Hawks' LeCoure pops off for 36 in win over Mission
In one of the highest individual points totals so far among local high school basketball players, Thompson Falls junior forward Bryson LeCoure was king for a day.
LeCoure scored a season high 36 points in a monster game against Mission, racking up 36 points in the Blue Hawks 73-42 win over Mission Thursday night in St. Ignatius.
The effort drew high praise from T Falls coach Jake Mickelson.
“He was an absolute beast last night,” said the proud coach. “Pretty impressive performance by a young man who has put in a lot of blood sweat and tears. He was very deserving to have a big night like that”.
Along the way to compiling the eye-catching number, LeCoure was 14 of 16 on two point field goals and 4-6 on three pointers as the Hawks swamped Mission and upped their season mark to 8-5, while their Western 7B conference record remained unblemished at 5-0.
The victory set up a big-time game with 7B foe Eureka, which came into the home game with the Hawks sporting an 8-2 overall season mark and a 4-0 league mark.
The Lions opened up a tight game in the second half on their way to a 61-43 triumph that left them alone atop the 7B with a 5-0 record. T Falls fell to second place with a 5-1 mark.
The two teams meet again this Saturday night in Thompson Falls in a crucial league encounter.
In Thursday night’s rout of Mission, T Falls jumped out to a 22-11 lead after one quarter of play. Eureka battled back in the second quarter, outscoring the Blue Hawks 18-17, leaving T Falls ahead 40-28 at the half.
The Hawks then exploded for 25 points in the third quarter while their tenacious defense held the Lion to just four points. That boosted the Hawks lead to 65-32 with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Both teams scored nine each in the final quarter as the Hawks coasted to the overwhelming victory, fueled by LeCoure’s offensive prowess.
Senior Nick Tessier added 13 points for the Blue Hawks and led the team in rebounding with 11. Thompson Falls held a huge 46-26 advantage on the boards for the game.
The outcome was different Saturday night in Eureka, although the Blue Hawks drew first blood by compiling a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Eureka fought back in quarter number two, erasing all but one point of the T Falls lead and leaving the score at 22-21 in favor of the Blue Hawks at the half.
Eureka took control of the game in the third quarter when they outscored T Falls 20-13 to give them a 41-35 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Lions added eight points to their lead during the fourth quarter on their way to the vital conference win. Braden Casazza scored a game best 29 points in leading the Lions to the win.
LeCoure was once again the high point man for the Blue Hawks, dropping 18 while snaring seven rebounds. Braxton Dorscher also had seven rebounds in a game where the Lions had just one rebound more, 33-32, than T Falls.
Next up for T Falls is the latest edition of the rivalry with Sanders County foe Plains, a game that will be played Thursday night in T Falls.
They then return to action, also at home, in the Saturday night rematch with Eureka.