Boys Basketball: LHS improves to 3-1 in Northwestern A

Libby High School coach Wally Winslow knows his team’s offense isn’t perfect. The Loggers struggle at times with shooting percentage and will usually hit a wall at some point during the game.

In a 48-38 victory over Whitefish on Saturday night, LHS once again hit that wall. But instead of falling into a deep hole that ends with a loss, the Loggers were able to persevere and climb the pinnacle to victory.

“It’s no secret, we’re going to have to get through periods of the game when we don’t shoot well,” Winslow said. “But if we can play good enough defense … hopefully we can weather the storm.”

Whitefish turned a 25-18 halftime deficit into a 27-25 lead through the first 2:14 of the third quarter. But despite that 9-0 Bulldog run, the Loggers were able to regain their composure over the final five minutes. The offensive drought continued for a bit longer until Kelly May went coast-to-coast with a driving layup through the right side of the lane. Garrett Craig followed a little more than a minute later with a jumpshot and Colton Cannon found the net with 22 seconds left to give LHS a 31-27 lead heading into the fourth.

Whitefish got back to within 33-30 with 6:34 remaining but Libby again had an answer. Cannon sank a 3-pointer and Alex Cislo went strong to the hoop for an eight-point lead. The Bulldogs could not recover and Libby ended up winning by 10.

“We showed a lot of patience in the first quarter,” Winslow said – an eight-minute stretch that resulted in a 6-5 deficit. “In the third quarter, we were just bad. And we had talked about the importance of having a good start.”

T.J. Benson was a visible asset during the victory with hustle on both ends. In addition to six points scored, Benson had key rebounds and assists for the Loggers.

“T.J. Benson at Eureka and here, he showed a lot of energy,” Winslow said of his 5-foot-8 guard. “He’s going in for rebounds and playing very well. Kelly May has been playing well too; he’s understanding our game plan better.”

May finished with a game-high 15 points with four field goals – two of those 3’s – and 5-of-5 free throws. Cannon had five fields with two 3-pointers and 1-of-2 free throws for 13 points. Cislo finished with eight, including two key baskets late in the fourth.

On Friday, the Loggers traveled up Highway 37 for a 50-27 victory over Eureka. LHS led 30-16 at halftime and went on a 12-2 run to pull away.

The Loggers put together a balanced scoring attack with six players scoring six or more points. Cislo led with 13.

Ryan Holder scored 13 to lead the Lions.

Libby (3-1, 7-6) is tied for second in the Northwestern A with Polson and trails Columbia Falls by a half-game. The Loggers resume conference action on Thursday at Columbia Falls and Saturday at Ronan.

Libby 48, Whitefish 38

Saturday at Libby

Scoring by Quarters:

Whitefish    6    12    9    11—38

Libby          5    20    6    17—48

WHITEFISH (38)

Roche 3 0-1 8, Green 1 0-0 2, Vasquez 6 1-2 13, Silliker 3 0-2 6, Galbraith 3 3-3 9. Totals 16 4-8 38.

LIBBY (48)

Benson 1 4-8 6, Maloney 2 0-1 4, May 4 5-5 15, Cannon 5 1-2 13, Cislo 4 0-0 8, Craig 1 0-2 2. Totals 17 10-18 48.

Libby 50, Eureka 27

Friday at Eureka

Scoring by Quarters:

Libby      15    15    8    12—50

Eureka    10    6     9      2—27

LIBBY (50)

Benson 6, Maloney 8, May 9, Craig 8, Cannon 6, Cislo 13.

EUREKA (27)

Thomson 4, Peterson 4, Holder 13, Blankers 2, Guckenberg 4.

For video highlights of Libby vs. Whitefish, click here