Kettle Falls Boys Basketball Opens Season With Convincing Win Over Selkirk

The Bulldogs boys basketball started their season with a statement.

Kettle Falls powered past Selkirk 65-29 in their home opener on Nov. 28, using an aggressive defensive effort and balanced scoring attack to control the game from start to finish in nonleague play.

“I’m happy with the defensive effort,” Kettle Falls head coach Cameron Stewart said. “The guys were connected out there, playing with energy and confidence. We were able to dictate the tempo because of our defense and rebounding.”

The Bulldogs forced 25 turnovers, which is exactly the gameplan Stewart wants to see implemented.

“We want to be disruptive,” he said. “There were a few breakdowns that we will learn from, but for the most part I liked how we competed on the defensive end.”

The Bulldogs wasted no time setting the tone, racing out to a 19-2 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They continued to push the pace into halftime, taking a 36-14 advantage into the break. Stewart said that the team had a solid rebounding effort for it being the first game.

“We keep emphasizing the importance of limiting opponents shot opportunities on one end, and getting extra possessions on the other end,” Stewart said. “Still room for improvement but I’m happy with the team’s commitment to rebounding so far.”

Cody Adams led Kettle Falls with 19 points while Alex Mazanek added 15 points and Mace Thivierge chipped in 8 points.

“It was great to see Alex and Cody in double figures,” Stewart said. “We are looking for guys to step up on offense, and there’s a few other guys who are capable of scoring in double figures [as well].”

Stewart noted that Thivierge will shine in other games but in this contest he really showcased his passing.

“Selkirk paid special attention to [Thivierge] and rather than forcing contested shots, he found his teammates for open shots,” Stewart said. “He had 10 assists, and just one turnover to go with a team leading eight boards. That shows maturity.”

Strong contributions came throughout the roster, however, as the Bulldogs got seven points from Cooper McKern and six each from Zac Burch and Jaxon Fondrey. The Bulldogs knocked down 29 field goals and shot 3-for-5 at the free-throw line.

With the Bulldogs logging in only10 practices, it could have been a sloppy mess of a matchup. Kettle Falls, however, was excited to play.

“Some of our older guys have reached a point where they are just gamers – they don’t worry about doing everything perfectly, they just play hard,” Stewart said. “Cooper McKern is one of those guys. He’s not afraid to make mistakes, because he’s out there to compete.”

Stewart added some of the younger players are still trying to get things right, but are working hard at it. Fluidity in the game will come and it’s hard to ignore that Kettle Falls’ defensive pressure limited Selkirk to single digits in three of the four quarters.

“At the end of the day we want all our guys to play fast and free, but we also have to be able to execute our offense,” Stewart said. “Every possession counts.”