Hawks make history with win in Anaconda

The Blue Hawk boys went 2-0 last weekend as they beat Troy 60-21 at home and then traveled to Anaconda Saturday where they beat the Copperheads 71-57. Coach Jake Mickelson said he believes it's the first time the Blue Hawks have ever beat the Copperheads in Anaconda. "It was a good win on the road," Mickelson said.

In the home matchup against Troy, the Blue Hawks were up by just two points at the end of the first quarter, 12-10. They outscored the Trojans 12-1 in the second quarter to gain a hefty lead going into the second half, when Troy scored just 10 points to the Hawks' 36.

Against Troy, Senior Nathan Schrader led the Hawks with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal. Breck Ferris added seven points and seven rebounds, Nick Tessier scored nine, Bryson LeCoure had five points, Ben Cooper four, Adam Childres, Cael Thilmony and Josh Wilhite had three apiece and Jesse Claride and Joey Grossman each scored two points. Mickelson said his team had to work for the win, with the younger Hawks coming in and scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter. "They rebounded hard," Mickelson said of the younger players. "It was fun to see them get some good varsity minutes on the court."

The battle between the Blue Hawks and the Copperheads was of the caliber you start to see toward the end of the regular season. Anaconda took an early 17-11 lead in the first quarter and the teams were matched point-for-point in the second as the Copperheads kept the lead 28-23 at halftime."They came out firing," Mickelson said of Anaconda. "Most of their first-quarter points were threes. We finally tied the game late in the third quarter. It was a good environment." Thompson Falls took the lead in the third quarter 45-40 and held on until the final buzzer.

Four Hawks scored in the double digits against Anaconda, including Claridge with 14 and Schrader, LeCoure and Wilhite with 11 each. Wilhite also led the team in rebounds with 10 and Schraeder had six steals. Childers scored nine for the Hawks, Ferris eight, Braxton Dorscher three and Alex Menzel and Cooper two points apiece.

Mickelson said the Hawks are fine-tuning their game as the regular season comes to a close and tournament time nears. This week, the Hawks take on Mission, Loyla and Eureka, and will face Mission again next week before traveling to Bigfork. "It will be a fun challenge," Mickelson said.

Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks are focusing on what they can do better after splitting matchups last week. The Hawks beat Troy 69-19 at home Friday, then traveled to Anaconda Saturday where they lost a close 59-55 battle with the Copperheads.

Coach Chadd Laws said the Anaconda game was intense and close the whole game. He noted that no team was ahead more than seven points during the game. "Every player put forth their best effort. They played aggressive and without hesitation," Laws added.

Laws said that junior Ellie Baxter had a great game offensively and defensively against Anaconda. "She was aggressive to the basket and looked to create shots," the coach noted. "I thought her rebounding was fantastic. He added that junior Avery Burgess has found her place on the team and is doing a great job defensively. "She's utilizing her quickness and intelligence on defense to get deflections and steals." Burgess scored 13 points against Anaconda and grabbed 12 rebounds. Laws also noted that Thompson Falls had excellent fan support on the road in Anaconda, and that the Hawks will celebrate senior night this Saturday.

"Every week we just want to get better with fundamentals, win or lose," Laws stated. "We want to make more free throws, make more passes. The next two weeks, the Lady Hawks are preparing for some tough competition, heading to Loyola Thursday and then welcoming Eureka on Saturday. Next week, Thompson Falls will face Mission and Bigfork in their final regular season games. "We're going to focus on what we can do better against these teams."