Kettle Falls Boys Basketball Starts Season 3-0

Mace Thivierge scored 23 points and hit two three-pointers. The defense was the star in the first three quarters, holding the Hornets to just single digits in each frame.

“What stands out to me about our team is the competitive fire,” Kettle Falls Head Coach Cameron Stewart said. “That’s the identity that we are striving for. That’s our edge. I think the guys are starting to embrace it.”

Thivierge had been a facilitator for other scorers in the previous two contests, but in this matchup, he shone through by hitting nine field goals total.

“I think our guys are trying to make the right play,” Stewart said. “They want to execute, but they also want to make good reads when we are playing fast and free, because it’s rewarding to know that effort creates good opportunities. You can’t do that alone. So I think our passing is just a result of playing as a team. We want everyone on the floor to be a threat, just by moving as the ball moves.”

The Bulldogs snagged a seven-point lead in the first quarter and then headed into the locker room at halftime with a 28-12 advantage. They opened up the second half on a 15-4 run to put the finishing touches on the victory.

“We take pride in our defensive principles,” Stewart said. “We hate to get scored on. We also take pride in earning extra possessions. That’s the mindset. The reality is that you make mistakes and learn from them, but stay aggressive, keep competing, always bring energy.”

Cooper McKern added seven points while Alex Mazanek and Zac Burch each had six points.  

A few days earlier, the Bulldogs posted their biggest offensive performance of the season, thanks largely to a mid-game surge.

Kettle Falls outscored Republic by 11 points in the second quarter, then opened the second half, tallying 21-6 en route to a 73-36 victory over Republic on Dec. 2, in nonleague basketball action.

Mazanek led the Bulldogs with 21 points, hitting three three-pointers along the way. He hit nine field goals in all, while Zac Burch drained six buckets to finish with 15 points. Thivierge added eight points to Kettle Falls’ total. The offense was humming for the Bulldogs as they had 31 field goals total and a 34-17 lead at halftime.

Through these three games, Kettle Falls has outscored its opponents 191-93. While these wins are coming against 1B foes, not the 2B foes they’ll have to beat for postseason success, Steward said the Bulldogs are already well on their way to matching or beating last year’s five-win season.

“We haven’t done anything yet, except what we needed to do, which was take care of business against the 1B schools to start the season, build depth, and create our own identity,” Stewart said. “It only gets harder from here. We have to stay healthy and hungry, and that’s the message our team is getting from the coaches. Right now we’re on schedule.”

The Bulldogs played Tonasket Tuesday, Dec. 9; results were not available at press time. The team is scheduled to host Northwest Christian on Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m.