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High School Basketball, Wrestling and Swimming Roundup

Local athletes have kicked off the 2017-2018 winter sports season

By Beacon Staff

Basketball Roundup

Flathead Boys Earn Split on Opening Weekend

Flathead’s boys basketball team opened a season of heightened expectations with a split against the two Great Falls schools last weekend. The Braves made their first state tournament appearance since 2012 a year ago and return all-state big man Sam Elliott and leading scorer Tyler Johnson from that squad. On Friday, Flathead went on the road to best C.M. Russell 62-47 before falling 59-49 at home to Great Falls High on Saturday.

Glacier Girls Win in Great Falls

The Wolfpack began the 2017-18 season with a suffocating defensive performance, shutting down Great Falls C.M. Russell 44-30 on the road Saturday. Glacier outscored the Rustlers 30-17 in the second half and was led by a pair of double-figure scorers: Kali Gulick (15) and Anna Schrade (11).

Columbia Falls Girls Begin Title Defense in Style 

The Wildkats ended last season with 13 straight wins and a state championship, and they picked up right where they left off last weekend with a pair of decisive victories. Columbia Falls hammered Dillon 62-40 Friday before rolling past Frenchtown 46-30 a day later. Hannah Gedlaman combined for 35 points in the two games and Ryley Kehr scored 24 against Dillon.

Bigfork Basketball Dominates in Shelby

Bigfork’s boys and girls basketball teams extended their undefeated starts to the season with impressive performances at the Shelby Tip-Off Tournament. The Valkyries (3-0) beat host Shelby 66-49 Friday before smothering Malta 53-34 a day later. Jamie Berg dominated the M-ettes with 29 points following a balanced performance Friday that saw Berg, Abby Ellison and Rakiah Grende all reach double figures.

On the boys’ side, the Vikings (3-0) notched a pair of wins. They took down Shelby 64-38 Friday behind 21 points from Beau Santistevan and 20 from Logan Gilliard. Bigfork followed that up with a 56-42 triumph over Shepherd where Gilliard (15 points), Clayton Reichenbach (13), Anders Epperly (11) and Santistevan (11) led the way.

Libby’s Johnston Erupts for 36 Points in Win

Ryggs Johnston — a record-setting, three-time state champion on the golf course — showed off his skills on the hardwood Saturday with a blistering 36-point outburst in a 63-55 Libby win against Stevensville Saturday. The Loggers trailed 26-19 at halftime before pouring in 44 second-half points. Johnston was a first team all-conference performer in basketball a year ago.

Wrestling Roundup

Local Wrestlers Battle in Butte

Havre edged Flathead 31-28 in a matchup of the reigning Class A (Havre) and AA (Flathead) state champions to win the Mining City Duals last weekend in Butte. The two-day event featured 24 schools from around the state and saw both the Braves and Blue Ponies roll undefeated through the preliminary rounds. Brenden Barnes (103 pounds), Dominic Battello (120), Garrett Rieke (160), Payton Hume (170), Tucker Nadeau (205) and Alex Paul (285) all wrestled to wins against Havre, which has won five straight Mining City Duals titles and the last five Class A state championships.

Elsewhere at the same event, Glacier was won three of its five matches while Columbia Falls and Polson notched two victories apiece.

Whitefish Grapplers Grab Pair of Wins

The Bulldogs hosted Browning and Bigfork on the mat Friday and secured two dual victories, nipping the Indians 39-36 and routing the Vikings 39-19. Nathan Buckley (126 pounds) pinned each of his opponents and Dakota Flannery (138) wrestled to two wins, one via pin and another by decision. Browning and Bigfork squared off in the day’s other dual match with the Indians squeezing out a 30-29 victory.

Swimming Roundup

Swimmers Hit Pool in Butte

Glacier’s Mary Murnham finished third in the 500-yard freestyle and Flathead’s Gus Desouza was second in the 200 freestyle at the Butte Invitational Saturday. Desouza’s time (2:00.81) was eight seconds behind winner Finnian Westenfelder of Missoula Hellgate. Murnham, meanwhile, completed her 500-yard swim in 6:02.63. Swimmers from Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork also took part in the invitational.