Underestimated? Scotties On 4-Game Roll

The Glasgow Scottie boys basketball team has a four-game winning streak with double wins the last two weekends. Some may agree that the Scottie boys were underestimated this year.

When head coach Norm Braaten was asked if he felt his team was underestimated, he replied, “We have some good kids and they play well together. It also helps that we have a good bench and a lot of younger athletes stepping it up and helping out the team. The next couple of years should be pretty solid for us.”

GHS now stands at 9-7 overall and 4-4 in the the division. Games at Poplar and Malta this week will wrap up the regular season.

Last Friday’s ball game was against the defending state B champions, the Wolf Point Wolves.

The first time the Scotties played the Wolves they lost in overtime. This time the game was a whole different story. The Scotties came out on fire, lighting up the three ball. The three-point shot was extremely useful in the ball game and when Wolf Point pulled its defense out to guard the shooters, the key opened up for many different opportunities.

The Scotties got a jump on the Wolves right away and kept the lead for the whole game.

“It was nice to see us shoot so well and with confidence," Braaten said. "We didn’t give up the lead for the first time.”

Defensively, the Scotties did a much better job than the first time that the teams matched up. The Scotties were able to contain the Wolves’ high-powered offense, which included keeping Mechiah Zilkoski at bay.

“Our on-the-ball defense was a major concern and we handled it pretty well," Braaten said. "The wolves weren’t able to penetrate the key and dish it out as much like the game before.”

The final score of the ball game was 62-56, Scotties with the win!

Grant Legare led the Scotties scoring with 20 points, and earned recognition as Hi-Line Ford Athlete of the Week for his performance (see Page 2B). Also scoring in double figures for GHS were T.J. Synan with 15 points and Lane Herbert with 11.

Chaz Gordon and Bryan Larson dominated the defensive boards. All of Gordon's game-leading 10 rebounds were on defense and so were five of Larson's six rebounds.

Offensively the Scotties struggled early on with shooting, unlike the previous game. It wasn’t the prettiest first half of a ball game for the boys. At half, the boys were down 24-22.

“We didn’t pass the ball as well," Braaten said. "In order to get good shots, we need to pass the ball three to four times and we didn’t do that.”

Defensively, the Scotties play was hit and miss. The intensity was lacking at times. Senior night, combined with Speak Thunder not being there for Harlem, brought down their intensity.

“To be honest, we prepared for Speak Thunder and he wasn’t even there," Braaten said. "That changed our defense some.”

The Scottie boys' intensity may not have been there, but they played well enough to win the game. That’s what matters on paper. Glasgow dominated in the second half and pulled away to win, 63-35.

The Harlem Wildcats are who the Scotties will most likely be opening up against at Districts. That game figures to be tougher because Thunder will most likely be back, and the five technical fouls on them in this last game will most likely be motivation for Harlem.

The boys will face the Poplar Indians on Thursday and Malta Mustangs on Friday.

“We want to get another W against them and just come out of the game healthy,” Braaten said.

He also said the following about Malta, “We need intensity for a solid 32 minutes of basketball.”

Friday’s game for the varsity boys will start at 7:30 P.M. Another tough matchup.