Plains boys bumped by Eagles

The Horsemen started the season strong with six consecutive victories, but ended the year with two straight losses at the Western B Divisional Tournament after being defeated by Seeley-Swan Thursday and Valley Christian Friday.

“They never gave up; they never died,” said Horsemen head coach John Revier, who went up against two tough teams at the divisional playoffs at Polson last week. Although the Seeley-Swan Blackhawks were the 7-B District champions and the favored team, Revier said they weren't unbeatable. However, he said they knew it would be a tough team to beat.

“We played well against them,” said Revier, whose boys came within six points during the fourth quarter. Horseman Paul Green, a 6-foot-2 senior, chalked up 16 points, and the 6-foot-2 Tanner Colombo, also a senior, collected a dozen points - including three 3-pointers - but that wasn't enough to stop the Blackhawks from defeating the Horsemen 68-55.

Even Mitch Thompson, who played with two injured ankles, grabbed 10 points against Seeley-Swan. The junior also had four rebounds and three steals for the night.

The Blackhawks started the game with an immediate lead. Thompson sank the first basket for the Plains team, but Seeley-Swan pushed ahead to take a 22-8 lead by the close of the first quarter. The Hawks hit their mark within the first 30 seconds of the second quarter, but Colombo soon swished his first 3-point basket for the night, followed by Green with a 2-pointer to put Plains nine points behind. By halftime, Seeley-Swan was still nine points in the lead. The Blackhawks maintained a 10-13-point lead throughout the third, which ended 53-41.

Mitch and Trent Thompson and Green struck within seconds of the final quarter and with another 3-pointer by Colombo put the score at 56-50 with the Blackhawks in front. Seeley-Swan slowly crept away and soon had a 10-point lead. Horseman Conor Ballantyne scored to reduce the lead to eight with two minutes left in the game, but the Blackhawks pressed to score three in a row before Horseman senior Ian Stokes scored with a layup. And with 37 seconds left in the game, Colombo nabbed one of two free throws to end the game.

“Seeley's a good team,” said Revier. “We stayed with them with our Horsemen pride the rest of the game,” added Revier, who was pleased with his team's shooting percentage. From the foul line, the Horsemen hit eight for nine. Colombo had three-for-four from the free throw line and totaled two steals and led the team with seven assists.

The Horsemen had beat the Christian Valley Eagles in the first game of the season 68-59 at the Plains Coffey Cup Tournament. Revier said they weren't overconfident with the Eagles, but they expected to take them. Part of the team's loss was due to the Horsemen's free throw percentage, which was below average, while Valley Christian shot 13 for 18 at the line.

Trent Thompson, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, led the team with 20 points. Colombo had 18 points against the Eagles, followed by Green with 10 and Stokes with nine.

The first quarter finished with a 16-16 tie. In the second quarter, the Horsemen picked up 15 points while holding the Eagles to eight for a 31-24 lead at halftime. The Horsemen led 41-37 at the end of the third. And in the fourth quarter, they kept a four-point lead, but in the final 30 seconds of the game, Plains fouled Valley Christian, which hit three-for-three at the free-throw line, putting them one point behind Plains. With eight seconds on the clock, they tied the game with another free throw, which drove the game into overtime.

Valley Christian pulled ahead in the final 10 seconds of the four-minute overtime. Plains got the ball and had an open shot, but missed, giving the game to the Eagles 67-65. The Eagles went on to face Thompson Falls Saturday evening.

The Horsemen had a tougher time at divisionals with Mitch Thompson playing under par, said Revier. “He was a game and he's the glue for my team,” said Revier. The coach said he looks forward to having him ready for next season, along with several other players who gained experience on the floor this year.