By JON ALLEN
Staff Writer | February 2, 2024 12:00 AM
Photos by Casey Kreider | Daily Interlake
By JON ALLEN
Staff Writer | February 2, 2024 12:00 AM
Glacier boys 57, Flathead 50
Noah Cummings scored 20 points against his former team as Glacier jumped out early on the Braves and never relinquished the lead.
“I felt a lot more at home than the first time,” Cummings said. “I have a lot of support behind me, and I think as a team we sealed it.”
Brantly Salmonsen and Cohen Kastelitz each added 10 points for the Wolfpack (6-5, 5-2 in Western AA games), who struggled to put away the Braves late.
“I thought we did a great job for three quarters,” said Glacier coach Mark Harkins. “Then in the fourth quarter they were able to dictate what they wanted to have happen. They sped us up, they caused some chaos and we didn’t handle that well.”
Lyric Ersland led Flathead (0-11, 0-7) with 12 points, including a pair of threes in the second quarter that closed the deficit to 22-18.
Glacier scored the first nine points of the game but only led 13-8 after one.
Cummings scored eight points in the second quarter including a late three which gave Glacier a 25-19 halftime lead.
The Wolfpack offense continued to grow the lead in the third as Easton Kauffman made it 34-23 with a Euro-step layup.
Glacier kept the lead in double digits for most of the final quarter until Dustyn Franchini-White scored four straight to make it 47-41.
From that point on it was a free throw shooting contest, and the Wolfpack knocked down 8 of12 to close out the victory.
“We have a good team,” Harkins said. “Our motto this year is ‘Strong together,’ and I think they do a pretty good job of playing for each other.”
Flathead 8 11 6 25 – 50
Glacier 13 12 10 22 – 57
FLATHEAD — Dustyn Franchini-White 1 6-6 8, Stephen Riley 2 2-2 6, Brodee Zahn 0 0-0 0, Lyric Ersland 3 4-6 12, Gabe St. Germain 1 0-0 2, Gabe Sims 1 2-2 4, Brody Thornsberry 2 2-2 6, David Moody 0 0-0 0, Korbin Eaton 2 1-2 6, Jordan Griffin 3 0-0 6. Team totals 15 17-20 50
GLACIER — Cohen Kastelitz 5 0-6 10, Luke Nikunen 1 1-2 3, Owen Henry 0 0-0 0, Easton Kauffman 2 2-6 7, Brantly Salmonsen 2 6-8 10, Josh Eagleton 0 4-6 4, Slate Burrington 1 0-0 2, Jackson Endresen 0 1-2 1, Noah Cummings 7 4-6 20. Team totals 18 18-36 57.
3-point goals — Flathead 3 (Ersland 2, Eaton), Glacier 3 (Cummings 2, Kauffman). Fouls — Flathead 27, Glacier 16. Fouled out — Franchini-White, St. Germain, Thornsberry.