Page 60 - Flathead Beacon // 3.5.14

60 | MARCH 5, 2014 SPORTS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

Wildcat players celebrate after the game. Columbia Falls beat Whiteish 51-37 to win the Northwestern A Divisional Championship.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON

COLUMBIA FALLS
Broncs joined Northwestern A two years ago, Colum-
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bia Falls was the team to beat. The Wildkats had won
Continued from back page
three straight divisional titles. But then Frenchtown

Tolman.
ing.
upset the order, winning the last two, including last
The follow-up act was no less phenomenal.
But for a school with as much hoops tradition as
year’s 49-37 chipper over Columbia Falls.
In front of the raucous crowd that follows its team
this one, last weekend still marked a milestone event. “Last year we were starting to turn the corner a
to all corners of the state, the dominating Wildcats Cary Finberg, at the helm for both the boys and little bit as far as walking out on the loor with coni-
overwhelmed rival Whiteish and won their sixth con- girls teams, became the irst Class A head coach to win
dence. This year I’ve seen it from day one,” Finberg said
secutive Northwestern A title.
two divisional titles in the same night.
of the girls team. “They knew that they had a chance to
Senior forward Jared Trinastich scored a game- Earlier this season, the Columbia Falls native
be pretty good. They had a great ofseason and put the
high 14 points and senior guard Alex Presnell netted passed Ralph Johnson as the winningest boys head time in and now they’re reaping the rewards for all that

11 as Columbia Falls downed Whiteish 51-37. The boys coach in school history. In his 18th season coaching hard work.”
roll into this week’s Class A state tournament with a the boys, Finberg picked up his 268th career victory It wasn’t easy unseating the defending champs but
16-4 record. They play Havre at 2 p.m. Thursday in the at home against Eureka on Jan. 30, passing Johnson’s the Wildkats whittled away at the Lady Broncs’ early
opening round in Great Falls.
all-time mark. Johnson, who coached the Wildcats, lead in the title game. With the game tied 34-all en-
Whiteish, looking to qualify for state for the irst including Finberg’s late brother, Craig, from 1962 to tering the fourth quarter, the depth of Columbia Falls
time in ive years, played Polson in a challenge game on 1981, earned a lifetime record of 267-172. Finberg was a shined bright.
Monday night after the Beacon went to print. The win- freshman at Columbia Falls when Johnson retired.
“(Coach Finberg) can go 10-deep. They can shoot

ner plays Belgrade at 8 p.m. Thursday.
“To be put in his company is very humbling,” Fin- and they got the big girls inside, and they’re just well
The Columbia Falls girls team, the top-ranked berg said of Johnson. “As a kid you looked up to him. I coached,” Tolman said. “You put a lot of girls together
squad in Class A with an impressive 18-1 record, rolls never would imagine that I would be in his shoes, so to who are well coached, you’ll come out with some pretty
into the state tournament riding an 11-game win speak. To come back to your hometown and to have the good results.”
streak. The girls play the winner of Browning and Bel- success has been very rewarding.”
While it’s been business as usual for the boys, this
grade, who squared of in a Monday challenge game. This season Finberg also picked up his 300th over- has been a banner season for the girls program, har-
The teams will play in the opening round of the tour- all win between boys and girls. He enters this week’s kening back to the great 1980s teams under Hall of
nament at 12:30 p.m., March 13, in Great Falls.
state tournament with a 320-153 combined record.
Famer Larry Schmautz. Columbia Falls won its lone

With the basketball season reaching its exciting Sunday’s conference championship matchup was a girls championship in 1983 when the team played in
apex, it’s not surprising to see Columbia Falls still play-
itting conclusion to the tournament. When the Lady
Class AA. The girls beat Helena 68-53. In 1986, after