Clark Fork Eclipses Wilder Wampus Cats Make Most Of Their Size

The Clark Fork High boys basketball team went into its State A-4 tournament opener Wednesday with a significant size advantage.

So surely Clark Fork’s 6-foot-7 post, Shawn Rounsville, would have been well on his way to topping the career-high 28 points he had in the district championship game last week.

Not even close. Rounsville had no field goals and just one point at halftime. That was of little concern to Wampus Cats coach Bob Hays, who watched his team shake off a fidgety start to sprint past perennial power Wilder 61-43 at Vallivue High School.

“We don’t rely on just one player,” Hays said.

For that reason, Clark Fork (17-5 overall) moves into tonight’s quarterfinals of the 16-team tourney. The Wampus Cats will take on Genesee (12-12). Tipoff is at 7 PST.

Falls Christian Academy’s opener was quite the opposite of Clark Fork’s. The Eagles from Post Falls may have flown to the Boise area on Tuesday, but they never appeared to take flight Wednesday when Rockland rocked FCA 56-33 at Caldwell High School.

FCA (14-9) will meet District II champ Kendrick (13-11) in a loser-out game today at 12:45.

In other openers, defending champ Mackay sent notice that it plans to repeat as the Miners drilled Camas County 61-38; Council nipped Oakley 53-51; Murtaugh hit a buzzer-beater to top Kendrick 35-34; Troy ran away from Meadows Valley 66-47; Genesee topped Greenleaf Friends 55-52; and Richfield handled Cole Valley 40-31.

Clark Fork 61, Wilder 43

Rounsville scored 10 points in the second half to join two teammates in double figures. But he managed to dominate in other ways.

Clark Fork outrebounded the tiny Wildcats 46-32, and Rounsville had 17. He also added five assists and five blocked shots while playing all 32 minutes.

After opening a 12-8 lead after the first quarter, Clark Fork suffered through its most jittery moments at the start of the second period.

Wilder used a 7-0 spurt to take a 17-14 lead. Hays called a timeout to settle his team.

“I told them to slow it down a little, that they had jitters,” Hays said. “I said if they could get it going they could bury them.”

And get it going the Wampus Cats did. Clark Fork scored the next 19 points while Wilder went scoreless for 4 minutes, 47 seconds.

A free throw by Wilder’s Omar Puga with 25 seconds left before halftime broke the Wildcats’ drought as Clark Fork went to intermission with a 33-18 lead.

Wilder coach Mario Betancourt marveled at not only Clark Fork’s quick turnaround, but his team’s ultimate demise. The Wildcats never recovered.

“That really hurt us,” Betancourt said. “They hit some big 3-pointers. My team was shocked at halftime.”

And the numbness never wore off. Clark Fork built its biggest lead to 26 points in the third quarter.

Picking up the offensive slack in the first half for Clark Fork were seniors Tim Stevens and James Vogel.

Stevens had a team-high 14 points, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers. Vogel scored 10 points and had eight rebounds.

“Our coach (assistant George Thornton) told me before the game I had to look to shoot,” explained Stevens, whose four 3-pointers were a career best. “I’ve been a little nervous shooting the ball. But it felt good tonight.”

Betancourt expects to see Clark Fork playing for a trophy Saturday.

“They’ve got a good team,” he said. “They’ll be here the whole time.”

Wilder 8 10 14 11 - 43

Clark Fork 12 21 18 10 - 61

Wilder - Hernandez 16, Miranda 0, Rodriguez 6, Godina 0, Sanchez 7, Sandoval 6, Puga 4, Arrendondo 4. Clark Fork - Changala 8, Stutzke 8, Stevens 14, Valliere 4, Vogel 10, Rounsville 11, Powell 3, Wold 0, Schiffman 3, Allen 0.

Rockland 56, Falls Christian 33

One of the most amazing elements of the Eagles’ loss is they actually found themselves within striking distance going into the fourth quarter.

FCA was still in the game despite:

Missing their first 14 shots of the game and shooting 1 of 17 in the first quarter.

Trailing 15-0 before making its first basket - a 3-pointer - with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

FCA reserve guard Jake Alger hit a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter to pull the Eagles within 34-25.

But FCA’s comeback hopes faded quicker than the pages of a cheap novel in the opening 3:36 of the fourth quarter. The Eagles missed their first eight shots as Rockland used a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 43-25.

FCA coach Jared Phay didn’t use jitters to excuse his team’s horrendous play.

“We never got anything to get us going,” Phay said.

Consider these final numbers:

FCA made just 11 of 64 shots from the field, 6 of 33 3-point attempts.

Leading scorer Scott Jackson, a sophomore, was 4 of 17 (2 of 15 3-point shots), and the Eagles’ starters combined to hit just 8 of 46.

“As a coach I’m thinking what can we do different; we got the shots. I just told them you’ve got to keep shooting them,” Phay said.

Rockland used a zone the whole game, effectively sealing off the inside.

“They just packed in that zone and gave us one option,” Phay said. “We couldn’t do it.”

Phay reminded his team that it lost its first-round game last year, but came back to win the consolation trophy.

“I told the kids I hope we’re hungry for (today),” Phay said.

Rockland 15 11 8 22 - 56

Falls Christian 3 8 14 8 - 33

Rockland - D. Ralphs 6, Cordiero 2, Dean 12, Reaves 0, M. Ralphs 6, Weston 0, Halling 3, L. Nelson 16, Munk 9, C. Nelson 2. Falls Christian - Danforth 2, Alger 6, Krahn 0, Jackson 15, Dowers 3, Smoot 3, Bishop 2, Anderson 0, McKee 0, Baker 2.