BOYS BASKETBALL: Arlee remains unbeaten in boys basketball

Lake County Leader

6B  Ronan Chiefs

Ronan 51, Troy 49

    At Troy, the visiting Chiefs avoided horsing around with the host 7B Trojans in the first half by being productive around the paint as they piled up points, then held off a furious rally by Troy to capture this nonconference contest.  Ronan hit a lull in the final quarter as Troy mounted their surge, just missing on their final shot that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime.

    Ronan was paced by Jeremiah North Piegan and Cedric Earthboy, who collaborated on 30 points along with a dozen rebounds, while Colton McCrea and Justin Krahn contributed another 15 points to the scoring coffers.

    Ronan (1-2, 4-4) hits the road this week as they travel to tangle with the Trotters of 7B Plains this Thursday evening, then head down the highway to St. Ignatius on Friday, Jan. 16 for a cross county conference clash with the 6B Bulldogs.

Ronan 14  19  14    4  –   51

Troy      8    9  17  15  –  49

RONAN – Jeremiah North Piegan 19, Cedric Earthboy 11, Colton McCrea 8, Justin Krahn 7,  July Sorrell 2, Rhett Duffey 4.

TROY – Gage Tallmadge 32, Brennan Olds 9, Sean Opland 8.

3FG – Ron 2-10 (McCrea, Krahn), Troy 5-12 (Olds 3-4, G.Tallmadge 2-5).  FT – Ron 5-10 (Krahn 2-2, Duffey 2-2), Troy 13-20 (G.Tallmadge 11-14). REBOUNDS – Ron 31 (Earthboy 8, North Piegan 4, Duffey 4, McCrea 4, Krahn 3, Sorrell, Aaron Misa, Jayce Nenemay, rogue 5).  STEALS – Ron 10 (Krahn 4, McCrea 4, North Piegan 2).  ASSISTS – Ron 7 (Earthboy 2, Duffey 2, McCrea, North Piegan, Bryce Cullen).  (Sa10Jan15) 

Deer Lodge 44, Ronan 41

    At Ronan this past Friday, the host Chiefs kept the visiting Wardens wary the entire duration of the game, but couldn’t seize enough momentum to gain the upper hand to put Deer Lodge behind bars in this 6B conference contest.  Cedric Earthboy had a monster night with two dozen points, while Colton McCrea and Aaron Misa collaborated to kick in another dozen between the two. 

    Ronan (1-2, 3-4) faces Troy as their next opponent.

Deer Lodge 9  15  11   9  –  44

Ronan          8  13  10 10  –  41

DEER LODGE — Andrew Pierson 11, Derek Walker 8,  Quade McQueary 8, Jacob Simpson 8, Cade Benjamin 5, Ethan Johnston 4.

RONAN — Cedric Earthboy 24, Colton McCrea 8, Aaron Misa 4, Jayce Nenemay 2, July Sorrell 2, Bryce Cullen 1. (Fr09Jan15)

6B Mission Bulldogs

Loyola 65, Mission 45

    At the Sister Rita Mudd Activity Center in Missoula, the host Rams fenced in the visiting Bulldogs early and held the leash tight to avoid getting bitten in the latter going of this 6B conference caper.  Sam Johnston of the Rams turned in a dual-dozens double-double with a baker’s dozen scored and a conventional dozen rebounded.

    The Bulldogs were paced by Nick Durglo, who was the only Mission player to score in double figures for his team, while Raymond Matt, Robbie Erickson and Will Powell all contributed a half dozen.  A significant factor in the outcome was the absence of team leading scorer Aaron Fisher-Ahenakew, whose per game average would have likely tightened the scoring differential into single digit territory.

    Mission (0-3, 3-4) hosts the Ronan Chiefs in a cross county conference clash on Friday, Jan 16, then embark upon another odyssey to face the Trojans of Troy on Saturday, Jan. 17.

