Plains, TF on to divisional

It was a successful District 7B tournament in St. Ignatius last weekend as all four Sanders County teams earned a trip to the divisional tournament Feb. 22-24 in Pablo. Thompson Falls boys and girls each placed second in their respective bracket, with the Plains boys finishing third and the girls finishing fourth.

The Horsemen opened the District tournament last Tuesday with a play-in game against Troy which they won 59-45. In St. Ignatius, the Blue Hawks and Horsemen met in the first round Friday afternoon. Plains was up 4-1 before Thompson Falls took the lead and pulled away with the lead, up 14-8 after the first quarter. The Hawks strengthened that lead in the second, outsourcing Plains and intensifying their game as junior Bryson LeCoure made two key steals in a row that the Hawks turned into points. Going into halftime the Hawks were up 28-14.

In the second half, the Hawks remained steady but Plains was able to put points on the board as well, and the third quarter ended with Thompson up 43-25. Thompson kept the momentum in the final eight minutes and held the lead, finishing 60-37.

Senior Nick Tessier led the scoring charge for Thompson Falls against Plains, with LeCoure putting 14 points on the board, Sam Burgess adding seven, Kaiden Robins six, Braden Ferris four, and Cael Thilmony and Braxton Dorscher two each. For the Horsemen, Zephaniah Dines led with 10 points, Anaya Loberg had eight, Zayden Allen and Pablo Hernandez five each, Aden West three, Wyatt Butcher four and Darren Standeford two points.

While Thompson Falls waited for the championship game last Saturday against Eureka, the Horsemen didn't give up in the consolation bracket. Saturday morning they met the Superior Bobcats, winning 70-41 and securing a place at the divisional tournament. Horsemen coach Tyrel Allen said Sunday that the highlight of the week was going 3-and-1 in the tournament. "It was great for those kids who have never been to that stage before to go out and play the way they did." Allen said at the end of the 2022-23 season, the players set a goal of going to divisional this season. "They put in the work in the spring and summer in the gym and playing games," Allen commented. The Horsemen, who won only three games last season, met their goal this year when they beat Superior on Saturday morning at district. "I'm real proud of how the boys played and what they did to meet their goal," Allen added.

Plains outscored Superior in each quarter, taking an early 12-5 lead after the first and never letting up against the Bobcats. Dines had an impressive 20 points to lead the Horsemen, West scored 15, Allen 12, Loberg 10 points, Shawn O'Keefe, Hernandez and Butcher three points each, and Kort Craft and Standeford added two apiece.

The game of the day, however, was the consolation final against Mission, which Plains won 52-50 to finish third at district. "It was a hard-fought battle," Coach Allen said. The teams were well-matched, with Plains up by just four points (15-11) after the first quarter and by just two points (30-28) going into halftime. The Horsemen kept the pressure on the Bulldog in the third quarter. Mission made a final push in the fourth quarter but the Horsemen held on for the win.

Allen and Loberg each scored 12 points against Mission, with West and Hernandez adding 10 apiece, Butcher scoring six and Dines two points. Coach Allen highlighted that four of his players - Allen, Loberg, West and Hernandez - averaged nine or more points per game during the tournament. He also commended his players for their endurance during the tournament. He said having back-to-back games the last few weeks of the season helped prepare the team for having four games in the tournament.

The Blue Hawks put up a valiant effort in the championship game against Eureka, but would settle for second place as the Lions beat Thompson Falls 58-50. The Hawks were up 4-0 in the first before Eureka scored and found their rhythm to take the lead. The Hawks struggled to keep up, down 17-5 after the first quarter. In the second, the Hawks struggled with turnovers that Eureka took advantage of for points and the Lions kept the lead 28-12 at halftime.

The second half was more aggressive as both teams ended up at the line for fouls toward the end of the third quarter. The Hawk defense got more steals, but couldn't overtake the Lions. The Blue Hawks outscored the Lions in each of the final quarters as they made a final push against Eureka, but it wasn't enough for the win. Despite the loss, it was a positive day for the Hawks as the eight-point deficit in the championship was the closest the team has come to the Lions the whole season.

"Our guys played their guts out," Hawk Coach Jake Mickelson said of the championship game. "I'm super impressed with how they played and it builds some momentum going into divisional." He noted his team played with intensity against Eureka and were determined.

LeCoure was the high scorer for the Hawks in the championship with 17 points, Tessier added 10 points, Max Hannum eight, Dorscher seven and Ferris and Thilmony had four each. Coach Mickelson noted that LeCoure was steady all game. "We've come to expect that out of him," Mickelson said of LeCoure, who has been a force for the Hawks all season. Mickelson noted that the seniors are stepping up as well. "Braxton (Dorscher) had a really good game and has been a solid leader on the floor for us. He made some big plays in the championship game." Mickelson added that tournament season makes it even more fun for him and those seniors who are realizing it's their last weekends on the court as a Hawk. "It's fun for me as a coach to watch all the guys having a lot of fun and the guys on the bench getting into it as well."

