Clark Fork 66, Wallace 37

CLARK FORK — Clark Fork did a little bit of everything and then some as the Wampus Cats dominated on all fronts in a 66-37 win over Wallace at Clark Fork High on Thursday night.

The last time these two teams faced, Clark Fork pulled out a 35-21 victory. Well, on Thursday, the Wampus Cats already had over 35 points with 4:14 remaining in the second quarter after Chase Sanroman drained one his three 3-pointers on the night. Heading into halftime, Clark Fork, who assisted on 18 of their 25 made baskets, led 46-22. Senior Ethan Howard, who also had three 3-pointers in the win over the Miners, capped off the half by side-stepping a defender and draining an off-balance three-pointer. On Thursday, Clark Fork was truly firing on all cylinders.

“We needed this one tonight,” head coach Heath Beason said. “The last time we met, we came out with the win, but Wallace really dug down deep — they knew they could be better and so could we. We wanted to make a statement tonight, a statement that said ‘this is who we are.’ This is a team (Wallace) that beat Genesis Prep … we knew tonight was it, the last chance (to make a statement).”

Beason said the key to victory Thursday was the team’s ability to help defensively on the backside, specifically closing on screens during pick and rolls. Beason mentioned that down low, Ethan and Owen Howard, Seth Caven, and Arrow Christofferson did a great job executing the game plan.

“We controlled the boards; we controlled our shots; we controlled this game from the tip,” Beason said. “I could not be more excited for these guys … if we can continue to trust each other and play confident, this is the result we will continue to get.”

In the win, Owen Howard recorded a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds. Cole Sanroman filled the stat sheet with a team-high 14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and five steals. Ethan Howard and Chase Sanroman also reached double figures with 11 points each on the night. Christofferson and Seth Caven each added nine of their own.

Clark Fork (6-3, 2-0) will travel to Noxon on Tuesday.

Wallace 12 10 10 5 – 37

Clark Fork 22 24 16 4 – 66

PTS: CF – Co. Sanroman 14, Ch. Sanroman 11, E. Howard 11, O. Howard 10, S. Caven 9, Christofferson 9, W. Caven 2, Yanik 0, Stevens 0. WAL – Davis 21, Paul 8, Larson 6, Guardipee 2, Stutzke 0, Sabala 0, Therrian 0, Anderson 0, Williams 0, Cleveland 0.

REB: CF – O. Howard 14, Co. Sanroman 7, Ch. Sanroman 4, S. Caven 3, E. Howard 2, Christofferson 2, Yanik 1, Stevens 1, W. Caven 1. WAL – Davis 6, Paul 4, Cleveland 3, Myles 2, Guardipee 1, Therrian 1, Stutzke 1.

AST: CF – Co. Sanroman 8, E. Howard 4, Ch. Sanroman 3, O. Howard 2, W. Caven 1. WAL – Cleveland 1, Guardipee 1, Larson 1.

STL: CF – Co. Sanroman 5, Ch. Sanroman 4, E. Howard 2, O. Howard 1. WAL – Guardipee 2, Larson 1, Sabala 1.

BLK: CF – O. Howard 1, Ch. Sanroman 1, S. Caven 1. WAL – Paul 1.