Mission  9  11    9  16  –  45

Loyola  21    9  13  22  –  65

MISSION – Nick Durglo 14, Raymond Matt 6, Robbie Erickson 6, Will Powell 6, Tate Weingart 4, Ridge Vanderburg 3, Gentry Brown 2.

LOYOLA – Kevin Swanson 17, Sam Johnston 13, Parker Davis 8, Stephen Sellman 8, Strother Cooper 6, Danner Linhart 4,  Tommy Tirrell 2, Carson Christian 2, Mike VanCanagan 2, Braden Burke 1, Kellen Round 1. (Sa10Jan15)

CROSS-COUNTY CLASH - 6B vs. 14C

Arlee 75, Mission 64

    At St. Ignatius, the visiting 14C Warriors and the host 6B Bulldogs went head-to-head in this cross classification county clash, both teams knotting the score at 29 apiece heading into the locker room at intermission.  Arlee put together a big third quarter to gain double digit separation.  The Bulldogs mounted an assault to climb back into contention, but the Warriors were up to the task of countering what was surrendered around the basket. 

    Arlee was paced by Tyler Tanner, who led all scorers with 28 points, with another duo scoring in double figures, while Patrick BigSam and Justis Haynes collaborated on another 16 points.  Mission was led by Aaron Fisher-Ahenakew, who contributed 19, while Will Powell notched another ten and Dennis Fisher-Ahenakew along with Nick Durglo contributed matching nines. 

    Arlee (7-0) remains undefeated and travels to Noxon for their next encounter.  Mission (3-3) faces 6B conference foe Loyola as their next opponent.

Arlee    15  14  22  24  –  75

Mission  11  18  10  25  –  64

ARLEE –  Tyler Tanner 28, Philip Malatare 12, Brad Brazill 11, Patrick BigSam 9, Justis Haynes 7, Chance Brazill 4,  Isaac Desjarlais 4.

MISSION – Aaron Fisher-Ahenakew 19, Will Powell 10, Dennis Fisher-Ahenakew 9, Nick Durglo 9, Bill vonHoltum 7, Raymond Matt 6, Tate Weingart 2, Gentry Brown 2. (Fr09Jan15)

14C Arlee Warriors

Arlee 68, Noxon 21

    At Noxon, the visiting Warriors doubled up their hosts in the opening period and continued to expand upon the point differential thereafter in this 14C contest.  A pair of players reached double figures, but another trio were knocking at the door with matching 9s.  Game high honors went to Justis Haynes, whose tally was sufficient to offset the entire Noxon output in and of itself.  The rest of the Warrior accounted for the point spread differential. 

    Seventh-ranked Arlee (4-0, 8-0) have a pair of cross-county conference clashes this week.  They host the Charlo Vikings on Thursday, Jan. 15, then travel up to Pablo to engage the Eagles of Two Eagle River on Friday, Jan. 16.

Arlee    21  17  18  12  –  68

Noxon  10    4    2    5  –  21

ARLEE – Justis Haynes 16, Riley Rogers 10, Tyler Tanner 9, Phillip Malatare 9, Brad Brazill 9, Zach Felsman 6, Chance Brazill 5, Isaac Desjarlais 2, PJ Haynes 2.

NOXON – Austin Nessel 8, Zach Osborne 5, Quincy Grupenhoff 4, Cody Cable 2, Franklin Herschler 2.

14C Charlo Vikings

Phillipsburg 48, Charlo 41

    At Charlo, the host Vikings got off to a sluggish start while the visiting Prospectors jump started their offense, putting the home squad in a double digit hole early.  Charlo outscored their opponent in both middle quarters and twice pulled to within four the final period, but wasn’t able to harness enough momentum to swing the score in their favor. 

    The Vikings got a big game from Kobe Cox, who netted 21 points with good perimeter shooting as well as a sharp eye from beyond the arc and the charity stripe.  Tyson Petticrew drained another trio of treys, while Dalton Delaney and Dugan Runkel combined for another ten points.

