Glacier boys have the inside out and out; Wolfpack girls are guard-rich
Dec. 7—A solid pack of juniors played for last season's Glacier boys basketball team, and considering it overcame a 3-9 start to make the State AA tournament, that's not a bad place to start.
Returning starters Noah Dowler — the Western AA's top rebounder (9.4 a game) stands 6-foot-7 — and guard Ty Olsen bolstered the Wolfpack as juniors, and veteran head coach Mark Harkins saw seniors Tyler McDonald and Xavier Stout contribute.
Junior Cohen Kastelitz and senior Kaid Buls also got some experience, and that should help a team that lost five players to graduation.
Dowler is the most imposing, obviously, and his 8.2-point scoring average included a few dunks.
"All of my kids had a great offseason," said Harkins, whose club ended up 10-14 in March. "I have nine seniors and all of them worked really hard, including Noah — he came in in great shape and ready to go and we're excited about it."
Olsen averaged 9.2 points and was a top rotation player for a second season; McDonald averaged 2.5 points. Beyond that Harkins isn't sure who might start: Bulls, Kastelitz and Stout are threats, but so are seniors Adam Nikunen, Travys Agan, Jeff Lillard and Wyatt Cox.
When Glacier has been at its best, it has had a strong post presence and some shooters wearing down opponents inside and out.
"It's still our basic philosophy," Harkins said. "We need to get the ball in the post, whether it's Noah or off the bounce. We have a few guys that can penetrate the key. ... that's still the basic goal of our offense."
It looks to be a very competitive Western AA, as always, with defending champion Helena Capital, always-good Missoula Hellgate and an experienced Helena High team haunting the top of the standings.
Glacier could be there; the Pack made the State AA tournament 10 times in the 15 years the school has been open.
"I hope we're competing in the top at the end," said Harkins, who guided the Pack to the 2017 AA championship. "I think we have the guys to do it. It's always about chemistry and playing together, but we have a team that should be competitive."
Glacier girls
Just one senior saw ample time for the Wolfpack girls squad last season — Colette Daniels — and coach Amanda Cram wishes she had a couple more experienced players.
What she does have isn't too bad.
"A whole lot of juniors and sophomores," she said. "We have all the guards."
The list includes: Reese Ramey, who played extensively last season as a freshman; Bailey Gable; Kenedee Moore; Haven Speer; and Charlotte Osler.
Daniels and Sarah Downs could be the main inside threat, while sophomore Cazz Rankosky, who missed her freshman season with injury, has impressed along with freshman Karly Allen.
The bad news: junior Kiera Sullivan is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in flag football; Fincher is out the first weekend — Glacier opens at Great Falls High Friday — with an injury; and Mady Osler also can't play this season because of injury.
There's depth, and Cram is uncertain at this point who might start. Fincher is the top returning scorer (7.2-point average) and rebounder (4.9).
The constant should be a strong defense that feeds a transition offense. It may not be enough to catch the likes of Helena and Missoula Sentinel, but the Pack are capable of jumping up after a five-win season in a balanced league.
"There's not a team that I would overlook," Cram said. "Including ourselves."
