Northwest A Divisional Tournament
Crowded Race on Boys’ Side, Bigfork Team to Beat for Girls
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If the regular season is an indicator of what to expect in the divisional tournament, be careful before you make any bold predictions in Northwest A boys basketball.
On the girls’ side, the frontrunners are more apparent, but of course anything can happen in the playoffs. The top two teams from both the girls and boys divisionals go on to play in the state tournament.
Check back at flatheadbeacon.com for tournament coverage through the weekend.
Columbia Falls High School Girls Basketball
Varsity and JV Kats sunk by Polson
Shiloh Knudsen (35) goes up for a short jumper during the JV game, while her defender tries to get a paw on it. Mark Riffey photo for the Beacon
Thursday night at Columbia Falls High School was Senior Night, but it wasn't a winning evening for the Kats as the Varsity Kats lost 56-41 to Polson, following in the footsteps of the earlier JV game.
More photos are behind the Read More link.
Columbia Falls High School Basketball
Faces: Chase Grilley
Chase Grilley is a senior on the Columbia Falls basketball team. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
Growing up in Columbia Falls, Chase Grilley was never far from a basketball hoop.
Whether playing “horse” or “pig” with his father in the backyard or one-on-one with his cousins at their nearby home, Chase was constantly on a court.
Columbia Falls looks to avenge tournament loss
Wildcats Back on Top
COLUMBIA FALLS – Hanging high on the gymnasium walls at Columbia Falls High School are rows of state championship banners from past boys basketball teams.
The tradition is clear.
Once again, this year the Columbia Falls Wildcats are at the top of Northwest A in boys basketball. But as always, a good regular season record means very little to this team without a state tournament berth.
Columbia Falls High School Girls Basketball
WildKats keep it close, but come up short against Lady Bulldogs, 51-40.
Kelsey DeWitt (40) battles for a second half offensive rebound with Whitefish's Dana Labuda (25). Mark Riffey photo for the Beacon.
After an emotion-packed boys Cats-Dogs basketball game Saturday night, the Kats took the floor in a late evening game against the Lady Bulldogs. While the Kats weren't expected to win against a strong Lady Bulldogs squad, they played tough, keeping the game within four points at two minutes left in the game.
Unfortunately for the Kats, a few last-minute transition buckets put the game out of reach, ending 51-40 at the buzzer.
Photos behind the Read More link ->
Columbia Falls High School Boys Basketball
Wildcats punish Bulldogs, 56-43
Chase Fairbank (10) leaves the floor with a broken nose, as play continues behind him. Mark Riffey photo for the Beacon.
Games between Columbia Falls and Whitefish are rarely boring. This one was no exception, except perhaps for the outcome. In what started out as a punishingly physical game, the Columbia Falls Wildcats used an old page out of this season's playbook to pound the Whitefish Bulldogs Saturday night in Columbia Falls - an oppressive defense that denies every shot possible.
The scene for this game was set in the last contest in Whitefish, where the Wildcats won a very physical game earlier this month. This game didn't start out much different. Barely two minutes into the game, Senior starter Chase Fairbank (10) was hit in the face during play, breaking his nose and putting him on the bench for the remainder of the game.
