Heat make Vikings say uncle
February 20, 2020
HOT SPRINGS – Can you say uncle? Come on, say uncle, it’s time.
The Hot Springs Savage Heat boys held the Charlo Vikings’ feet to the fire in Hot Springs Saturday, until the Lake County boys finally said uncle and left the Spa City on the short end of a 69-54 score.
Finishing the regular season in fourth place in final 14C standings, the Savage Heat will play fifth place Charlo again Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Ronan in the first round of the conference tournament. The winner of that game will advance into a semifinal with top-seeded Plains Friday.
If things go like they did in Hot Springs Saturday, the Savage Heat could easily be playing Plains in the 14C semifinals Friday night.
“We put four good quarters together against Charlo and are playing good ball lately,” coach Scott Fredrickson said. “We feel good about where we are at and look forward to seeing how we do this week.”
As for the 14C tournament field, Fredrickson gives a well-deserved nod to regular season champion Plains and runner-up St. Regis. Plains won the conference title and No. 1 seed with a 10-0 league
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mark and St. Regis went 8-2.
“You have to give those two teams credit,” he said. “They got through the season without losing to anyone else but each other. Some teams have been playing them closer lately but, going in, they still have to be the favorites.”
The top two teams from the 14C tourney will advance on to the Western C divisional tournament in Frenchtown Feb. 27-29.
High-scoring Brandon Knudsen led the Heat past Charlo with 33 points, Jack McAllsiter added nine, Kyle Lawson and Nathan Lawhead eight apiece, Lincoln Slonaker six, Luke Waterbury four and Benedict Waterbury one. Roper Edwards led Charlo with 15 points and Keaton Piedalue and Dawson Dumont scored 12 each.
The Heat gave St. Regis a scare last Thursday before falling back to a 65-48 defeat in St. Regis. The Heat trailed only 44-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
“They turned up their defense in the fourth quarter,” Fredrickson said. “We didn’t turn the ball over much but we went cold shooting, couldn’t make a basket there late.”
Knudsen collected 22 points to lead the Heat, Slonaker added six, Luke Waterbury and Lawhead five apiece, Lawson three and McAllister two. John Pruitt led St. Regis with 17 points, Tanner Day scored 13 and Caleb Ball 12.
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