Photos from Charlo's games this weekend

Here are some photos I took from the Charlo match-ups against Superior on Friday Night. The boys won 50-31 while the girls won 32-27.

Basketball scores from last night

Here are high school basketball scores from last night...

Class A Boys
Ronan 78, Anaconda 40
Polson 76, Frenchtown 43

Class A Girls
Anaconda 66, Ronan 16
Frenchtown 42, Polson 36

Class B Boys
Mission 37, Alberton 33

Class B Girls
Mission 40, Alberton 22

Class C Boys
Charlo 50, Superior 31

Class C Girls
Charlo 32, Superior 27

Last night in Lake County Sports

Here is results from wrestling action last night...

Arlee vs. Hellgate JV (not scored as a team dual)

119 - Austin Rubel, Arlee, pins Caden Lockhart in 1:12
130 - Cameron Dominick, Arlee, pins Tyrone Baird in 3:31
140 - Zach Tameler, Arlee, pins Ethan Cheff in 2:24
145 - Logan Lefler, Arlee, pins Jadck Marinich in 0:55
152 - Carter Clinkenbeard, Arlee, pins Skye Folsom in 4:35
160 - Leif Rova, Arlee, pins Kyle Sievertsen in 3:58
171 - Clayton Trimble, Arlee, pins Zacck Bauer in 3:23
215 - Logan Potts, Arlee, pins Payton Sandberg in 3:34
285 - Curt Seidel, Arlee, pins Ryan Wozniak in 3:17
119 - Austin Rubel, Arlee, pins Zach Charette in 1:37
130 - Ethan Cheff, Hellgate, pins Cameron Dominick in 5:58
140 - Logan Lefler, Arlee, pins Sky Folsom in 1:24
152 - Cole Rice, Arlee, pins Jack Martinich in 1:16
160 - Al Plant, Arlee, pins Kyle Sievertsen in 0:38
171 - Clayton Trimble, Arlee, pins Jace Knapp in 2:15
285 - Nick Voorhies, Hellgate, pins Curt Seidel in 0:48
285 - Ryan Wozniak, Hellgate, pins Logan Potts in 2:13
171 - Lief rova, Arlee, pins Zack Bauer in 5:34
171 - Al Plant, Arlee, pins Jace Knapp in 3:03
215 - Curt Seidel, Arlee, pins Nick Voorhies in 2:17
119 - Austin Rubel, Arlee, pins Caden Lockhart in 2:42

Mission-Charlo 48, Thompson Falls 36

98 - Morgan Schultz, M-C, wins by forfeit
105 - Wade Gascon, TF, pins Dillon Edwards in 2:20
112 - Tyler Addey, TF, wins by forfeit
119 - Casey Nitschke, M-C, pins John Gunderson in 2:16
125 - open
130 - Andrew Cox, TF wins by forfeit;
135 - Cody Coulture, M-C wins by forfeit
140 - Lucca Reiter, TF, wins by forfeit
145 - Colton Toren, M-C, pins Zach Lyons in 2:16
152 - Jacen Peterson, M-C, pins Jared Abbott in 1:52
160 - Shawn Sacchi, TF, wins forfeit
171 - Barret Sargent, M-C, pins Eric Milner in 5:56
189 - Joel Lewis, M-C, pins Erik Hilety in 2:46
215 - Chad Anderson, M-C, pins Joe Bowden in 2:52
Hwt - Nick Adler, TF, pins Pete Dumont in 1:24.

All-State Honors for Class A football announced

They just released the all-state honors for Class A in football. Here are the Lake County athletes that made the team...

Wide Reciever
Kyle Bagnell, Polson

Defensive Lineman
Josiah Clairmont, Polson

Defensive End
Toby Cheff, Ronan

Safety
Vince DiGiallonardo, Polson

Northwestern All-Conference teams for football

Here are the all-conference teams for Northwestern A in football for 2010...

