Anderson leads Dogs past Libby

Whitefish picked up its third consecutive league win Thursday behind a strong performance from senior Garrett Anderson.

The 6-8 forward posted a 16-point night to lead the Dogs to a 48-34 win over Libby at home.

“Garrett was running floor, and we got the ball inside to him,” Whitefish coach Mark Casazza said. “He was going up strong and finishing.”

Whitefish controlled the paint offensively and used its defensive energy to fend off a pesky Loggers team. Libby kept it close with a barrage of 3-pointers and a strong performance from Jared Winslow who had 17 points.

“Jared hardly missed his open looks,” Casazza said. “If you can hold him under 20 points, you give yourself a chance to win.”

Casazza said the Dogs’ defensive energy in the third quarter was the difference.

“We started to push the ball on a make or miss,” he said.

Senior EJ Havens tallied eight assists and seven points.

“He did a good job of finding the open guy and getting the ball to them,” Casazza said. “We’re being unselfish. We have five guys that are scoring well, and that makes us hard to guard.”

The win lifts Whitefish to 4-2 in conference play and 8-7 overall. They face Plains on Thursday before hosting rival Columbia Falls on Saturday.

“It’s the last game of the season at home for the seniors,” Casazza said. “It’s going to be exciting.”

The Dogs suffered a 20-point loss at Columbia Falls earlier this season. In the rematch, Whitefish will look to dominate the paint and up their defensive intensity.

“We have to focus on the job and work hard,” Casazza said. “When we play with defensive intensity, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Tip-off against Columbia Falls is at 7 p.m. in the Dawg House.

Libby 5 10 10 9 – 34

Whitefish 13 8 19 8 – 48

Libby – Jonny Cielak 4, Collin Johnson 7, Jared Winslow 17, Michael Curtiss 1, Quinn Sullivan 5.

Whitefish – Keaton Nicholson 6, A.J. Wetsch 4, Alex Wilson 4, EJ Havens 7, Art Doorn 9, Hugh Ramlow 2, Garrett Anderson 16.