    Charlo (4-4) travels to Arlee for a 14C cross county conference clash with the Warriors on Thursday, Jan. 15, then host the Savage Heat of Hot Springs on Saturday, Jan. 17.

P-burg – 12  16    6  14  –  48

Charlo –   2  17  10  12  –  41         

P-BURG – Chase Comings 24, Bob Immmenschuh 11, Eric Bohmsen 7, Ethan Stephenson 6.

CHARLO – Kobe Cox 21, Tyson Petticrew 9, Dalton Delaney 6, Dugan Runkel 4, Jesse Long 1.

3FG - Ch 6-13 (Petticrew 3, Cox 3).  2FG – Ch 10-31 (Cox 5-9, D.Delaney 3-11, Runkel 2-5).  FT – Ch 3-4 (Cox 2-2).  REBOUNDS –  Ch 10 (Cox 3, Runkel 2, Greg Montgomery 2, D.Delaney, rogue 2). STEALS – Ch 5 (Long 2, D.Delaney, Cox, Nelson).  ASSISTS – Ch 6 (Long 2, D.Delaney, Cox, Jared Doty, Doty). (Sa10Jan15)

Superior 48, Charlo 31

    At Superior, the Viking offense had a tough time gaining traction much like many ordinary vehicles traveling the slushy roadways to attend the game, only in this instance there was no snow on the court to account for some of their struggles.  Charlo managed to carve into their deficit in the third quarter, but then lost what they had gained the final period as the game came to a close.

    The Vikings were paced by Dalton Delaney with 15 points, while Kobe Cox and Greg Montgomery collaborated upon another ten.  Charlo (3-1, 4-3) faces 13C Phillipsburg as their next opponent.

Charlo     5  10  13    3  –  31

Superior  9  20    9  10  –  48

CHARLO – Dalton Delaney 15, Kobe Cox 6, Jesse Long 3[5], Greg Montgomery 4, Dugan Runkel 2, Michael Delaney 2, Tristan Petticrew 1.

SUPERIOR – Wyatt Zylawy 22, Aaron Kelly 10, Vicente Guerrero 6, Josh Benda 6, Luke Boyce 4, .

3FG – Ch 3-26 (Cox 2, D.Delaney).  2FG – Ch 11-22.  FT – Ch 4-10.   REBOUNDS – Ch 22 (D.Delaney 6, Cox 6, Long 4, Runkel, Jared Doty, Maverick Nelson, Michael Delaney, rogue 2).   STEALS – Ch 7 (Cox 2, Long 2, D.Delaney, Petticrew, Nelson).  ASSISTS – Ch 2 (M.Delaney, Long). (Th08Jan15)

14C Two Eagle

Two Eagle 62, Superior 58

    At Pablo, the visiting Bobcats maintained a slight edge through three quarters of play, but then the host Eagles were able to catch an updraft in momentum to rally for the win.  The Eagles placed a trio of players in double figures with Eugene Parker netting 17 points, while Alex Quequesah and Chino Lira collaborated on 28 points to offset Aaron Kelly of the Bobcats.

    Two Eagle (3-2, 4-4) hosts the seventh ranked undefeated Arlee Warriors in a cross-county conference clash on Friday, Jan. 16 in Pablo, then travel to Missoula for the battle of the Eagles against 13C Valley Christian on Saturday, Jan. 17.

Superior      22    9  13  [16]  –  58

Two Eagle  17  13  11  21  –  62

SUPERIOR – Vicente Guerrero 6, Michael Perkins 7, Josh Benda 7, Luke Boyce 10, Aaron Kelly 28.

TWO EAGLE  – Eugene Parker 17, Alex Quequesah 15, Chino Lira 13, Donny Herman 7, Dante McDougall 6, Isiah Mathias 3, Nolan Antiste 1.