OFFENSE

Center
1st team - Riley Grogan, Polson
Honorable Mention - Colby Roberts, Ronan

Guard
1st team - Toby Cheff, Ronan
2nd team - Charles Hunter, Ronan
Honorable Mention - Clark Rubel, Polson

Tackle
1st team - Gordan North Piegan, Ronan
2nd team - Dale Big Sam, Polson
Honorable Mention - Aaron Yazzie, Ronan

Tight End
2nd team - Cole McArthur, Ronan

Fullback
2nd team - Jake Skelton, Polson
Honorable Mention - Chris Clary, Ronan

Tailback
2nd team - Lucas Black, Ronan
Honorable Mention - Dallas Jore, Ronan

Quarterback
1st team - Vince DiGiallonardo, Polson
Honorable Mention - Robbie Gauthier, Ronan

Receivers
1st team - Kyle Bagnell, Polson
Honorable Mention - Louis Mohr, Polson

Offensive Most Valuable Player
1st team - Vince DiGiallonardo - Polson

DEFENSE

Noseguard
2nd team - Josh Rustad, Polson
Honorable Mention - Colby Roberts, Ronan

Tackle
1st team - Josiah Clairmont, Polson

Ends
1st Team - Toby Cheff, Ronan

Outside Linebackers
1st team - Cole McArthur, Ronan
2nd team - Gordan North Peigan, Ronan
Honorable Mention, Riley Grogan, Polson

Inside Linebackers
1st team - Sheldon Fisher, Polson
2nd team - Chris Clary, Ronan

Cornerbacks
1st team - Kyle Bagnell, Polson
2nd team - Jack Humphreys, Ronan

Strong Safety
2nd team - Dallas Jore, Ronan
2nd team - Will Davey, Polson

Free Safety
1st team - Vince DiGiallonardo, Polson
Honorable Mention - Dalton Molzhon, Ronan

Cheff tops in coaches poll

Here is the Class A coaches poll for wrestling...

1. Havre
2. Belgrade
3. Frenchtown
4. Corvallis
5. Polson
6. Laurel
7. Glendive
8. Libby
9. Columbia Falls
10. Dillon

In individual rankings here are the Lake County athletes.

105
4. Carlos Quinones, Polson
112
5. Dylan Moll, Polson
119
4. Andrew Teigan, Ronan
6. Craih Fesitner, Polson
125
Drew Fouty, Polson
130
3. Jesse Alfiero, Polson
140
2. Jacob Young, Polson
160
3. Cole McArthur, Ronan
189
1. Toby Cheff, Ronan
215
4. Colby Robens, Ronan
HWT
3. Josh Clairmont, Ronan

Last night in Lake County Sports

Here are the results from the Arlee Triangle last night.

Arlee 42, Deer Lodge 30

112 - Dylan Roselles, Deer Lodge, wins by forfeit
119 - Austin Rubel, Arlee, pins Jake Logan in 1:33
125 - Jacob Duerr, Deer Lodge, wins by forfeit
130 - Brett Witt, Deer Lodge wins by forfeit
135 - Dustin Morigeau, Deer Lodge wins by forfeit
140 - Zach Tameler, Arlee, wins by forfeit
145 - Cole Rice, Arlee, wins by forfeit
152 - Carter Clinkenbeard, Arlee, wins by forfeit
160 - Albert Plant, Arlee, pins Frank Stolp in 0:43
171 - Clayton Trimble, Arlee, pins Colten Lowery in 1:37
189 - Levi Becker, Deer Lodge wins by forfeit
285 - Curt Seidel, Arlee, wins by forfeit

Arlee 12, Florence 56

112 - Kyle Eisenhauer, Florence, wins by forfeit

119 - Cody Davidson, Florence, pins Austin Rubel in 1:10

125 - Broc Reed, Florence, wins by forfeit

130 - Tanner Lund, Florence, wins by forfeit

140 - Cody Lund, Florence, defeats Logan Lefler 19 – 4

145 - Cole Rice, Arlee, wins by forfeit

152 - Colter Beneitone, Florence, pins Carter Clinkenbeard in 3:24

160 - Zach Newbary, Florence, defeats Leif Rova 11 – 4

171 - Tanner Cobbs, Florence, pins Clayton Trimble in 3:40

189 - Josh Marquart, Florence, wins by forfeit

215 - KaCee Sutton, Florence, wins by forfeit

285 - Curt Seidel, Arlee, pins Damon Ward in 5:36

Here are the results from the Mission/Charlo-Eureka Dual last night.

