Charlo boys best Superior, head to Butte

This was not how it was scripted.

But in the end the Charlo boys basketball team came out on top of the spirited, upset-minded Superior Bobcats, 59-49, in a 14C conference challenge game Monday night in Thompson Falls.

The regular season 14C champion Vikings, perhaps still shaking off the results of their Saturday night 57-51 loss to conference rival St. Regis, were not expected to face a loser-go-home game in the fight to advance to the Divisional playoff round this weekend in Butte.

But there they were, on the hardwood of Thompson Falls High School, a hastily arranged neutral site for the winner-take-all contest. Their opponent, a vastly improved Superior Bobcats team that had come alive in the last few weeks of the season, earned the right to challenge the Vikings for the District’s number-two seed and the trip to Butte’s Maroon Center, beginning this Thursday. Superior won the consolation round to set up Monday’s meeting.

Charlo, behind the play of seniors Keaton Piedalue and Stetson Reum, scored inside and out to help the Vikings build a 29-16 halftime lead Monday night before a loud and spirited crowd.

Piedalue and Reum both scored 20 points on the night, many of them on long-range threes that thwarted numerous Superior surges during the second half in particular.

Superior’s senior forward Orion Plakke kept the Bobcats within striking distance until the final minutes of the game with his inside-outside scoring and aggressive rebounding on both ends of the court.

But in the end, it would not be enough to overcome the senior-laden Vikings, who held on for the win.

The loss dropped Superior to 8-13 on the year and a third-place finish in the 14C conference standings.

Charlo stayed alive in the postseason chase, upping its season record to 14-5 as they pack their bags for this weekend’s tourney in Butte, where they will face West Yellowstone, the number-two seed from the 12C conference. West Yellowstone lost 79-49 to Manhattan Christian in the 12C title game.

Charlo, the 14C favorite going into Polson, faced St. Regis in the conference title game Saturday evening. The Vikings beat St. Regis in both their regular season encounters, including a 64-29 blowout win over the Tigers in early February.

The Tigers were without junior standout John Pruitt in the blowout loss to Charlo, and he would come back against the Vikings with a vengeance Saturday night.

With Pruitt and all-conference senior Caleb Ball setting the tempo early, St. Regis clawed out an 11-8 lead after the first quarter of play. Then, in a hint at what was to come the rest of the game, Charlo trimmed one point off the St. Regis lead in the second quarter, leaving the Tigers holding onto a slim 23-18 halftime lead.

But with Pruitt aggressively leading the way, St. Regis came out after the intermission and outscored Charlo 17-6 in the third quarter to take a 40-24 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Along the way, the Tigers got a pair of timely long-distance three pointers from sophomore guard Hunter Stolla while Pruitt and Ball helped build the 16-point lead with their play on both ends of the court.

The Viking saved their best for last, notably the fourth quarter, when they staged a fast and furious rally, led by seniors Tucker Love and Keaton Piedalue.

Charlo trimmed the St. Regis lead to four points heading into the final minutes of play, but could not quite overcome the Tigers, who held on for the win. St. Regis’ victory earned them the 14C number-one seed going into Butte. The Tigers will play Lone Peak Thursday evening in their Western C Division tournament opener.

Ball led all scorers with 19 points, while Pruitt, coming off a broken bone in his right hand that sidelined the junior power forward/guard for four weeks, chipped in 18 points for the Tigers.

Love paced Charlo with 15 and Piedalue added 13 to the Vikings’ effort.

Charlo, which had a bye in the opening round on Thursday thanks to its regular season conference title, advanced to the championship game with a solid 72-48 win over the Noxon Red Devils Friday afternoon.

The Vikings squeaked out a 14-10 lead after the first eight minutes of play, only to watch as the Devils and sophomore standout Ricky Williams rallied to tie the game at 27 each at halftime.

Charlo came out of the locker room ready to play and began dominating inside and out as they outscored Noxon 29-8 in the third quarter. They added three more to the lead in the final eight minutes of play, despite the offensive effort by Williams, who finished the afternoon with a game high 25 points.

Charlo got double figure scoring from four players, led by Reum’s 19 points. The Vikings’ 6’6” junior post, Wesley Anderson, added 15 points for Charlo, while senior guard Love had 13 and Piedalue added 11.