3FG – 9-22 (Quequesah 2, Parker 2, Lira 2, McDougall 2, Herman,)  REB – TER 26 (Quequesah 12).  STEALS – TER 12 (Quequesah 3, Parker 3).  ASSISTS – TER 10 (Quequesah 7, Lira 2).(Sa10Jan15)

Two Eagle 82, St. Regis 78

    At St. Regis, the visiting Eagles and the host Tigers battled back and forth the entire first half.  Two Eagle was able to cobble together a two deuce lead and then held off the St. Regis rally.

    The Eagles placed a trio in double figures, led by a monster game from Alex Quequesah with 30 points, followed by Eugene Parker with 15 and another dozen from Chino Lira.  Isiah Mathias and Donny Herman collaborated on another 17 points.

    Two Eagle (2-2, 3-4)

Two Eagle  16  22  20  24  –  82

St. Regis     16  21  16  25  –  78

TWO EAGLE – Alex Quequesah 30, Eugene Parker 15, Chino Lira 12, Isiah Mathias 9, Donny Herman 8, Isaaiah Adams 4, Josiah Whitworth 2, Nolan Antiste 2. 

ST. REGIS – DK Wickham 23, Brock Cantrell-Field 20, B. Managhan 9, Gibson Lowry 9, Trevor Lowry 7,

Eric Eslick 6, Andrew Managhan 2, Connor Dunlap 2.(Fr09Jan15)

NWA Polson Pirates

C.Falls 73, Polson 57

    At Polson, the host Pirates placed a trio in double figures with another pair combining for an additional 15 points, but it wasn’t enough to catch the visiting top-ranked WildCats of Columbia Falls.  The difference in the first half was the lights out long range shooting of Cat guard Jayce Fagerland, who netted five triples in the first half to stake Columbia Falls to their early lead. 

    The Pirates closed to within four points early in the second half, but missed opportunities coupled with Cat guards feeding their bigs inside for high percentage deuces along with clutch free throw shooting expanded the margin up to 17 points entering the final quarter in this conference collision caper.  Polson shooters dialed the operator long distance and completed the call from beyond the arc on three straight occasions to whittle the margin into single digit territory 46-55, but that would be as close as the Pirates could get thereafter despite converting nine treys in the second half by comparison to only a pair from the WildCats. 

    Polson (0-1, 2-5) will have traveled to Corvallis this Tuesday past, then travel to Libby to face the Loggers on Saturday, Jan. 17.       

C. Falls 18  12  24  19  –  73

Polson   10  14  13  20  –  57

COLUMBIA FALLS – Jayce Fagerland 20, Ty Morgan 18, Grant Stenger 14, Grant Wallace 12, Trevor Houston 7, Glenn Morden 2, .

POLSON _– Andrew Curley 12, Payton Lefthand 12, Derek Peel 11, Matthew Rensvold 8, Tanner Wilson 7, Wyatt Ducharme 3, Grey Fitzpatrick 3, Joe Gallatin 1.

3FG – CF 7-21 (Fagerland 6, Morgan), P 13-28 (Curley 4, Peel 3, Lefthand 3, Wilson, Fitzpatrick, Ducharme).  2FG – CF 15-27 (Wallace 6-7), P 7-23.  FT – CF 22-34 (Morgan 9-9, Houston 5-7), P 4-11(Lefthand 1-1, Rensvold 2-4).  REBOUNDS – P 32 (Rensvold *8, Wilson 7, Chris McDonald 6, Peel *4, Lefthand *3, Curley 2, Ducharme, Gallatin).   BLOCKS –  CF 2 (Stenger, unidentified), P 0.  STEALS – CF at least 9, P 10 (Rensvold 6, Curley 2, Ducharme, Peel).  ASSISTS – CF at least 9 (Houston 6, Morgan 3), P 17 (Lefthand 5, Wilson 4, Rensvold 4, McDonald 3, Ducharme).(Sa10Jan15)

expanded stat data courtesy of Polson coaching staff 

Asterisk (*) denotes personal game notation tally that is slightly greater than official stat data received from coaching staff.

