Wampus Cats rout Tigers to claim district title, state berth

MULLAN — The wait is over.

The Clark Fork boys basketball team is headed back to state for the first time in 13 years.

Only one team stood in Clark Fork's way and the Wampus Cats took care of business Wednesday night, knocking off No. 1 seed Mullan 53-24 in the 1A Division II District 1 championship.

Head coach Heath Beason said watching the team celebrate getting back to the big dance for the first time since 2008 was something special.

"I feel honored," he said about achieving the accomplishment, "but I feel more honored for the kids because they're the ones that have worked hard and they deserve this opportunity.”

Beason took over the struggling program three years ago with hopes of changing the culture and investing time in developing kids' skills on the basketball court. In year one with Beason at the helm, the Wampus Cats had one win. Last season, Clark Fork went 6-14 and this winter, the whole team was thinking about taking the next step and bringing home the district title.

Well, they did it, but Beason admitted he didn't envision wearing the district crown so soon into his tenure.

"I truly wanted to provide a positive direction for the team, for the school and the community," he said, "and I wanted to do it as fast as I could. Did I think it would take three years? No, I didn't ... but we were able to come together at the right time."

Beason said the quick turnaround is a result of the kids buying in and putting in the time to make it a reality.

"Three years to here, I think that's a testament to how the boys have worked in the three years that I've been here," he said, "so it's not really what the coach did, it's what the kids listened to, took in and believed in."

Clark Fork used its defense to tame the Tigers (6-7), amassing 20 steals in the game. A few weeks ago, the Wampus Cats started utilizing a full-court press and it completely changed the team's outlook, Beason said.

"It was the confidence I had in the players," he said about implementing the defense. "They had to prove to me that they knew what was going on because it's a very fast-paced, full-court press and finally they convinced me that they could do it and they have stepped it up ... Having that full-court press I think helped us peak and get to where we are."

Clark Fork led 10-7 after the first quarter, but in the second the team exploded for 24 points and was in cruise control the rest of the way.

The Tigers were shorthanded in Wednesday's title game. They played without starter Luke Trogden, who suffered a left ankle injury on Tuesday, and they lost Riley Trogden in the second quarter after a hard fall to the floor.

Throughout the game, Beason said he could tell his team was a little nervous, but their desire to win was stronger.

"The kids came out today and they were excited, and they were very focused," he said.

Senior Cameron Garcia, who was named the North Star League MVP after the game, led the team with 21 points and two steals. His half-brother, Carter Sanroman, finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

"Cam really took the game over," Beason said. "He was very in control and helped everybody get in the right spot. Carter was just supporting his brother all night, he always had his back. If he missed a steal, Carter was there. If Carter got a steal, he fed Cam the ball. They worked very well together."

Sam Barnett tallied eight points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds and Nathan Shelton had three points, four rebounds and three steals. Cole Reuter added three points.

Clark Fork (4-12) will face the District 5-6 runner-up in the first round of the 1A Division II state tournament at 1 p.m. PST next Wednesday at Caldwell High School.

The Wampus Cats went through a seven-game losing streak in the middle of the season, but have won three of their last four games. After a rough start, Beason said his team has continued to grow with each game.

"We still have more room to improve, but we are starting to click better at the right time," he said. "We're definitely going to have to be on our A game [at state]."

Clark Fork 10 24 12 7 — 53

Mullan 7 8 2 7 — 24

CLARK FORK — Garcia 21, Ca. Sanroman 16, Barnett 8, Wade 0, Shelton 3, Reuter 3, Mayorga 2, Howard 0, Mintken 0, Ch. Sanroman 0, Christofferson 0, Matteson 0.

MULLAN — L. Petit 2, S. Petit 0, Layton 2, Nelson 9, A. Zingler 4, Appiah 0, Houston 0, Lowman 0, R. Trogden 5, Knoll 0, A. Trogden 1, Haning 1.

ALL-NORTH STAR LEAGUE

MVP — Cameron Garcia, sr., Clark Fork

Carter Sanroman, jr., Clark Fork; Sam Barnett, jr., Clark Fork; Chris Wade, sr.; Clark Fork; Luke Trogden, jr., Mullan; Riley Trogden, sr., Mullan.