The Plains and Thompson Falls girls had similar paths in the District tournament, with Plains beating Superior last Tuesday 29-28 in the play-in game before meeting Mission in the first round on Friday.

In the game against the Bulldogs, the Trotters struggled out of the gate to break the Mission press and the only points for Plains in the first came from a three-pointer from Trystan Larson as Mission led 27-3 with the buzzer. In the second quarter, Larson put a pair of free throws through the net and Katelyn Subatch hit one from beyond the three-point line as they went into the locker room down 39-8. The Bulldogs, who would go on to win the District championship, kept the Trotters to limited points as they finished the game 49-13.

The Lady Hawks opened their tournament play against Eureka on Friday evening. The Hawks hit the floor with determination as they scored nine unanswered points early before Eureka got on the board and made a comeback to tie the game at 12 points. The Hawks held on and led 16-14 after the first quarter. The defenses ramped up their coverage in the second quarter as both teams calmed down and the Hawks were focused, holding the lead and going into halftime up 28-21.

Eureka gained momentum in the second half, taking the lead for the first time in the game. The teams traded baskets and the lead but the Hawks held a one-point lead as the final quarter started. Addy Deal hit a three-pointer to kick off the final eight minutes, which gave the Hawks renewed energy. They connected throughout the fourth and won 60-54.

Coach Tessier commented that it's tough to beat a team three times in a season, but they did that with Eureka. "It's difficult when you have two evenly matched teams to beat them three times in a season, but we were able to get it done." He said before the Eureka game at district, the team talked about needing to stay in the game the entire 32 minutes. "We knew we had to play a full game. Even when Eureka took the lead, it didn't last."

Plains didn't give up, however, as they met Troy Saturday morning in a loser-out match. The Trotters proved they are worthy of a trip to divisional and beat the Trojans 48-26. The Trotters came out with force as they outscored the Trojans 15-2 in each of the first two quarters. Subatch led the charge against Troy with 11 points, Claire Lakko and Ava Lawyer scored nine each, Blakely Lakko had seven points, Jaycee Carr and Emilia Rivinius four each and Teirainy Bellinger added two points.

With that, the Trotters met Eureka in the consolation final. The Trotters struggled to get points on the board in the first half against Eureka's tough defense and Plains was down 35-9 going into halftime. The Trotters had renewed energy in the second half and outscored Eureka in the second half but it wouldn't be enough for a win and Plains finished down 60-37.

Blakely Lakko scored a massive 23 points against Eureka, with Lawyer adding five points, Claire Lakko and Subatch three each, Aubree Butcher two and Peyton Wasson one point.

The final game of the District tournament found the Lady Hawks facing off against Mission for the championship and the No. 1 seed going to divisional. The Hawks fell 49-37, but it was the closest win Mission has had against Thompson Falls all season. The Mission defense kept the Hawks scores until nearly three minutes into the game. The Hawks pushed hard against the Bulldogs and came within three points by the time the first quarter ended. The Hawks struggled to get the ball in the net but their defense kept the pressure on Mission. The Hawks were down just eight points at halftime, 26-18. The Hawks capitalized on fouls in the third, putting several free throws through the net. Mission held the lead the entire game, but it was an exciting matchup as Thompson Falls never let up on the Bulldogs.

"Our chemistry and synchronization has really come together this year," Coach Tessier said. He said they improved against Mission all year. "We made a lot of mistakes the first time we played Mission this year. The second game got a little better, and this game felt like we were right where we needed to be."

The Lady Hawks went through the district tournament with a cohesiveness that has developed as the season goes on. "The progression has been great to watch," Tessier said of his team this year. "Our girls are definitely coming into their own."

Tessier also commended the community for their support of the Thompson Falls teams throughout the season at the tournament last weekend. "We have very good community support. It's so important and we appreciate it. We feed off it. I'm so privileged to be able to coach this group."

The Western B Divisional tournament begins Thursday in Pablo. Thompson Falls boys will open against Florence at 9:45 a.m. Coach Mickelson and his Hawks are looking forward to divisional. "We are the underdog and we know it. But that Eureka game was perfect for going into divisional. We are at our best when we play to win." He said his team has improved throughout the season and they are looking forward to divisional. "We haven't had a non-conference game since right after Christmas so we're looking forward to another chance at these teams. We're all super excited."

The Horsemen open divisional play against Anaconda at 4:45 p.m. Thursday. For the girls, the Trotters will play Loyola at 6:30 p.m. Thursday while the Lady Hawks play Florence at 8:15 p.m. Tessier said the Lady Hawks are looking forward to seeing Florence again, since the last time the teams met was the first game of the year for Thompson Falls. He said they also would like another shot at Mission.