Mission 45, Eureka 36 

98 - Morgan Schultz, M-C, wins by forfeit
105 - Dillon Edwards, M-C, wins by forfeit
112 - Brian Goff, Eureka, wins by forfeit

119 - Casey Nitschke, M-C, pins Trent Vaugn
125 - Nikko Bakkila, M-C, Eureka wins by forfeit
130 - Russell Schultz, M-C, defeats Jose Letcher
135 - Scott D Gilleard, M-C, pins Ashton Deirman 

140 - Cody Couture, M-C, defeats Wyatt Miller

145 - Colton Toren, M-C, pins Dillon Woodbeck
152 - Curtis McDuffie, Eureka, wins by forfeit
160 - David Wilson, Eureka, pins Ben Mittag
171 - Taylor Vaughn, Eureka, pins Barrett Sargent
189 - Joel Lewis, M-C, defeats Michael Wilson
215 - Colin Gillard, Eureka, pins Chad Anderson
HWT - Pete Dumont, M-C, wins via forfeit

The NBA Jam Preview of Lake County Basketball

Make sure you grab a copy of the Lake County Leader this week, there's roughly 234,678 words on the upcoming basketball and wrestling season for the entire county. It's just around the corner with tip-off tournaments this weekend and wrestling has already gotten into full swing. I went to several basketball scrimmages this week and with the help of NBA Jam, I'd like to show you what I saw.

Tournament Edition is just better...

With several teams with tournament aspirations, there were some top finishers last season as Polson took second in Class A and Arlee took fourth in Class C. Look for them to return to the tournament because it appears that both squads are loaded like an Arnold Schwarzenegger uzi. I think Ronan and Charlo also have a good shot at making it over the hump and into the state tournament as well. The Chiefs have a lot of quick returning starters that should make every game feel like it's the ABA, and Charlo will release that much vaulted speed they had in football onto the basketball court.

Dwight Howard would be proud...

Chance Rosenbaum was a BEAST in football, and he'll be an important piece for Charlo this season. They lost some of their big boys last season meaning that they'll be relying on their speedy guys and Rosenbaum down in the post. Having seen him tip a ball point blank and intercept it while the opposing player tried to rip off his helmet in football, I'd say he should have no problem rebounding.

I'm getting my front row seats now...

Ronan vs. Polson. Write in on the calendar. Circle it. Get a babysitter for the kids. These matchups are going to be ridiculous. Both teams look like they're going to push the ball and the number of talented guards in these games will be numberless. Steve Nash might be telling these guys to "slow things down."

Arlee returns seven seniors from their fourth-place team last season, so they should be very solid this season. The Warriors-Vikings matchups should be incredible this season in a rivalry that dates back for years and years. Get your tickets to this one early...

The best freakin' player ever...

Louis Mohr for Polson is going to be an absolute stud this year. Last year's state tournament MVP looked tremendous in Polson's Purple and Gold scrimmage. He put in the kind of performance that elicits the "oooohhhsss" and "aaaahhhhs" from the crowd and you walk out of Linderman Gymnasium going "I need to tell somebody about what I just saw."

(On a side note, I'm sure the people outside of the Wolf Den didn't appreciate a complete stranger (me) stopping them on the sidewalk and telling them they'd better go see Mohr play)

He's got complete command on the court, sees things develop before they actually do, when he gets the ball he has the best fake drive I've ever seen before he pulls up for a deadly jumper, when he does drive to the basket he does it so quick the defense is left looking at one another after he scores, his passes are highlight reel material and I'm assuming he can dunk probably on a 12-foot hoop.

Team on the rise...

The Mission Bulldogs are carrying in a lot of confidence after a successful football season and you can instantly see the depth they'll have on the team. They may not be the tallest team ever, but they should be able to get out and run with the best of them. I think they'll be able to improve on their six-win total from last season.

Mission Blue-White game

Went down to the Mission Blue-White game and you could really see the wheels working as these guys worked out their offense. There's going to be several different weapons on this team and I don't think you can specifically put on a finger on "This is what they're going to do."

