Vikes, Vals get in some tournament play
JORDAN DAWSON/Bigfork Eagle
School is out, and for many students that means staying as far away from BHS as possible, but for the boys and girls basketball teams it just means more time to play basketball.
During the summer BHS basketball players practice together and attend tournaments on a voluntary basis. Some of the more experienced players have either graduated or choose to not participate in the summer giving the younger players more opportunity to play. That also makes the final score of each game less significant since the whole team is not playing. The tournaments help the coaches and teams learn to work together and help pinpoint areas that need work.
Girls Basketball
The girls team took second out of eight teams in last weekend's tournament in Hamilton.
They lost 43-35 in the championship game against Hamilton. Senior Roxy Thurman led the team in scoring with 11 points, followed by sophomore Quinci Payne with eight points.
Prior to the championship game, Bigfork lost to Corvallis in overtime 37-36. Leading scorers were Payne with 11, Thurman with 10 and sophomore Caitlin Charlebois with six. They beat Stevensville 46-30. Freshmen Taylor Peck and Thurman both scored 10 points and freshman McKinzie Shults contributed six. The Vals beat Loyola 41-32. Thurman and Payne again led the team in scoring with 11 and eight baskets, respectively.
The Vals had a little trouble adjusting to the format of the tournament, which was slightly different than normal play. If a team committed a shooting foul, the other team got a point and got the ball back, rather than being sent to the foul line to shoot free throws. This was also the case if more than seven team fouls were committed.
"We fouled a lot because we pressed a lot," new head coach Mark Hansen said.
The games were also played with a 32-minute running clock.
Hansen took two seniors, three sophomores and two freshmen to the tournament. Signa Mcleod, a senior, and Payne stood out defensively throughout the tournament he said.
The girls varsity team won the Whitefish Tournament, June 6-8. They had a record of 4-1 after beating Libby, Columbia Falls, Flathead and Whitefish, and losing to Polson. The JV team took second with a record of 3-2 after defeating Flathead twice and Whitefish once, and losing to Columbia Falls and Flathead one of the times they met.
Thurman was named MVP of the tournament, due in part to her scoring the winning free throw against Flathead High School. McLeod and Ariana Shultz, senior, both played strong defense, even when guarding tough opponents.
The Whitefish tournament games were the first for coach Hansen. He said he thinks his philosophy is a little different than the team is used to, but that is in part due to the team not having as much height as it has in previous years.
"We're emphasizing an up tempo (style) this year," Hansen said. "We press a lot and we run a lot. They come with a lot of great skills from Nate (Hammond)."
The new coach said he is impressed with the effort that the girls are giving during these tournaments, and is looking forward to working with the team this summer, particularly on strength and speed.
"We're just trying to impose our will on teams through high intensity basketball," Hansen said.
Boys Basketball
The Boys team took part in a tournament in Libby June 7 and 8, finishing with a 2-3 record.
The team of five incoming sophomores and five incoming seniors beat Troy twice and lost to Libby, Columbia Falls and Glacier. All three loses were close games with the BHS boys doing well in the first half, but letting it slip away in the second half, according to coach Jim Epperly.
"These tournaments are a great opportunity to improve your program," Epperly said. "Everybody had their moments. Everybody had a good game."
Garrett Pewe was the leading scorer and Travis Knoll was credited for his standout defense throughout the tournament.
The boys traveled to Missoula this past weekend to attend the Grizzly Team Camp at UM.