times to disrupt Hot Springs on offense and generate offensive opportunities of their own. In the third quarter, Hot Springs jumped back into things and cut the Bobcat lead down to six before Tippens and Tucker Smith nailed back to back three-pointers to get the game solidly in control. “For the game, the duo shot a sizzling six of ten from beyond the arc,” Coach Toivonen said. “Tippens delivered a great all around game.” Tippens had a night for the highlight real, grabbing 30-points, seven rebounds and three steals. “Clint Voll and Adam Kay did a great job passing the ball as they combined for ten assists,” Coach Toivonen said. “Billy Smith and Zach Benda were outstanding defensively, making hustle plays throughout the game.” The Bobcats finished off Hot Springs with ease and will face off against Charlo and Two Eagle River this week as they approach tournament time. “As a group, I thought the kids had a great week,” Coach Toivonen said. “But, as we all know in sports, it truly comes down to what have you done lately, so we need to gear it up again this week and continue to improve.”