The Blue Hawk boys basketball team finished their season at the divisional tournament last weekend, going 1-2 with opponents in Ronan.

The Hawks tipped off the tournament against Florence on Thursday. The Hawks hit the floor with energy as they took a quick 5-0 lead in the first quarter. However, the Falcons quickly rebounded to take the lead and ended the first quarter up 11-10.

Thompson Falls was plagued with turnovers in the first half and went into the locker room down 25-18. They kept up with the Falcons in the second half but were unable to close the gap. Florence won the game 61-38 and the Blue Hawks moved to the consolation bracket.

Against Florence, junior Jesse Claridge led the charge for the Hawks with 13 points (of which seven were free throws), Bryson LeCoure and Nathan Schraeder scored seven each, Breck Ferris five points, Braxton Dorscher four and Ben Cooper added two points. "We could have shot the ball better," said Hawk Coach Jake Mickelson. "Florence did a good job on defense. They made Nathan (Schraeder) work for anything he was going to get. They are physical and fast."

Friday morning, the Hawks were re-energized as they took the court to face Deer Lodge. Mickelson said he had told his team after the loss Thursday that they controlled their own destiny. "They did a good job of responding," he added. Thompson Falls beat Deer Lodge 53-43. The Hawks took the lead early and held strong against the Wardens, finishing the first quarter up 12-6 and strengthening that lead to 27-17 by halftime. The second half was more of the same for the Hawks, as they dominated Deer Lodge and kept their quest to advance their season going. Claridge again led the Hawks with an incredible 25 points, LeCoure added 12, Ferris six, Schraeder five, Josh Wilhite four points and Braxton Dorscher scored one point. Schraeder and Claridge led the Hawks with 11 rebounds each. "Our guys did a great job of grinding out a win that morning," Mickelson said.

The Blue Hawks then advanced to play Loyola in the next game of the consolation finals. The teams were ready to battle, and Loyola's defense kept the Hawks from scoring the first five minutes of the game. Thompson Falls was down 16-8 after the first quarter and 23-11 at the half. In the third quarter, the Blue Hawks made a run and were able to get within three points of the Rams. "Nathan came out and had an explosion and helped us put up 20 points in the third quarter. What a great way to close out his high school career," Mickelson said of Schraeder, a senior. Unfortunately, turnovers and missed free throws by the Hawks gave Loyola the advantage and the Rams won 49-39.

In the final game of the season, Schraeder led the Hawks with 18 points, Claridge added 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, Ferris and Cooper scored four each and LeCoure added three points and eight rebounds.

Annie Wooden

The Thompson Falls Pep band traveled to Ronan for the Western B Divisional basketball touranment last week, playing with the Florence-Carlton High School band durings the schools' matchup Thursday evening.

"Our boys came a long way and showed a lot of growth this season," Mickelson said as the season came to a close. "They made themselves into legitimate contenders and played hard. Just the competitiveness and the fire was great for me and the assistant coaches." Mickelson commended his assistant coaches, Shawn Morgan and Bill McGuire, saying they are awesome to work with and thanking them for everything they did throughout the season. Mickelson also mentioned the parents and the community support the team received throughout the season. "There is a lot done for the team behind the scenes that nobody sees, and we are very appreciative of that."

Even though the season just ended for the Blue Hawks, Mickelson has already started looking ahead to the 2022-2023 season. Losing just one senior this year (Schraeder), Mickelson and his coaching staff will have a good base of returning varsity players next year. "This year we had a complete roster overhaul with the exception of Nathan," Mickelson noted. "Everyone got a lot of playing time and some confidence. The won 13 games this season and that's definitely something to be proud of."