Victory means more after defeat

PLAINS – The road to redemption was not paved for the Horsemen in their rivalry rematch against the Thompson Falls Bluehawks. Both teams were unrelenting in their quest for bragging rights. Viewers were on the edge of their seats throughout the neck and neck game.

The rematch started off slow with both teams staying in single digits in the first quarter. There were several fouls and both teams struggled to make their free throws. All of the free throws stretched the first quarter so much that at the end of it the fans were eager to see some action – and the boys delivered.

The second quarter was explosive for both teams more than doubling their points from the previous quarter. The Bluehawks scored 21 points to the 15 points the Horsemen earned. The boys kept it close going into the second half with Thompson Falls leading 25-23.

Despite the close game and despite how badly each team wanted to win, good sportsmanship never left the building. If a Bluehawk fell a Horsemen lent a hand and if a Horseman stumbled a Bluehawk gave him a pat on the back. Both teams showed great respect for their county rivals.

The Horsemen came out running in the third quarter while the Thompson Falls boys tried hard to keep up. Plains outscored the Bluehawks three to one in the third quarter. They racked up 15 points compared to the Bluehawks five points. The score going into the fourth quarter was 38-30 with Plains in the lead.

Thompson Falls came together to hit double digits once again. They fought hard to make up the difference caused by the third quarter and ended up outscoring the Horsemen. With 21 points, they beat Plains by four in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to reclaim the Sanders County title.

The buzzer sounded and the Plains gym crowd went wild. The Horsemen celebrated their comeback. They will hold on to bragging rights until they meet again. The final score was 55 to 51.

It was a solid all-around effort for both teams.

Bluehawk Trais Hoisington led his team with 14 points and Tanner Laws added a respectable eight points. Mckenzie Holt and Caleb Bates each contributed six points.

Horseman Aaron Baker lit up the scoreboard with 20 points and Alec Cole put up an additional 12 points. James Rulison contributed eight points and Ryan Ovitt had seven points.

Head Coach for Thompson Falls Chadd Laws said it was a good, intense game.

“I thought Plains played a very good game. They came out with a good game plan and they did a nice job,” Coach Laws said. “I take nothing away from what they did. They were the better team that night.”

Although they may have been the better team for that night, Coach Laws said his team showed resilience after shooting poorly in both the first and third quarters.

“We came back and showed that we could still make a run at Plains,” Coach Laws said explaining they were down approximately 14 points at one time.

The Bluehawks went on to compete against Eureka where they had another close match. In a week of close games, Thompson Falls fell behind by one point, the final score sitting at 60-61.

According to Coach Laws the team got a lead early on but after Eureka played an effective fourth quarter, the team was unable to catch up.

“It’s tough to be the losing end of those (close games) but we are confident that those are helping us to prepare for tournament time,” Coach Laws said.

The Horsemen played another county rival last week. They hosted the Hot Springs Savage Heat and hoped to come out on top of another rival rematch. It was a scrappy, well-fought game but in the end the Savage Heat reclaimed victory. The final score was 52-66.

Next week the Bluehawks will host Bigfork on Thursday and then travel to Noxon on Saturday. The Horsemen will host both Whitefish and Frenchtown Thursday and Saturday night. These will be the final games of the regular season before the district tournament.