They can score in a blink and they can slow it down and play half court ball. It's going to be fun to watch this season. Here are some photos I took from tonight's basketball game...

Photos from the Ronan Orange and Black Game

Went to the Orange and Black game tonight with both Ronan's girls and boys teams on full display in scrimmages. It was good to see live action basketball again, and boy, do they want to run a quick-action offense. Ronan is going to be one fun team this season. Here are some photos I took from the event...

If you're looking for some winter sports this weekend, head on over to the Polson middle school gymnasium for the Polson Invitational wrestling tournament. The Lake County teams competing will be Polson and Mission-Charlo. Here's the writeup from the Daily Interlake...

Click on the "Read More" to see the full preview

Polson Girl's Basketball Season Outlook

Polson institution and local sports guru John Heglie has come out with his annual Polson girl's basketball season outlook. It should be over at iHigh.com's Northwestern A conference as well. He goes in-depth with every player and has a wealth of information on the team. I highly recommend checking out his preview. The Leader will also be coming out with the winter sports preview next week.

Click on the "Read More" to get the full preview by John.

Turkeys of the Year

I apologize for the lack of posts this past week but with Thanksgiving, things got a little crazy. I hope everyone had a good turkey day, I know my fridge is absolutely packed with leftovers that I'll probably throw out in three months.

Anyways, I thought the most fitting thing to do to jump start the blog again was make a list of the Turkeys of the Year. Please enjoy and don't be offended! 

1. Derek Anderson, Arizona Cardinals - If you want to watch a curse word laden tirade by Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Derek Anderson, I highly recommend following this link. He had a little issue with a reporter calling him out for laughing on the sideline. You know who's not laughing on the sideline? Cardinals fans. Anderson leads the league in "DID HE JUST THROW THAT PASS?!?!" moments.

(Well Charlie Whitehurst would win but he doesn't have enough attempts to officially enter that category) 

2. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings - Do I really have to make a joke about him wearing Crocks here? 

3. Boise State's Kicker - We're still looking for his body after the loss to Nevada. 

4. Lebron James, Miami Heat- Everything has pretty much gone wrong since the King brought his talents to South Beach. Chris Bosh sucks. James and Wade can't figure out how to balance their offense. They hate their coach. Is it still possible for him to go back to Cleveland? 

5. Greg Oden, Portland Trailblazers - Is he injured again? His knees are less stable than the US economy and Ron Artest's mental health.

6. Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys - While he didn't lead the league in wins, he did lead the league in looking completely confused, befuddled and outmatched on the sideline. 

7. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles - Look at this old photo of him from a punt, pass and kick competition. He's kind of big for a 13-year old.

8. Seattle Mariners - Was that not the biggest wet fart in baseball this year? At least Mariners fans got to see Cliff Lee pitch for about eight minutes this season. 

9. NFC West - I think the Big East would be more competitive in the NFL this year.

Economy effected by Griz not making it to the playoffs

People in Missoula can't be happy about the Griz missing the playoffs for a reason more than just pride.

MISSOULA - The Griz football team is not in the playoffs for the first time in 18 years and according to University of Montana Athletic Director Jim O'Day, the greatest financial impact is not on the university, but rather on the community.

He says each playoff game is worth about $30,000 and the money goes into the UM's athletic fund. But this year the university won't have the cash while the community won't see as much business from those coming to watch the games.

"We get a lot of fans that come into town for a game. I know during the regular season the numbers that are showing out there are usually between five and seven million coming into the community on a Grizzly home football game," O'Day told us.

He added that when fans come into town some of them go to the game, others go shopping, go out to eat or find other things to do in Missoula.

It makes sense. In a city of 100,000 people, having 25,000 more people milling about for a football game is definitely a big boost to the local economy. If you consider that a large amount of people that have Griz season tickets live outside of the county, and the fans of the other team and Missoula is missing out on a whole lot of cash.

The Big Sky just got a whole lot more interesting

The gauntlet has been thrown down by the Bengals!

Oh Idaho State, I watched them last Saturday and they were TERRIBLE. Conveniently, their head coach had already been fired and it was announced earlier this week that Mike Kramer will be their new coach.

