Blue Hawks get physical

There were probably some black and blue players after Friday's physical matchup with the Seeley Swan Blackhawks traveling to face off against the Blue Hawks. Both Thompson Falls teams ended the night with wins, with the girls beating Seeley 54-30 and the boys winning 52-45.

The Hawk girls had the first shot at the Blackhawks, with Thompson Falls establishing an early lead. Ending the first quarter up 18-5, the Blue Hawks kept their edge by sinking free throws and three-pointers. They ended the half 23-9. Coming back from halftime, Thompson Falls struggled to grab rebounds but kept sinking 3s as they widened their lead. A scrappy Seeley Swan team didn't give up, but sophomore Addy Deal was on point at the three-point line, sinking four in a row in the fourth and propelling Thompson to the win.

"We see her do that in practice all the time," Coach Mike Tessier said of Deal. "It was a shining moment for the weekend but I think we'll see that more from her this season." Tessier commented that Seeley made the Hawks work for the win.

"We knew what to expect from them," junior Solveig Nygaard said. "We ran the floor well and did well on our fast breaks." She said it was good to have a home game for the team's first win of the season. "The support from the crowd was really nice." Nygaard said Coach Tessier tells the team to focus one day at a time, and after the win they turned their focus to the next contest in Anaconda on Saturday.

Deal led the Hawk girls in scoring with 16 points, Gabi Hannum had 13, Annalise Fairbank 9, Nygaard 7 and Aubrey Baxter, Addie Traver and Olivia Fitchett added 3 each.

The boys' game was physical from the tip-off as both teams engaged pressure on their opponents. The Blue Hawks were up 2-0 for much of the first quarter before Seeley got on the board with free throws. Thompson Falls grabbed some key steals to take a slight lead after the first. "No matter who has more talent, every game with Seeley is just a battle," said Blue Hawk Coach Jake Mickelson. "They play so hard and you gotta work for everything you get."

The physicality intensified in the second quarter as Seeley kept within sight of Hawks before tying the game at 14 each. Thompson Falls freshman Kellen LeCoure sank a three to give the Hawks an edge and the home team was up 27-18 at the half.

In the second half, it was anyone's game as both teams kept their focus and showed their power and fierceness. Thompson Falls would maintain their lead until the last buzzer, winning by almost 10 points. "The team has a motto this year to not make the same mistake twice in a row. They have been working on new concepts and are dedicated to getting it down," Mickelson said. "They are playing hard and know there will be swings in momentum."

Senior Bryson LeCoure was 4-for-7 at the three-point line, leading Thompson Falls with 24 points and 7 rebounds, Sam Burgess scored 10 points, Kaiden Robins 8, Ethan Burgess 4 and Kellen LeCoure and Owen Doyle added 3 each.

The Hawks then traveled to Anaconda on Saturday, with the boys adding another win to their season 64-50 and the Thompson girls losing 62-46.

"Anaconda is always a solid team," Coach Tessier said. "We had a few turnovers that kind of hurt us and they took advantage of it. But we feel like we can play with anybody. I know we can."

Coach Mickelson said the energy was similar in Anaconda as the teams battled for control of the court. "They wanted to slow up the game and we wanted to speed it up," he said. "We only had nine points in the first quarter. We didn't crack the code on their defense until the second quarter."

The Copperhead boys were up after the first quarter before the Blue Hawks found their rhythm and took a lead going into halftime 27-22. Thompson Falls outscored Anaconda in each of the last quarters to secure the win. Coach Mickelson said it was a three-point game with seven minutes to go, when Bryson LeCoure hit a big three-pointer and then Burgess got a steal at the other end of the court. "Sam Burgess lit up the fourth quarter," Mickelson said. "He only had four points but he had 12 assists in the last quarter. He was very determined to win the game."

Bryson LeCoure again led the Hawk boys with over half of their points. LeCoure scored 34 points, including five three-pointers and going 3-for-4 at the free throw line. Robins scored 19 for the Hawks, Sam Burgess and Doyle added four each, Ethan Burgess two and senior Bryson McCormick one point. Doyle led the team in rebounds with nine.

The Blue Hawk boys go into Christmas break with 3 wins, 2 losses, and will be back on the court Jan. 4 when the teams travel to Deer Lodge. "It feels great to get two big wins going into Christmas break," Mickelson said of the Hawk boys. "We'll be excited to come back in the new year."