Glacier 57, Polson 52

    At Kalispell this past Tuesday, the visiting Pirates played one of their best games of the season to date against the host Wolfpack, threatening to stage an upset late into the second half before AA Glacier wiggled out of their predicament with some solid free-throw shooting during the final stretch.

    While Glacier never trailed, Polson was within a single score on a handful of occasions.  The Pirates had trimmed their halftime deficit to within a triple 35-38 with two  minutes and change remaining in the third period.  Then with just under three minutes remaining in the final quarter the Pirates were within a deuce with both teams in the low 50s.   A trio of missed opportunities presented themselves during which Polson could have either tied the contest or taken the lead, but a turnover, a missed layup and a steal attempt that could not be secured as it went out of bounds maintained the narrow Glacier margin before they would expand it with some clutch charity stripe work. 

    Tanner Wilson led all scorers with 16 points, while Matt Rensvold just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.    

Polson (2-4) faces the top-ranked, defending State A champion Columbia Falls Wildcats on Saturday.

Polson  15 11 12 14 — 52

Glacier 16 16 13 12 — 57

POLSON – Tanner Wilson 7-13 2-4 16 Payton Lefthand 3-7 3-4 9, Derek Peel 3-6 0-2 9, Andrew Curley 3-6 0-0 8, Matthew Rensvold 3-7 1-1 7, Chris McDonald 2, Joe Gallatin 1, Wyatt Ducharme 0. Totals — 19-47 9-13 52.

GLACIER – Jaxen Hashley 4-7 3-4 12, Sam McCamley 3-6 2-2 10, Taden Gilman 2-4 2-2 8, Truman Pisk 3-9 1-2 7, Kade McCutchen 1-4 3-6 5, Jake Norberg 4 , Cain Boschee 2,  Noah Lindsay 3, Tucker Rauthe 2, Cody Norberg 2, Dylan Ruggles 1, John Learn 1. Totals — 18-43 15-25 57.

3FG – Pol 5-14 (Peel 3-4, Curley 2), Gla 6-11 (Gilman 2-3, McCamley 2-5, J.Norberg, Hashley).  FT – Pol 9-13, Gla 15-25.   REBOUNDS – Polson 28 (Rensvold 11, Wilson 4, Gallatin 4, Peel 3, McDonald 2, Curley 2, Ducharme, Lefthand) Glacier 30 (Hashley 6). STEALS – Polson 8 (Curley 2, Gallatin 2, Ducharme, Lefthand, Peel, Rensvold). ASSISTS – Polson 14 (Lefthand 3, Wilson *3, Peel *3, Ducharme, Curley, Gallatin, Rensvold), Glacier 13 (McCutchen 4). (Tu06Jan15)

Asterisk (*) denotes Glacier stat total that is slightly greater than Polson data.

Upon the close of week 4 of the prep basketball season, the Polson Pirates have players with some prominence among the TOP TEN of the NWA conference statistical categories.  Andrew Curley leads in triples, while both Derek Peel and Payton Lefthand are tied for seventh in the same category.  Matt Rensvold is sixth for throwing down deuces.  For individual total points, Rensvold is ranked seventh, while Curley comes in at tenth.  A bright spot on the horizon is a trio of Pirates featured among the TOP TEN for free-throw shooting.  Lefthand is ranked tenth, while Chris McDonald and Wyatt Ducharme come in at twelfth place. 

    Rensvold is top dog when it comes to rebounding, with Tanner Wilson coming in at the ninth spot.  Rensvold comes in at third place for blocking shots, while both McDonald and Ducharme are tied for sixth. 

    In keeping with Pirate pilfering and pillaging tradition, Lefthand is tied for third when it comes to pinching basketballs, with Curley as well as Rensvold tied for tenth.  When it comes to dispensing dishes with an assist, Lefthand is tied for third, while Wilson comes in at sixth.