The Eureka Lions may be the state champion football team but the Florence Falcons ruled the hardwood on Friday night. The Falcons jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in the non conference game, winning 66-41.
After advancing to the state tournament in 2016, Florence lost to Bigfork in the semi finals of the Western B tournament last year. They are hoping to return to the state tournament behind the play of Marcus Zeiler and Brent Stroppel. Zeiler is cat-quick and can shoot from outside or drive to the basket before the defender can react. Stroppel is also a threat from the perimeter or inside. Add to the mix the height of the Christopherson brothers, Dillon and Zack, Brendan Bailey’s defense and the recipe for success is there.
Zeiler dropped in 23 points on Friday. This included three treys and he sank four of five free throws. Stroppel had two treys and finished with 20 points.
Florence 66, Eureka 41
Eureka – Austin Callender 0, AJ Pacella 2, Quade Anderson 3, Colton Copper 26, Alex Lowe 4, Jake Kindel 6.
Florence – Marcus Zeiler 23, Brent Stroppel 20, Dillon Christopherson 4, Trevyn Wood 5, Brendan Bailey 7, Zack Christopherson 2, Parker Hotsinpillar 5.
Hamilton picked up a 66-58 win over Class AA Big Sky. The Broncs have an experienced team that is speedy and athletic. Tanner Goligoski led all scorers with 19 points, including two treys. Hunter Omlid finished with 15 and Carter Kearns had 14 points.
Hamilton 66, Missoula Big Sky 58
Hamilton – Cam Rothie 2, Carson Rostad 3, Bridger Bauder 3, Ty Chouinard 6, Tyler Barnes 4, Hunter Omlid 15, Tanner Goligoski 19, Carter Kearns 14.
Big Sky – Camdyn Larance 15, Dan Morin 15, Ben Maehl 7, David Gibson 6, Carl Btutz 3, Jordan Casselman 10, Andrew Gardanier 2.
Weekend results:
Polson 57, Stevensville 58
Polson – Shade Main 18, Robin Erickson 10, Connor Lanier 9, Trevor Schultz 6, Micah Askan 6, Asa Askan 4, Sam Schultz 4
Stevensville – Logan Roth 26, Alex Gavlak 13, Ivan Yazvaac 8, Sean Craft 4, Colby Meeds 2.
Philipsburg 51, Darby 47
Darby – Aaron Hansen 4, Bradon Winter 17, Dylan Parks 2, Nelson Smith 4, Gabe Smith 9, Daniel Muir 11.
Philipsburg – Jaxon Lee 7, Colton Grange 14, Kane Hess 4, Daniel Brabender 8, Kade Cutler 14, Anthony Crittela 4.
Victor 62, St. Regis 42
St. Regis – Nic Day 20, Andrew Sanford 4, Ian Farris 18.
Victor – Mason Agee 16, Jerod Halley 7, Cameron Moore 6, Will Jessop 13, Skyler Webberson 17, Eli Rosen 1, Waylon Barta 2.
Frenchtown JV 77, Victor 24
Frenchtown JV – Zach Baker 27, Ben Larson 10, Madiah Marin 9, Kaiden Romney 6, Luc Boudreaux 6, Aiden Cyr, Jared Cole 5, Brandon Finley 4, Dawson Leishman 2.
Victor – Jerod Halley 7, Skyler Webberson 6, Will Jessop 3, Waylon Barta 3, Tristin Chavez 2, Cameron Moore 2, Mason Agee 1.
Darby 46, Hot Springs 27
Hot Springs – Justin S. 13, Brandon K. 9, Tyler C. 5.
Darby – Dylan Parks 11, Gabe Smith 8, Cole Kayser 7, Aaron Hansen 6, Brandon Winter 6, Nelson Smith 6, Daniel Muir 2.