The Hawks live to play another day, and look forward to that day.

The names and the faces have changed but the Loyola Rams, the three-time defending State B boys champions, still appear to be at the top of the Western B division power structure.

Featuring an almost brand-new rotation of players, the still-powerful Rams dispatched the young and eager but inexperienced Blue Hawks 88-26 in Thompson Falls Friday.

“It kind of reminds me of the first Loyola game we played last year,” Hawk coach Jake Mickelson said. "Loyola handled us pretty well in that game but we regrouped and took care of business after that, and I look for the same out of this group.

“The next game is a new game, a new chance,” he added. "The kids are on board, working hard. We are a young team, the game is moving pretty fast for us right now, but that is part of the process.

“We just have to trust the process, and the game will slow down for us,” he concluded. “We will work our way through and become a better team in the long run.”

The Hawks open District 7B play in 2026 at Mission Tuesday before heading to Missoula for a non-conference encounter with Valley Christian Thursday.

Injuries, compounding inexperience, hurt the Hawks against Loyola. One of the team’s best players, sophomore Kellen LeCoure sat out with a sprained ankle. Having severely injured his upper jaw in the Western B divisional championship game against Loyola last spring, junior Ethan Burgess, another of the Hawks’ best players, went into Friday’s game with a facemask after having his face bumped into painfully at practice last week.

Burgess missed practice time and did not start against Loyola as a result.

In spite of the pain and discomfort of the mask, Burgess still scored seven points to tie Brandon Laird for high-point honors for Thompson Falls in the game. Baird also grabbed

a team-high eight rebounds, passed out an assist and grabbed a steal, and Burgess added two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Freshman Tristan Kelly scored five points, pulled down two rebounds, passed out two assists and pilfered a steal, Brylon VanElswyk was good for four points, three boards, an assist and a steal and Justin Myers three points and three rebounds.

Freshman Alex Newman joined Kelly in the starting rotation, giving the Hawk lineup a decidedly young look Saturday. Unfortunately, Newman fell into foul trouble early and did not break into the scoring column against Loyola.

Cam Buxton scored 21 points for coach Caleb DeGroot’s Rams, James Kendrick added 14 points for Loyola and Finn Hatfey 13.