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High School Basketball, Wrestling Roundup

Game summaries from a busy week of hoops, Flathead wrestlers finish second at prestigious 69-team Tri-City Invitational

By Beacon Staff
Hannah Gedlaman grabs a rebound over Clara Vandenbosch. Columbia Falls defeated Flathead 49-41 on Dec. 16. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Basketball

Columbia Falls Girls Upend Flathead

Hannah Gedlaman scored 16 points and Columbia Falls limited Flathead to 14 points during the second and third quarters to claim a home victory over the Class AA Bravettes on Saturday.

The Wildkats (4-1) are the defending Class A state champions and used their defense to keep Flathead (0-4) winless on the young season. Columbia Falls turned a 12-12 tie after one quarter into a 34-26 edge entering the fourth.

Ryley Kehr and Trista Cowan joined Gedlaman in double-figures with 12 points apiece for the Wildkats. Clara Vandenbosch had 14 and Maddie Walter chipped in 12 for Flathead in a losing effort.

Berg, Valkyries Continue Hot Start

Jamie Berg erupted for 30 points and Bigfork remained perfect on the season with a decisive 61-46 win over Anaconda on Saturday.

The Valkyries (5-0, 1-0 District 7B) opened up a 36-21 halftime edge against the Copperheads and never looked back. Ellie Berreth added 11 points in the win.

Bigfork began District 7B play Thursday with a 44-32 victory at Eureka. Abby Ellison paced the Vals with 15 points; Berg added 14.

Bigfork Boys Blast Eureka, Move to 5-0

Bigfork stormed out to a 35-5 halftime lead in a 59-16 District 7B rout of Eureka, the first of two wins last week for the undefeated Vikings (5-0, 1-0).

Anders Epperly and Logan Gilliard tied for game-high honors with 12 points against the Lions.

Epperly and fellow 2016-17 all-state standout Beau Santistevan led the way in the Vikings’ fifth straight win Saturday, a 55-44 triumph at Anaconda. Epperly (19), Santistevan (16) and Gilliard (11) all scored in double-figures.

Glacier Girls Take Down Wildkats, Remain Unbeaten

The Wolfpack outscored Columbia Falls 18-8 in the fourth quarter to send the Wildkats to their first defeat of the season, a 46-37 loss in Kalispell on Dec. 12.

The win was one of two last week for Glacier (3-0), one of four remaining undefeated teams in the rugged Western AA conference. The Wolfpack hammered Eastern AA foe Great Falls 52-27 on Dec. 15.

Anna Schrade scored 12 points in the win over Columbia Falls. Ellie Stevens and Kali Gulick dropped in 10 apiece against the Bison.

Wrestling

Flathead Wrestlers Finish Second at Prestigious Tri-State Invitational

Tucker Nadeau won the individual championship at 182 pounds and Flathead finished second in a 69-team field at the 47th annual Tri-State Invitational in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on Saturday.

The Braves’ total of 173 1/2 points paced all participating Montana schools, including Havre (4th, 151 points), Frenchtown (11th, 113) and Polson (17th, 89).

The two-day tournament consists of more than 600 wrestlers from top high schools in Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon.

Flathead, Eureka Sit Atop Wrestling Polls

Defending state champions Flathead (Class AA) and Eureka (Class B) lead the way in their respective classes, while Polson (second) and Columbia Falls (sixth) cracked the rankings in Class A, according to coaches polls released last week.

The Braves boast top-ranked Payton Hume (170 pounds) and Tucker Nadeau (182), along with nine other grapplers voted to the top six in their respective weight classes.

In Class A, Polson sits only behind five-time defending state champion Havre as a team and has Parker Adler (152) as a top individual. Columbia Falls’ Ben Windauer (170) and Taylor Gladeau (285) are ranked first for the Wildcats.

Eureka has one top-ranked wrestler in Class B — Montana football commit Garrett Graves at 182.

Bulldog Wrestlers Place Second at Buzz Lucey

Plains narrowly edged Whitefish to win the annual Buzz Lucey Invitational in Eureka on Saturday. The host Lions finished third.

The Savage Horsemen finished with 117 points, just ahead of Whitefish’s total of 116 1/2. Eureka, St. Maries (Idaho) and Libby rounded out the top five.

Whitefish’s Nathan Sproul (103), Dakota Flannery (138) and Jack Eisenbarth (145) claimed individual titles.