Loggers shoot to victory in Missoula
The Libby Loggers started the season off on a strong note over the weekend, knocking off Ronan and Stevensville on their way to an undefeated appearance at the Tipoff Tournament in Missoula.
The Loggers beat Ronan 56-40 in their Friday game, and then fought their way from behind to claim victory over Stevenville, 51-49, on Saturday.
“It was a fun weekend for the Loggers,” said head coach Josh Bean. “The kids played extremely hard on both sides of the ball. The kids gave themselves opportunities in both games this weekend and they seized those opportunities. Jonny Cielak had a great weekend managing the game for us. Hitting big shots when we needed and getting the team in the right positions. Erik Lauer was huge in the middle for us. He averaged 14 points and 16 rebounds this weekend. He was active all over the court. Ryggs Johnston made huge shots for us in both games. He shows great composure for a freshman. He stepped up and hit both free throws with 4.8 seconds left in the Stevi game to put us up.”
The Loggers trailed after the first quarter against Ronan, 17-15, but stormed back with a 12-6 second quarter to take a 29-21 lead into the locker room at the half. After holding the Chiefs to just four in the third quarter, the Loggers ran away with a 17-13 fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Stevensville posed a greater challenge for Libby’s hoopsters.
The YellowJackets held a one-point lead after the first quarter, which they expanded to five at the half. The Loggers battled back in third quarter, outscoring Stevensville 10-9, and then poured it on in the final stanza, hanging 18 points on the board to the YellowJackets’ 12 to claim the win.
Bean said the coaching staff has focused on the fundamentals in preparing the team for the season. He wants them to play hard and have fun.
“We did not prepare any different than we have in the past,” he said. “We start small and focus on our basics. We make sure we have something to cover most scenarios that might happen to us but try not to overload the kids. We want them to go out and play hard and have fun.”
Bean added the wins this past weekend help instill confidence in the players, which will be vital as they prepare to face two tough teams next week.
“This gives us some confidence going into our season,” he said. “Ronan and Stevi are good teams and will do well in their conferences. We head into next week with Thompson Falls away on Friday and Bigfork at home on Saturday. These teams are arguably the top two teams in our conference.”