(Mike Kramer is the guy on the right, in case you didn't know)

The Big Sky Conference better look over their shoulders because Kramer is one hell of a coach. He's won three conference championships with Montana State, who stupidly fired him for something he didn't even have control of, and one at Eastern Washington University.

In 1997, Kramer led the Eags to the semi-finals of the FCS Playoffs. The last Big Sky team to make it that far other than Montana.

He's a good coach, MSU was dumb in letting him go and I fully expect Idaho State to be a power in the next few years.

It's now just adding another storyline to the Big Sky Conference which is seeing the additions of more teams, the rise of Eastern Washington, parody abound in the league and the fall of Montana being the best team in the world.

Wow. Buckle up.

MHSA suggests a fifth classification

Big news from the Montana High School Association. They might be making a new classification for the smallest of C schools. Here's the posting from the Billings Gazette...

The Montana High School Association has sent out a memo detailing the possibility of splitting Class C into two divisions, a move that would create a fifth classification for Montana high school sports. If implemented, the change could come as soon as the 2012-13 school year.

MHSA executive director Mark Beckman recently sent the eight-page memo to Class C administrators. The memo details a recommendation put together by a committee that was directed by the MHSA Executive Board to examine the addition of a fifth classification.

“It’s not a proposal at this point. It’s a recommendation from our committee,” Beckman said Friday. “At this point it’s in the hands of our Class C schools. We sent it out to them to look at, discuss and tweak.

“We’re hoping they will discuss it at the upcoming district and divisional meetings and then provide input back to the board. (The recommendation) is basically a starting point to see whether there is support for a fifth class or not.”

Obviously it would help with competitiveness, but my question has been about Class A and why is has such a wide range of school enrollments in it. They should considered splitting that up too.

The best of Bob Green

Head football coach Bob Green from Montana Tech is retiring after 24 years, and he's had a few great quotes during that time...

Soon ESPN will employ every newspaper journalist

You can't blame Mike Wilbon for leaving the Washington Post. Heck, any journalist in America would jump at the chance to work for the World-Wide Leader. ESPN actually needs more respected writers like Wilbon instead of athlete analysts that have no real teeth when it comes to what a media source should do.

In fact, more people like Wilbon should be working for ESPN. In the past decade, have you felt like the sports leader has become less and less of a sports writing entity and more and more of a flash in the pan? They've thrown ethics out the window (Read: The Mike Leech saga with Texas Tech), they shamelessly plug and promote the sports they carry on their network and they've replaced journalists with Michael Irvin and Steve Young. Sure they may know more about the minute specifics of a game, but what they don't know is how to be a valid and fair news source.

Wilbon worked for the Washington Post for over 30 years, and he knows how to do that. But who else at ESPN has the same credibility? Bill Simmons might actually be the winner of that question because even though he blatenty plays the role of a homer, he still lets you know where his loyalties lie.

Who else would you trust? ESPN is notorious for nabbing stories from other entities and then saying their own writers broke them.

I'm fine with the World Wide Leader getting bigger, they promote sports well. However, I can't remember the last time I watched SportsCenter and took it seriously. Heck, I may watch SportsCenter a handful of times a month. It's gone from a highlight reel from the best of sports that day to a weird collage of graphics, promotions and talking heads. No real substance.

(You should have seen this abomination of an article on ESPN.com about how Kobe Bryant's appearance on the latest Call of Duty commercial sends a bad message to kids. I wonder how often that commercial runs on ESPN. A horribly written and logically bankrupt article.)

I compare it to the cable news channels. Instead of talking to sources and people who are actually involved in a story, they talk to analysts, or studio people who don't really have a grasp of whats going on. They're the Fox News of Sports.

My three favorite people at ESPN are Wilbon,Simmons and Cowherd. I'm glad Wilbon is moving to the WLL full-time and wish more credible writers would work for them.

All-State and All-Conference honors named for Northwestern A

Here are the recipients of the all-state and all-conference honors this year in volleyball for Northwestern A.

All-State
Breanne Kelley - Polson
Sallie Sams - Polson

1st team all-conference
Breanne Kelley - Polson
Sallie Sams - Polson
Kayla Duford - Polson

2nd team all-conference
Taylor Lynch - Ronan
Riley Kenney - Polson
Alice Van Gunten - Ronan

Honorable Mention all-conference
Ashley Johnson - Polson
Marissa McCrea - Ronan
Tailyr Irvine Ronan

Peaks and Valleys for Nov. 18

Here is the Peaks and Valleys Column from this week's Leader...

