Boys drop Ronan and Eureka, but have a tough time against Broncs

TERESA BYRD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 10 months AGO

Alihn Anderson takes the shot in Friday's game against Eureka. (Teresa Byrd/Hungry Horse News)

Aaron Trueblood makes the layup during a game against Eureka on Friday. (Teresa Byrd/Hungry Horse News)

Cooper Babcock leaps to catch a pass in a game against Eureka. (Teresa Byrd/Hungry Horse News)

Columbia Falls boys basketball began last week with two exhilarating wins, first against Ronan and then Eureka, before wrapping up the week with a difficult loss against Hamilton.

The Cats took to the road Tuesday afternoon to play the Ronan Chiefs, returning home victorious with a 67-57 win. The triumph came after the Cats, trailing the Chiefs 17-9 and 30-25 for the first two quarters, shifted into overdrive and scored 42 points in the second half. The Cats were down 57-55 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter before securing victory on a 12-0 run.

“That was a huge win,” said head coach Chris Finberg. “A conference game, on the road, against a team that’s pretty athletic... it was definitely a quality win.”

Freshmen Jace Hill and Alihn Anderson, with 18 and 16 points respectively, led the Cats in scoring against the experienced Chiefs, who have four returning top scorers, three of whom are seniors. Allec Knapton led in rebounds with 10, followed by Anderson with seven.

The Wildcats then faced Eureka at home on Friday, maintaining the momentum of their previous win and handily defeating the Lions 68-42.

“I thought it was a really workman-like performance,” said Finberg. “The kids kind of came with the mindset that, even though Eureka’s a class B school, we weren’t going to overlook anybody. We were going to show up and put our best foot forward, and that’s what the kids did.”

The Cats had only 11 turnovers, their lowest of the season, and captured a season-high 45 rebounds, 20 of which were offensive.

“I thought the kids had good focus ... I thought our defense was solid. It was just a good all-around performance,” said Finberg.

Cade Morgan led the Cats against the Lions with 21 points and sinking five three-pointers. He was followed by Hill with 14 points and Knapton with 12. Mason Peters led in rebounds with 12 followed by Knapton with nine.

Columbia Falls hit the road yet again on Saturday to square off against Hamilton on the Broncs’ home court, ending the afternoon with a 60-34 loss.

Morgan and Knapton led the Cats in scoring against the Broncs with nine and eight points respectively. Knapton and Hill led in rebounds, securing seven and five, respectively.

The Wildcats take on Frenchtown at home, Tuesday after presstime. Varsity plays Polson on the road the following Thursday, Feb. 4.