Online Exclusive: Bigfork takes 7-B title game over Troy
Nobody really expected the Troy High School boys basketball team to reach the District 7-B championship game. But the Trojans fought their way through a first-round thriller over Thompson Falls and a semifinal triumph over Plains to get a shot at the regular-season champion.
Conversely, although Bigfork had struggled in recent years while still in Class A, most everybody thought the Vikings were a shoo-in to get into Saturday night’s big finale. So, the 7-B title game had a David vs. Goliath feel to it.
“We were picked to be fifth coming into this season so to get second, I’m pretty proud of this group,” Troy coach Cory Andersen said following Bigfork’s 77-45 victory at Ralph Tate Gymnasium in Libby.
With the runner-up showing, Troy continues its season next weekend at the divisional tournament in Pablo.
Bigfork pretty much dominated from the beginning. By the end of the first quarter, the Vikings held an 18-5 advantage and it was clear that Troy would need to make drastic adjustments to stay close.
“I thought we never could get our defense going,” Andersen said. “That and we made some turnovers.”
Bigfork used a variety of weapons to keep everyone wondering who would score next. In fact, the first 14 points of the game for the Vikings were scored by seven different players.
“They are very deep and have a lot of players who can score,” Andersen said. “We actually stopped their leading scorer.”
Four players hit double figures for Bigfork with Ian Lorang leading the way with 16. Christian Ker contributed 14, Keenan Evans finished with 13 and Carter Sorenson chipped in 10.
After those five points in the first quarter, Troy’s offense saw a bit more success over the rest of the game. But overall, the Vikings were just too strong and held leads of 37-19 at halftime and 57-31 at the end of the third.
Jake Alexander had the most consistent evening for the Trojans with a team-high 15 points on four 3-pointers and 3-of-4 free throws. Brian Hammrich also found the net for 13 points on four field goals and 5-of-7 free throws.
Bigfork takes an overall record of 17-3 into the divisional tournament. The Vikings have won all 12 meetings against 7-B opponents this season. Troy’s overall record now stands at 11-10.
Bigfork 77, Troy 45
Saturday at Libby
Scoring by Quarters:
Troy 5 14 12 14—45
Bigfork 18 19 20 20—77
TROY (45)
Rayson 1 4-4 6, Alexander 4 3-4 15, Hammrich 4 5-7 13, Hoffman 0 2-4 2, Orr 1 0-0 2, Curry 1 0-0 2, Roeder 1 3-4 5. Totals 12 17-23 45.
BIGFORK (77)
Knoll 1 5-5 7, Richmond 3 0-0 6, Evans 6 1-2 13, Lorang 7 2-2 16, Sorenson 3 1-3 10, Fraley 0 1-2 1, Ker 5 3-4 14, No. 23 1 0-0 2, Dopps 2 0-1 4, No. 52 1 0-0 2, No. 20 0 2-6 2. Totals 29 15-25 77.