Peak The trophy case - Looks like Lake County teams will have to make room for some hardware. Mission volleyball took home a district championship, Polson volleyball won the Northwestern A regular season and divisional tournament championship, Arlee and Charlo tied each other for first place in the regular season and the Lady Vikings took home the district tournament trophy. Polson soccer also won the Northwestern A regular sea-son championship and girl's cross country placed third at state. In football, the Charlo Vikings won their conference regular season championship.

Peak Bigfork Football - Ronan must be licking their chops after seeing what Big-fork is doing. After struggling through several winless seasons at class A earlier this decade, the Vikes have hosted three home playoff games this season and will entertain Fairfield this weekend for the state title. Ronan, which had a 5-4 season this year in Class A, will move down to Class B for next season.

Peak Dan Carpenter - The former Montana Grizzly kicker and hair model hit three field goals for the Miami Dolphins in a 29-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans last Sunday. Already this season, Carpenter has made 22 of 25 field goals for the fins. He has indeed taken his talents to South Beach.

Valley Poor Montana Grizzly Fans - If you're look-ing for a cheap way in to the Griz-Cat game, forget about it, tickets will be going for hundreds of dollars. Case in point, four tickets to that game are being sold for $800 on craigslist, whereas two tickets to the St. Louis Rams and Denver Broncos is going for $700. Wowza.

Valley Snow sports - These people have eagerly been sitting by their window waiting for snow. They've been waiting, and waiting and waiting. It's nearing Thanksgiving and there's been really no snow to speak of in the area. Hopefully this weekend brings a bounty of the white stuff like manna from heaven. But be warned, have fun in the rush to get your snow tires put on.

Valley State volleyball tournament - It's understandable that a team should have to win more games if they lose their first and go into the lower bracket, but six matches in two days for a state championship? That seems like you're stacking the deck MHSA, why not make the tournament stretch over another day or go with a different format? That's just ridiculous.

It could be worse than signing Donovan McNabb

The Washington Redskins thoroughly screwed themselves after extending Donovan McNabb's contract until 2039 for roughly a gazillion dollars. But I guess Dan Snyder figured that an aging quarterback with diminishing physical skills and questionable choices at times on the football field was the perfect fit, especially after he looked like garbage for most of this season. (Is Jason Campbell still available on speed dial?)

I haven't seen a signing that bad since...

1. "John, we need you to sign the declaration against the King of England but we have a buttload of people that need to sign it, so don't take up too much room... oh wait, no John... oh, oh, dammit."

2. "Of course, Mr. Hitler, we'll let you take over this country as long as you don't take over any other land in Europe. We don't want any global war or anything like that. I mean what are the chances of having TWO world wars in a half century? No chance."

3. "So what you're saying is that if I sign here, I'll have money for the rest of my life, everything I ever wanted and a hot wife and all I have to give up is my soul, which will burn in hell for the rest of eternity? I'm so in. By the way, what are those red pointy things on your forehead?"

4. "We're proud to announce Ryan Leaf will be playing quarterback for us..."

5. "So Chuck, you took a look at that ol' Service Module on Apollo 13 right? Good to go? Okay, I'll sign off on that."

6. "A book about how you would have committed the murders if you did it? That sounds great Mr. Simpson. This will be a New York Times best seller!"

7. "Trust me, Jay Leno is not coming back, the Tonight Show is all yours. Forever. Welcome to Prime-time!!"

8. "Stephen Maybury, you just signed on to a championship team."

9. "Adam Morrison, we know you'll be the greatest Bobcat in team history."

A look at the last week of Big Sky Conference football...

At the end of a crazy season, there's still no clear cut champion. Montana, Eastern Washington and Montana State could all be co-champs once things are all said and done. Let's take a gander...

Idaho State (0-7 conference, 1-9 overall) @ No. 3 Eastern Washington (6-1 conference, 8-2 overall)
Let me quote Admiral Ackbar...



