Bulldogs set to battle Dillon on Thursday

Whitefish Pilot

The Whitefish boys basketball team will begin state tournament play on Thursday, March 12 (tonight), at 8 p.m. against the Dillon Beavers. All games in the Class A tournament will be played at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

Senior forward Josh Backer, nicknamed “Lunchpail” for his non-flashy, blue-collar work ethic, said he and the Bulldogs are excited to be going back to the big dance. He knows they have a lot to work on to fix flaws that stood out in the divisional tournament.

“We’ve been working on intensity drills,” he said. “We’ve being doing a lot of shooting, a lot of defensive drills and a lot of offensive review. We want to work on moving the ball around, getting everybody touches, and shooting better from the free-throw line.”

Backer said most of his fellow Bulldogs are getting over illnesses they suffered during the divisional tournament, and everyone should be ready to go Thursday night.

Dillon is the No. 1 seed from the Southwestern A conference. Backer said he expects a different Dillon team from the one the ‘Dogs dismantled in the opening tip-off tournament last fall.

“We watched the tape on them,” he said. “They’re very disciplined. They all work as a team, they aren’t selfish.”

The Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed from Northwestern A. The No. 1 seed, Columbia Falls, plays Corvallis on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

If the Bulldogs win their first game, they will play the winner between Billings Central and Butte Central on Friday at 8 p.m. If the ‘Dogs lose their first game, they will play a loser-out game at 2 p.m. on Friday, with a chance to still advance to the title match if they win.

Backer said he doesn’t discount the chance his Bulldogs will meet Columbia Falls sometime in the tournament.

“I think the chances are high,” he said. “We both really want it.”

The state championship game is slated for 8 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, visit online at http://www.nwmta.ihigh.com.