COLUMBIA FALLS — Jace Hill leads the Columbia Falls Wildcats onto the court each game as the starting point guard, a fact everyone around these parts is used to.

Hill has been a varsity starter for the Wildcats since his freshman season.

Coach Chris Finberg knew that Hill would be something special for the Wildcats from a young age.

“Third grade was the first time I saw Jace as a basketball player,” Finberg said. “He came to one of our basketball camps. And you could tell at a young age that he was gonna be a player. He had the natural talent, the natural ‘it’ factor.”

Finberg’s relationship with the Hill family goes back even further though, Jace’s father Beau shared the backcourt with Finberg during his time with the Wildcats. Also a point guard in his playing days, Finberg has been able to guide and develop Hill into the player he is now.

“He just sees the game kind of like I do,” Hill said. “We see it through a similar lens, and we kind of have the same mindset towards things.”

From the moment Hill stepped on the court during tryouts the point guard spot has been his.

“Usually most people come in, maybe get like a year or two with the coach, and then they’re done, but we’ve had four years,” Hill said.

“What a luxury as a coach to be able to have a freshman come in and be able to start him as your point guard and let your team grow around him,” said Finberg.

Hill’s talent has been on display again his senior season, averaging 16.4 points and 6.4 assists in eight games.

That third grade camp was also Finberg’s first time seeing the rest of this year’s eight-man senior class. Hill notes that being able to grow up playing with the same group of guys has created a tight bond between them.

“We’ve played together for eight-plus years, a lot of us,” Hill said. “So we kind of just had chemistry, it’s like a family, almost. We’re just kind of all friends and just get along together and play well together.”

“I can look back to that and be like, ‘Wow, that was pretty special,’” said Finberg. “It wasn’t just Jace, it was all those guys with him.”

The family mindset has the Wildcats thinking about a run at a state championship this spring, after making their first state tournament appearance since 2015 last year. 

Injuries created some early setbacks for the Wildcats, who currently sit at 3-5. Multiple players, including Hill, missed early practice time following the football team’s run to the state championship game.

Reggie Sapa is back with the team following an injury picked up against Whitefish, while Hunter Goodman is still recovering from an injury picked up in the State A semifinal win over Corvallis.

“You combine all those factors, and we go to Hamilton, we have a shot at the end to win it. It doesn’t go in,” Finberg said. “We played Dillon, we have a shot to win it. It doesn’t go in. Now as the season’s going on we can get healthier, hopefully those close losses that we have will turn into close wins.”

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” said Hill, “and I think we all have one goal in mind is to win the thing at the end.”

Hill and the WIldcats are back on the court on Thursday at home taking on Libby; on Saturday they’re home again for the first Cat-Dog game with Whitefish.