HELENA — Sam Elliott’s offensive rebound and putback with 12 seconds remaining helped lift Kalispell Flathead to a 43-42 come-from-behind win at Helena Capital in Western AA boys basketball action on Saturday.
The Bruins held Flathead to just five first-quarter points on their way to a 25-16 halftime lead. The Braves, ranked fifth in the latest MontanaSports.com power poll, battled back in the second half behind the scoring exploits of Tyler Johnson. Johnson hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and finished with 10 points in the second half to help Flathead close the gap.
The teams traded buckets down the stretch, though, with Capital’s Bridger Grovom giving the Bruins a one-point lead from the free throw line. The sophomore was fouled on a 3-point attempt and calmly sank all three free throws to give Capital a 42-41 advantage with less than a minute remaining.
On the Braves’ next possession, Anthony Jones drove the lane and spun into the key to get an open runner. His shot came up short, landing in the hands of Elliott, who put it back to score just his second field goal of the game.
Grovom’s last-second 3-point attempt was just long, giving Flathead the comeback win.
Johnson and Eric Seaman each scored 12 points to pace the Braves, while Capital got 10 points from Parker Johnston and eight each from Grovom and Shane Haller.
Flathead improves to 9-4 overall and 5-2 in the Western AA and will play at Helena High on Monday. Capital falls to 4-9 overall and 3-4 in conference. The Bruins will host Kalispell Glacier on Monday.
