After a weekend of compelling basketball games, a few things are beginning to become clear in Northwestern A. For one, the Columbia Falls boys are as good as advertised. With the conference schedule now underway, the Wildcats are 6-0 and getting better with every game. They beat their opponents by a combined 67 points: Eureka 77-27 and Libby 50-33.
Secondly, we learned over the weekend that Polson and their star Louis Mohr are as good as advertised as well. Polson beat Ronan 74-61 and then Class AA Glacier 60-55 to improve to 4-2 on the season, including 2-0 in the conference. Mohr scored 46 points in the two victories.
It also appears that Whitefish likes to live on the edge. The Bulldogs beat Frenchtown in the last minute 51-49 and then slipped past Flathead 55-54 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Cooper Olson.
Lastly, the weekend also reminded us of something we already knew about Northwestern A basketball: Columbia Falls senior Kayla DeWit is really good. DeWit, who will play at Montana State University next year, scored 26 and 19 points, respectively, in wins over Eureka, 57-19, and Libby, 42-22.
Below are standings with overall and conference records, along with individual scoring leaders listed in points per game.
Northwestern A Standings:
Boys
Polson – 5-2; 2-0
Columbia Falls – 6-0; 1-0
Libby – 3-4; 1-1
Whitefish – 4-2; 0-1
Ronan – 4-3; 0-2Girls
Polson – 3-4; 2-0
Columbia Falls – 2-4; 1-0
Libby – 2-5; 1-1
Whitefish – 0-6; 0-1
Ronan – 0-7; 0-2
Individual Scoring Leaders:
Boys
1. Louis Mohr, Sr., Polson – 20.3
2. Nick Emerson, Sr., Columbia Falls – 18.8
3. Gage Vasquez, Jr., Whitefish – 18.0
4. Kyle Bagnell, Sr., Polson – 14.6
5. Kelly May, Sr., Libby – 11.6Girls
1. Kayla DeWit, Sr., Columbia Falls – 18.8
2. Jaime Gilden, Sr., Libby – 14.9
3. Breanne Kelley, Sr., Polson – 11.6
4. Riley Kenney, Jr., Polson – 10.7
5. Alysha Martin, Sr., Libby – 8.9