No. 2 seed Troy slips by T-Falls; gets whacked by Bigfork

The Troy High School boys basketball team took its first steps toward a playoff run Thursday night by dispatching No. 3 seed Thompson Falls 48-45 with the help of a little good fortune. 

Troy (8-12) rallied from eight points down to beat Thompson Falls and set up a rematch with Bigfork (16-4).

“Tonight it was better to be lucky,” said Troy Coach Cory Andersen. “(The Bluehawks) played really well. That’s the kind of game they needed to play.”

After tying with their opponents at the end of the first quarter and then the first half, Troy slipped behind in the third. 

“Our defense came out flat,” said freshman post Sean Opland.

The Trojans offense grew anemic, and Thompson Falls (7-13) jumped ahead before a series of mistakes allowed Troy to rally back.

But then, mistakes began to pile up for T-Falls. Senior guard Austin Grable hit a huge 3-pointer in the last minute of play to pull Troy within two points.

Then junior guard Gabe Hickman hit one at the top of the arc to give the Trojans their first lead in more than a quarter.

A quick foul on Opland allowed for two more points, and Troy bounced away from trouble and onto Saturday’s Divisional game.

“It’s just the simple fact that we didn’t close the game,” said Thompson Falls Head Coach Chadd Laws. “There were just too many empty trips downcourt.”

Grable opened the game with 11 points in the first quarter and finished the game with 17. Opland, who scored eight in the final quarter finished with a team-high 18. 

The Bluehawks were led by 6-foot 5-inch senior forward Baptiste Seynaeve with 14 points.

Troy 48, T-Falls 45

T-Falls 13   10   14   8   -   45

Troy    13   10   12  13   -  48

T-Falls: Baptiste Seynaeve 14, Tanner Laws 10, Trais Hoisington 8, Dominique Holt 6, Caleb Bates 3,  Ross Dalby 2, Tyler Bates 2.

Troy: Sean Opland 18, Austin Grable 17, Gabe Hickman 7, Luke Haggerty 2, Gage Tallmadge 2, Nathan Olds 2.

Troy then traveled to Libby on Saturday for the District 7-B tournament and a rematch with Bigfork.

The Bigfork Vikings proved, as they have all season, to be a much tougher team.

Bigfork crushed Troy 52-21 to head to playoffs as the top seed.

Tenacious defense in the first quarter actually allowed Troy to score first, but the Viking starters – with an average height of  6-feet 3-inches – towered over the Trojans.

Not only was Bigfork bigger, but it was quick and aggressive as well.

Despite the good defense, there was only so much the Trojans could do.

“In the past we’ve had the guys who could match up,” Andersen said. “We are so undersized this year. They played their hearts out. Three or four of the best players in conference are on one team.”

Despite initial defensive success, No. 3 Bigfork led 23-8 at half. 

Troy did not reach double figures until Hickman hit a pair of free throws in the third quarter.

“We did play well tonight,” said Bigfork Coach Kurt Paulson. “But I expected that out of them. We had a good week of practice.”

Two 3-pointers and some made free throws brought Troy a few more points, but the damage was done and the Vikings rolled. 

Troy will play Deer Lodge (9-11) at 5:45 p.m., Thursday at Flathead High School in Kalispell.

Bigfork 52, Troy 21

Troy        4    4   4    9   -   21

Bigfork 13  10  13 16   -   52

Troy: Hickman 8, Opland 5, Tallmadge 3, Bruce Metz 3, Olds 2.

Bigfork: Colter Trent 11, Austin Jordt 10, Christian Evans 10, Seth Roessmann 8, Chris Landon 6, Josh Sandry 5, Wyatt Fisher 2.