Blue Hawks a part of history

Last week was busy for the Thompson Falls basketball teams, and it also had a historic moment. The Blue Hawks played three games last week, and senior Bryson LeCoure scored his 1,000th point of his high school career. LeCoure entered the 1,000-point club last Thursday at Loyola. It was also a historic night for Loyola as coach Scott Anderson carded his 500th win with the Rams.

THOMPSON FALLS 71, MISSION 42

The Blue Hawks started the week last Tuesday in Mission. The Hawks scored two baskets before the Bulldogs got on the board. From there both teams would go basket for basket ending the first quarter tied at six points. Mission would start the second quarter with a swift three pointer to take the lead, and another basket put more points between the teams. Thompson was able to find the basket before the Bulldogs were able to sink two more baskets. With Mission pulling ahead the Hawks kicked it into high gear and were able to find the basket several more times to bring the score 15-16, and a three pointer by Hawk Kaiden Robins put Thompson in the lead for a brief moment until a Bulldog three pointer put Mission back in the lead. The teams would then go basket for basket until the Hawks were able to pull ahead with less than a minute left.

"Last week was a delightfully busy week for us. The boys always like playing a bunch of games and they sure got that," said coach Jake Mickelson.

The Hawks came out in the third quarter to continue putting more points between the teams. The powerhouse team would keep the Bulldogs to only scoring nine points for the whole quarter while Thompson would put up a massive 18 points. Keeping their momentum going into the final quarter the Hawks were able to score an incredible 23 points while shutting down the Bulldogs keeping them from gaining high scores. With just a minute left two back-to-back steals from the Hawks led to two quick layups to seal the win.

"We were excited to get the first District 7B win of the year for us down at Mission," stated Mickelson.

Bryson LeCoure led for the Hawks with 18 points and nine rebounds, Kaiden Robins behind with 12 points and four rebounds, while Braedon Ferris earned a double double earning 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for Thompson.

THOMPSON FALLS 53, MISSION 47

Then it was time for the Lady Hawks to hit the court, quickly gaining the first basket. Mission was able to answer back with their own basket and the teams would go basket for basket until the Hawks were able to pull ahead keeping the Bulldogs at just six points for the first quarter. The Hawks opened quarter two with back-to-back baskets. Thompson continued putting intense pressure on the Bulldogs and after several quick steals that led to quick layups the Hawks had pulled quite a bit ahead. Mission was able to keep a level head and would make a slight comeback, and at the half the score was 22-17. The Bulldogs would come back in the third to tie up the game. Mission would start the final quarter with a swift three pointer, but the Hawks' intense pressure propeled them to take the lead and hang on for the win.

Addy Deal led for the Hawks with an impressive 19 points, Gabi Hannum behind with 14 points, and Solvieg Nygaard had 10 points for Thompson.

LOYOLA 68,

THOMPSON FALLS 25

The Lady Hawks hit the court first taking on the Loyola Breakers, who quickly came out and gained seven points within the first two minutes of the game. The Hawks were able to find the basket and would put intense pressure on the Breakers defensively, but Loyola would continue to rack up points against Thompson Falls. The Hawks were able to keep Loyola to just five points in the final quarter.

Addy Deal and Gabi Hannum each had eight points for the Hawks while Solvieg Nygaard had four points.

LOYOLA 71,

THOMPSON FALLS 26

The Blue Hawks then hit the court against the Loyola Rams who came out on fire and quickly took the lead. Thompson was able to keep the scores close together until the Rams pulled ahead and never looked back,

ending the first quarter ahead by 13 points.

"Loyola got the upper hand on us early and we never recovered," said coach Mickelson.

The Rams continued to break past the Thompson defense in the second half, keeping their massive lead.

"I was proud that the boys kept their chins up and played hard throughout the game. Loyola is about as tough as they come in this state, and we were able to pick up some things from that game that should elevate our game for the remainder of the season," stated Mickelson.

Bryson LeCoure led for the Hawks with six points and six rebounds, also earning his 1,000th career point against the Rams. Owen Doyle was behind with five points and five rebounds, while Braedon Ferris had four points and five rebounds for Thompson.

THOMPSON FALLS 79, CHARLO 33

The Blue Hawks took to the home court Saturday to take on the Charlo Vikings. Coming out working together like a well-oiled machine, the Hawks quickly put points on the board and ended the first quarter 36-9. The Hawks opened the second quarter with two back-to-back three pointers from freshman Kellen LeCoure. Thompson continued to pull down rebounds and put up points, while the Vikings tried to hold their own. But before the half the Hawks had a colossal 41 point lead.

"We had an offensively explosive first quarter that allowed us to use our full lineup for the remainder of the game and I thought we had good rotations doing that," said coach Mickelson.

Thompson continued to be a force in the final quarters to take the win.

"We shot the ball well, buckled down on defense, and we were off to the races. It was a nice way to close out the non-conference schedule. Looking ahead to this week, we know we will need to be sharp against Plains and Eureka to come out with a couple wins. They are both solid teams and we look forward to the challenge ahead of us." stated Mickelson.

Ethan Burgess led for the Hawks with 17 points and six rebounds, Owen Doyle behind with 15 points and four rebounds, while the LeCoure brothers each earned 12 points.

THOMPSON FALLS 45, CHARLO 38

The girls ended the night with a win over the Lady Vikings of Charlo. Thompson was able to take the lead after several fast breaks allowed for quick layups. Coming into the second quarter the Hawks were able to continue putting up points to keep a comfortable lead. With two minutes left before the half, Charlo put a full court press on the Hawks and was able to gain several steals that led to baskets to bring the points closer together. The Hawks were able to pull ahead in the second half, though, outscoring the Vikings for the home win.

Solvieg Nygaard led with 16 points for the Hawks with Addy Deal behind with 14 points, and Gabi Hannum had 13 points.