ITS A TRAP (Game)! Eastern Washington has got to watch out in this game for several reasons. First, the way things have been kicking around in the media, it seems like everyone already assumes they'll beat Idaho State. Sure, they're the worst team in the Big Sky Conference but they gave Montana State all they could handle and remember, the Bobcats beat the Eags. Secondly, they just fired their coach for after the season and you could see that emotional "win one of the gipper" performances.

Weber State (6-4) @ Texas Tech (5-5)
Whats with all these late season games against Div. I-A opponents? When I saw Idaho State was playing Georgia, I nearly fell out of my chair.

Portland State (1-6 conference, 2-8 overall) vs. Northern Arizona (3-4 conference, 5-5 overall)
Northern Arizona has won three straight against Portland State and you know they'd like to finish the season above .500. I can't really come up with any motivation for the Vikings.

Sac State (6-4) @ UC Davis (5-5)

Sac State is the best team in the conference that isn't EWU, Montana and Montana State. I think they roll UC Davis in this one. Hey NCAA, you should take FOUR TEAMS from the Big Sky. Just saying.

Montana State (6-1 conference, 8-2 overall) @ Montana (5-2 conference, 7-3 overall)
Better known as ...



This game is going to be riveting. This is one of the best MSU teams to roll into Missoula and you know that even though the Griz are having a "down year" this is going to be one heck of a rivalry game. Better strap on your helmet, and get ready for WWIII.

No. 3 NIC downs Bison

(From the CDA Press)

PABLO, Mont. - Freshman Jake Owsley had 18 points and five rebounds as the third-ranked North Idaho Cardinals defeated the Salish Kootenai Bison 96-73 in a nonconference game on Tuesday.

"I thought Jake came out well tonight," NIC coach Jared Phay said. "We knew he had it in him, but he really showed his potential tonight."

NIC had five players in double figures in the game.

"We were able to get the ball inside the key and use our height advantage,"

Tyrone White added 17 points, followed by Nick Fromm with 16 points and four rebounds for NIC (7-0), which travels to Central Valley High to face the Community Colleges of Spokane on Thursday.


NORTH IDAHO

DeAndre Taylor 1-2 4-4 6, Nate Clinton 0-0 1-2 1, Zach Peterson 0-1 0-0 0, Ameer Shamsud-din 4-9 2-2 10, Jake Owsley 8-10 2-4 18, Michael Hale 2-6 5-6 10, Charlie Gouin 0-2 0-0 0, Idris Lasisi 3-6 1-2 7, Nick Fromm 6-8 4-4 16, Conner White 1-1 1-2 3, Tyrone White 6-12 3-4 17, Abebe Dimissie 1-4 2-4 4, Petar Joksimovic 2-6 0-1 4, Rafail Tsourakis 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony DiLoreto 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 34-69 25-35 96.

SALISH KOOTENAI

Issac Wal 1-1 1-2 4, Dennis Sangrey 3-11 2-2 10, Sonny Eppinette 2-2 7-9 11, Jason Enright 4-5 0-0 12, Michael Williams 1-5 3-4 5, Marvin Lewis 4-15 2-3 11, Ralston Moore 2-5 0-0 5, Stephan Moore 0-4 3-4 3, Ethan Friedlander 0-1 0-0 0, Joshn Finn 1-5 0-0 3, Joe Chartraw 1-4 4-6 7, Charles Walking Child 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 20-59 22-30 73.

Halftime - NIC 52-28. 3-point goals - NIC 3-16 (Taylor 0-1, Shamsud-din 0-2, Hale 1-3, Gouin 0-1, Lasisi 0-1, T. White 2-6, Joksimovic 0-2). SKC 11-35 (Wal 1-1, Sangrey 2-8, Enright 4-5, Williams 0-2, Lewis 1-8, R. Moore 1-3, S. Moore 0-2, Finn 1-3, Chartraw 1-3). Rebounds - NIC 48 (Shamsud-din, Owsley, Hale 5), SKC 35 (Lewis 7). Assists - NIC 16 (Hale 7), SKC 8 (Chartraw 5). Team fouls - NIC 26, SKC 26. Fouled out - DiLoreto, Chartraw.