By JOSH DUGAN
Daily Inter Lake
Stingy team defense and an emphasis to move the ball on offense helped the host Glacier Wolfpack jump out to a big halftime lead over the Great Falls Bison en route to a 56-38 victory in their season opener in the Glacier High School gym.
“Defense has been a focus for us these first two weeks. I thought their defense was really solid,” Glacier coach Mark Harkins said.
The Pack were led offensively by Ty Olson who was aggressive attacking the basket for the Wolfpack and showed a confident mid-range jumper by knocking down multiple shots from near the free throw line. Olson finished with 17 points and Adam Nikunen chipped in nine points via a trio of three point buckets.
“For a first game I’m really pleased with it,” Harkins said.
The Bison attempted to throw a half court press at Glacier late in the first half but all that seemed to do was open the door up for the Pack to get on the break and create mismatches in the open floor.
The Wolfpack matched a faster paced offense by picking up the intensity on defense to string together multiple stops and push the score from 14-13 midway through the second quarter to a 23-13 lead with 1:50 left in the half.
Glacier continued this approach after the break and played hard till the final whistle. When it was all said and done Glacier had stretched their lead to 18 points allowing for the Wolfpack to rest their starters and spread the playing time around.
“Our kids stepped up and every kid who got in the game contributed tonight,” Harkins said.
Offensive rebounding was also a key element to Glacier’s success with multiple Wolfpack players feasting on the offensive glass highlighted by a put back score at the rim by Glacier’s 6-foot-7 center Noah Dowler.
Coach Harkins mentioned that rebounding should be a strength for the Pack due to their size.
“We think we have the length, we think we have the guys who can rebound, rebounding has been a great emphasis for us,” he noted.
Dowler finished with six points and was a force as a rim protector on the defensive side of the ball for the Wolfpack. 6-foot-4 senior Travis Agan was also an impact player for the Wolfpack near the rim on both sides of the ball and matched Dowler with six points.
“Proud of the kids, they did a great job,” Harkins said.
Great Falls 11 4 10 13 – 38 Glacier 14 13 16 13 – 56 GREAT FALLS — Ashton Platt 9, Gaitlin Sutherland 9, Evan Brown 8, Wyatt DeVoss 8, Scott Klinker 2, Keaton Stockman 2.
GLACIER — Ty Olsen 17, Adam Nikunen 9, Travis Agan 6, Noah Dowler 6, Xavier Stout 5, Cohen Kastelitz 4, Carson Gulick 4, Tyler McDonald 3, Kadrian Buls 2.