Spartans pull away
JON ALLEN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 hours, 42 minutes AGO
Flathead's Hunter Fann (15) knocks down a jumper in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Lincoln Rogers (3) goes up for a dunk in the third quarter against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Boston Case (24) goes to the rim for a reverse layup in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Ben Reichard (11) knocks down a three in the second quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Gavin O'Reilly (0) shoots a jumper in the second half against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Eli Coopman (4) sinks a bucket under the basket in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Lincoln Rogers (3) goes to the basket for a two-handed dunk in the third quarter against Flathead against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Hunter Fann (15) drives to the basket in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead assistant coach David Baker walks along the sideline as the Braves face Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Jayson McLennan (23) goes to the basket in the third quarter against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Ben Reichard (11) drives to the basket in the second quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Hunter Fann (15) knocks down a jumper in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Lincoln Rogers (3) goes to the basket for a two-handed dunk in the third quarter against Flathead against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Gavin O'Reilly (0) shoots a jumper in the second half against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Eli Coopman (4) drives to the basket in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Lincoln Rogers (3) goes to the basket in the third quarter against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Lincoln Rogers and the Missoula Sentinel Spartans could not miss Tuesday evening as they raced past Flathead with a strong second half to take a 71-52 victory at Flathead High School.
Rogers scored 31 points and the Western AA leading Spartans (14-1 overall, 10-0 in Western AA games) hit 13 3-pointers in the victory. Zeke Glidwell added 20, including six triples.
A trio of Flathead (1-15, 0-10 in conference) seniors led the Braves on senior night as Eli Coopman, Lance Schneller and Hunter Fann scored 10 points each.
“They left it all out there. They had a tough draw against the No. 1 team in the state and they didn’t shy away from it and they didn’t shake away from the moment. They gave their best shot and I am incredibly proud of them,” Braves acting head coach David Baker said.
Baker is coaching in place of Dan Trageser, who has been absent for Flathead’s past three games. Baker and Flathead activities director Matt Allison had no comment on the situation or who would be coaching for Flathead Thursday against Missoula Big Sky.
Despite 22 first-half points from Rogers — including a rim-rattling alley-oop slam, one of five dunks on the night for the 6-foot-8-inch guard — the Braves trailed just 33-30.
The Spartans took control from there.
"(Rogers) is a really good player. I would say the toughest part is having him surrounded by four guys who know their role and can do their role,” Baker said. “It’s one thing to load up on one player, it’s another to load up on a player who has got three shooters surrounding him who can knock down really good shots and when he’s got a big guy down low who can seal.”
Out of the half, a pair of threes from Glidwell sandwiched a dunk from Rogers pushed Sentinel’s lead to 43-30.
Flathead cut the deficit to 10, 47-37, at the end of the third thanks to a Max Shostak bucket and a pair of free throws from Boston Case.
The Spartans seized the momentum right back in the fourth with a quick 8-0 run.
In all, Sentinel hit six triples in the final frame and grew the lead to as many as 23, 64-41.
The Braves’ game at Big Sky Thursday is set for 7:30 p.m.
Sentinel 17 16 14 24 - 71
Flathead 11 19 7 15 - 52
MISSOULA SENTINEL — Gavin O’Reilly 1 0-0 3, Lincoln Rogers 14 0-0 31, Beau O’Reilly 2 0-0 6, Kade Robinson 1 0-2 2, Zeke Glidwell 7 0-0 20, Tucker Laslovich 1 0-0 3, Stellan Ridley 1 0-0 2, Carter Aune 0 0-0 0, Kane Szalay 0 0-0 0. Jayson McLennan 2 0-0 4. Totals 29 0-2 71
FLATHEAD — Sam McConnell 1 0-0 3, Benny Foreman 0 0-0 0, Leum Saisbury 0 0-0 0, Eli Coopman 4 1-2 10, Ben Reichner 2 0-0 5, Lance Schneller 4 1-5 10, Karson Johnston 0 0-0 0, Hunter Fann 4 1-2 10, Liam Rech 0 0-0 0, Reece Brotherton 2 0-0 5, Boston Case 0 2-2 2, Max Shostak 1 0-0 2, Kyler Kossman 2 1-2 5. Totals 20 6-13 52.
3-point goals — Missoula Sentinel 13 (Glidwell 6, Rogers 3, B. O’Reilly 2, G. O’Reilly, Laslovich), Flathead 6 (McConnell, Coopman, Reichner, Schneller, Fann, Brotherton). Fouls — Missoula Sentinel 7, Flathead 4. Technical fouls — Sentinel team
Missoula Sentinel's Lincoln Rogers (3) goes up for a dunk in the third quarter against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Boston Case (24) goes to the rim for a reverse layup in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Ben Reichard (11) knocks down a three in the second quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Gavin O'Reilly (0) shoots a jumper in the second half against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Eli Coopman (4) sinks a bucket under the basket in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Lincoln Rogers (3) goes to the basket for a two-handed dunk in the third quarter against Flathead against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Hunter Fann (15) drives to the basket in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead assistant coach David Baker walks along the sideline as the Braves face Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Jayson McLennan (23) goes to the basket in the third quarter against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Ben Reichard (11) drives to the basket in the second quarter against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Hunter Fann (15) knocks down a jumper in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Eli Coopman (4) drives to the basket in the first half against Missoula Sentinel at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Missoula Sentinel's Lincoln Rogers (3) goes to the basket in the third quarter against Flathead at Flathead High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
ARTICLES BY JON ALLEN
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