Savage Heat seal fate

HOT SPRINGS – The Savage Heat met the Noxon Red Devils in Ronan for the first game of the District Tournament. Hot Springs battled to move forward to the next round and further their season.

The Red Devils came out ready to rumble and put up 14 points in the first quarter over the 11 points Hot Springs earned. Noxon lost the edge in the second quarter and failed to break double digits but the Savage Heat did with 12 points. Excitement was high because the score going into halftime was tied at 23-23.

After a brief respite, the Savage Heat returned to the court after halftime ready to play. They set the scoreboard ablaze with 20 points in the third quarter. The Red Devils struggled to keep up and only earned eight points in the third.

The score going into the fourth quarter was 43-31. Both teams put up some big numbers in the fourth quarter but in the end the Savage Heat triumphed with a final score of 58-43. With that, the boys of Hot Springs earned the right to move on to the next round of tournament action.

For Hot Springs, Trevor Paro was the top scorer of the night with 19 points and Tanner Hoff contributed 12 points. Jarod White and Nate Gray each put up eight points.

Savage Heat Head Coach Ricky DePoe was pleased with the outcome of the close game against Noxon.

“Noxon was one tough battle all the way through but Trevor Paro really stepped up,” he said.

The Savage Heat team moved on and met the Superior Bobcats for round two of tournament play.

The District Tournament Semifinal began with Superior earning an early lead. They scored 13 points in the first quarter and the Savage Heat trailed behind by four points. The Bobcats scored twice as many points as the Hot Springs boys in the second quarter and the score going into halftime was 13-23.

The Savage Heat came out ready to battle after the break and outscored Superior by two points in the third quarter. They hit double digits once again in the fourth quarter but it was not enough to gain ground lost in the first half. The Savage Heat lost to Superior with a final score of 37-53.

Jimmy Holland and Hoff tied for team top-scorer with nine points and White followed closely with eight.

Despite the loss, Coach DePoe was pleased with his team’s defense.

“Tanner Hoff played really good defense,” Coach DePoe said. “We did a good job of stopping their big guys and kept them down to 16 points which is an improvement from earlier in the season.”

Then the Savage Heat played Two Eagle River in a tournament elimination game.

By the end of the first quarter, the Savage Heat were down by four points. They then came back and earned double the points as the Eagles in the second quarter. The halftime score was 18-13.

In the third quarter, Hot Springs gained 12 points while Two Eagle River brought in 13 points. A close game through and through, the last quarter was no different. The Savage Heat scored 17 points versus the 13 points the Eagles earned and the final score was 50-45.

White led the charge with 14 points and Sam Hoff followed closely with 13 points. Gray and Jack Dolson each contributed four points.

The Savage Heat boys continued their long week of tournament play against the Charlo Vikings on Saturday. The game was to determine the third place winner for Class C.

It was a close game right from the start with Hot Springs fighting hard against their season foes. A single point was the difference after the first quarter. In the second quarter the Savage Heat stepped up and scored 18 points while Charlo got 10 points. The halftime score was 30-21.

The Charlo Vikings regained some ground in the third quarter and outscored Hot Springs by four points. The Vikings continued to close the gap and when the clock ran out it was tied at 59-59. The third place winner had to be determined in overtime.

Both teams fought hard but in the end the Savage Heat pulled it out and won 71-64. It was the first time Hot Springs defeated Charlo this season.

The win meant a lot to the boys, according to Coach DePoe.

“It has been a long time since they beat Charlo, about five or six years,” he said. “There was a lot of emotion and excitement. It was pretty cool to be a part of.”

Three of the Savage Heat players hit double digits when it really mattered. White scored 20 points and Tanner added 15 points. Paro contributed 12 points.

Coach DePoe is proud of his entire team but he mentioned a couple in particular.

“Nate Gray has been the unspoken hero. He has had some very crucial rebounds throughout the whole tournament,” he said. “I’m also really excited about how well the seniors [Jarod White and Jimmy Holland] stepped up. The leadership they left on the floor really does show.”

Their leadership continued to show in their final game of the District -- the game that determined who would move on to the Divisional Tournament.

The Savage Heat faced-off with Valley Christian to fight for the third-place rank and the right to move forward.

The game was a battle, according to Coach DePoe. The Hot Springs boys had to hang tough defensively to keep the edge and everyone contributed offensively.

“Almost all the boys scored,” Coach DePoe said. “We kept constant pressure on them and got some easy turnovers and turned them into baskets.”

The Savage Heat ended up winning with a final score of 50-36 and earned the right to compete in Divisionals. They were overjoyed with the victory.

“This was the goal that these boys made at the beginning of the season and it is a thrill to see all their hard work pay off,” Coach DePoe said. “I’m just so proud of them.”

They will travel to Butte on Wednesday for their first round game against Twin Bridges.