Whitefish carves out win against Miles City

Whitefish had three players score in double-digits and capped off its trip to the East-West Tip-Off Tournament in Havre on Saturday with a 54-50 victory over Miles City.

After a loss to Havre to open the tournament, the Bulldogs made a few approach changes, and the results paid dividends in a nonconference victory.

“Coach Landon Henderson suggested we go a bit deeper into our lineup,” Whitefish head coach Alex Gonzalez said. “I felt that that worked well. We were able to give the guys breathers and keep them fresher throughout the game.”

Carson Gulick led the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Carson Krack added 12. Mason Genovese also scored in double digits, notching 10 points, and teammate CJ Thew had 8.

“I felt that Carson Gulick and Carson Krack played well,” Gonzalez said. “I believe they will continue to improve. I’m also very pleased with Ryan Conklin and Cooper Akey. They gave us huge minutes and were able to maintain a high level of defense. I feel that their basketball awareness will continue to grow the more they play.”

The win moved Whitefish to 3-2 on the season, and the Bulldogs have won three out of their last four. The 54 points scored was their second-highest point total of the season; the only one being higher was a 65-point output against Stevensville on Dec. 8.

Whitefish’s matchup against Eureka, scheduled for Tuesday after press time, was their final action before the holiday break.

“We play Eureka, which is 3-0 and has five players over 6 foot 3,” Gonzalez said. “They beat Libby by 16. I feel like they are a great team. They will be a great game for us going into the break. It will say a lot about us because Eureka is a physical team.”

During the break, Whitefish will prepare for the sprint to the finish in the final month and a half of the season.

“I feel pretty good going into the break,” Gonzalez said. “We will need to focus on our defense. We also will need to make our role players more comfortable as they gain more playing time. Going into the break, we plan on making our role players more comfortable within their roles. Also, working one-on-one with our players.”

WHITEFISH 54, MILES CITY 50

WHITEFISH SCORING - Carson Gulick 14, Carson Crack 12, Mason Genovese 10, CJ Thew 8, Mason Kelch 2

Bulldogs fall to Havre 

Havre dialed up the offense in the middle quarters and came away with a 64-46 nonconference victory over Whitefish on Friday, Dec. 15, at the East-West Tip-Off Tournament in Havre.

“I felt that we matched up well against Havre,” Gonzalez said. “We didn’t play to our potential in the first half. With that said, we were only down 5 points going into halftime. Havre came out hot, hitting several shots from the perimeter.”

The Blue Ponies led 29-24 at halftime but went on a 22-9 run in the third quarter to take command of the game.

Whitefish was led by Gulick, who scored 11 points, while Krack notched 8 points.

HAVRE 64, WHITEFISH 46

Whitefish - 8 - 16 - 9 - 13 - 46

Havre - 9 - 20 - 22 - 13 - 64

WHITEFISH SCORING - Carson Gulick 11, Carson Krack 8, Mason Kelch 7, Mason Genovese 5, Scotty Dalen 4, CJ Thew 2