Columbia Falls high school basket ball team lost their first match on the 12th of December to Dillon, it wasn't a performance which would have done their coach Carey Finberg any proud. They missed opportunities every now and then. The defense was split wide open by an overly aggressive Dillon team. The closest the Cats came to Dillon was in the penultimate quarter, where they were just trailing be 5 points. The Cats conceded 21 points in the final quarter and the match at the Hamilton high school ended at 50-35 in favor of Dillon.
Inability to score points at crucial moments affected the Cats in other aspects of the game, as well. They were forced to be on the back foot and became really tentative. So much so that they even missed some sitters. They had trouble catching the ball and didn't seem in the game at all.
The Cats had a chance to cut the lead to three in the final seconds of the third quarter but missed a lay up. And Dillon hit a 3-pointer to start the proceedings in the fourth quarter. The lead just got wider and wider after that.
CFHS suffered 25 turnovers and shot just 30 percent from the field. The Cats were just 2-for-17 from behind the 3-point arc.
The Cats lead the rebounds and that was one of the positives from the game, Kaleb Johnson led CFHS with eight rebounds. Michael Williams led the Cats with 10 points. Mackey Nolan had three assists.
But at Corvallis, the Cats seemed a totally different team. And it was a complete team game, literally, as coach Finberg made all the substitution he could. The Cats scored at least 20 points in each quarter and very aggressive on the offence. The Cats defense seemed impermeable as they managed to restrict Anaconda to 25 second-half points.
It was the initial baskets that lifted the morale of an already disappointed team, and once they regained their confidence there was no stopping them. The Cats shot 50 percent from the field, and were 9-for-19 on 3-pointers. They converted 14 out of the 21 free throws they got. Seven players scored eight or more points, and 10 Cats played at least 10 minutes.
The rebound was strong against Anaconda too, 32-24. Nolan had seven rebounds, and Grant Getts added six.
Nolan had a very solid all-around game. He had 11 points and 11 assists for a double-double, plus three steals and only one turnover. The Cats had only 11 turnovers in the win.
Austin Barth led the Cats with 14 points and blocked two shots, in his just second freshman game. Tanner Barth added 12 points; Williams had 11, Getts 9, and Kyle Howell and Mitchell Wassam 8 each. Both Tanner and Austin Barth came off the bench.
The Cats face Flathead High on Friday in Kalispell, and then they play Sentinel on Saturday in Missoula.
Ray Laslovich scored 11 points to pace the Copperheads.
