Hawk championship season will be hard to follow
JOHN HAMILTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 2 weeks AGO
NOW A JUNIOR, Thompson Falls sophomore Ethan Burgess shoots to score against Loyola in the Western B divisional tournament championship game in Hamilton March 1. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
Talk about a hard act to follow.
This season’s Thompson Falls boys Blue Hawk basketball team has their work cut out as last year’s team cruised through District 7B action with a spotless 12-0 record, including winning the 7B tournament championship game, and went an impressive 19-6 overall.
Besides sweeping through conference play undefeated, the Hawks went on to defeat rival Florence in the Western B divisional tournament semifinals and advanced to the State B tournament in Missoula, both firsts in many years for Thompson Falls boys basketball program.
That team was led by All-State B, first team District7B All-Conference performer Bryson LeCoure and a bevy of his senior teammates, including Sam Burgess, Owen Doyle and Kaiden Robins to name just a few.
The architect of all that 2024-25 success, Falls coach Jake Mickelson says the Hawks will have a new look this year, and will be led by sophomore Kellen LeCoure (Bryson’s little brother) and Ethan Burgess (Sam’s little bro), Thompson Falls’ two most experienced returning players.
Senor Blake Shusterman and juniors Blake Herschberger and Jacob Howell also look to be leaders for this year’s rebuilding effort.
“Kellen and Ethan were kind of under the radar for other teams last year but will probably be the focus this year,” he said. “They are both good players though and will have the chance to show what they are capable of.”
The Hawks will open season play at the Shelby Tournament December 5 against Medicine Lake-Froid, and will then play Chinook in Shelby the next day.
Mickelson said 28 boys have turned out for Blue Hawk basketball, two seniors, 14 juniors, three sophomores and nine freshmen.
Since previous JV coach Shawn Morgan has resigned, Marcus Thomas has moved up to the JV coaching position and Tyson Petticrew takes over the freshman program.
Mickelson also indicated that Thompson Falls High School graduate Kaden Cox has completed his coaching training and will also join the Blue Hawk staff as an assistant coach this winter after unofficially serving in that role while still in high school.
ARTICLES BY JOHN HAMILTON
Hawks compete at fast and furious Archie Roe meet
Serious fast and furious; that’s the way the action rolls at the prestigious Archie Roe Meet in Kalispell.
Hawks await playoff fate
The playoff fate of the Blue Hawks is in the hands of others as Northern conference teams head into the final week of regular season play, but you won’t find coach Jared Koskela and his scrappy young squad fretting about it. They just want to play another day, whichever way they have to do that.
Local excel in Gary Thompson Invitational
It wasn’t originally scheduled to go down this way, but the 2026 Gary Thompson Invitational was held at River’s Bend outside of Thompson Falls May 5, and local players dotted the leader board at tourney’s end.