GREAT FALLS — For the second consecutive year, the Bozeman boys vied for the top prize in the state, working its way into the Class AA title game.
For the second consecutive year, the Hawks walked away as runners-up, this time suffering a loss to first-time winner Kalispell Glacier.
“For them to get that close again, it’s gut-wrenching. It really is,” said Bozeman head coach Wes Holmquist, choking back tears after talking with his team following a 46-42 defeat.
“It’s hard to get here and lose it.”
Only five Hawks registered baskets in a 31-percent shooting effort, including just 5 of 25 from beyond the arc. Lance McCutcheon finished with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow senior Callahan O’Reilly tallied 10 and seven boards.
The Wolfpack, on the other hand, shot 51 percent overall. Their leading scorer, Patrick O’Connell, netted 11 and was the only player to log double digits.
Glacier jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Hawks 18-11 in the first quarter. Bozeman answered back in the second, though, opening with a 10-0 spurt anchored by a McCutcheon 3-pointer and O’Reilly three-point play.
After some back-and-forth, the teams were knotted at 24 at halftime.
Things turned dark for Bozeman in the third quarter.
The Hawks went cold from the field and did not score for 6 minutes, 26 seconds. Meanwhile, Glacier strung together an 11-0 run that generated an eight-point lead.
The Hawks clawed back to within a point after 6-foot-6 Wolfpack senior Jaxen Hashley, a Montana State football signee, fouled out and was assessed a technical.
Hawks senior Bailey Harlin sank two free throws to pull Bozeman to within 39-38.
That was as close as the Hawks would come.
With Bozeman down 44-42 and six seconds remaining, Hawks senior Drew Huse hoisted a potential title-clinching 3. It rattled around and rimmed right out.
“We’re a pretty potent offensive team and they really stagnated us a lot tonight,” Holmquist said. “I couldn’t get us in an offensive flow. We tried a lot of different things. I take a lot of ownership in that. I never found a niche for us against these guys. … We had the kids we wanted shooting the shots we wanted the whole game, and they just didn’t fall for us.”
McCutcheon spoke with pride of his team’s effort this week, which included a 73-60 win over Flathead and a tight, 54-52 victory over the hometown Bison on Friday.
“We should all be proud of it. It all hurts right now, but in the end, finishing second isn’t bad,” McCutcheon said. “I thought we impressed a lot of people. There’s no easy team here. Everything worked out the way we wanted to, we just didn’t come out and finish it.”