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Clark Fork leaves it all on the court in consolation loss to Carey

by DYLAN GREENE
Sports Editor | March 4, 2021 6:14 PM

CALDWELL — Clark Fork's return to state didn't go according to plan.

The Wampus Cats suffered a pair of 37-point deficits in their first trip to state since 2008. The losses were tough to swallow, but head coach Heath Beason said his team showed a lot of heart.

"I was proud of my kids because I didn't see them give up," he said. "They were down, but they were like 'I don't care. I'm not leaving here knowing I left something in the tank."

Clark Fork's state run and season came to an end Thursday at Caldwell High when the team fell to Carey (13-6) 68-31 in a consolation game at the 1A Division II state tournament.

The defeat came a day after the Wampus Cats were shut down by Rockland 57-20 in their opening game at state. Jitters plagued the team throughout that contest, but on Thursday, Clark Fork shook off the nerves and looked like the team they've been all season, Beason said.

"After the meeting we had last night and this morning, it was a totally different attitude and we had a totally different mindset," he said. "They played very well, they played hard and they played all four quarters," he said.

Once again, the Wampus Cats struggled in the early going and the Panthers capitalized by jumping out to a 17-4 first-quarter lead.

Clark Fork struggled holding onto the ball in the opening quarter against Carey's speedy guards, but eventually they settled in. The Panthers took a 32-7 advantage into halftime.

In the second half, the Wampus Cats started clicking and finding their rhythm offensively. Unfortunately, they couldn't contain Carey's Hunter Smith. Every time it seemed like Clark Fork was building some momentum, Smith hit a big shot to end it. He finished with 31 points and seven 3-pointers.

The Wampus Cats threw everything at Smith, and even doubled him, but once he got hot he couldn't be stopped, Beason said.

"They beat us, but that kid, he was on today," he said about Smith. "I couldn't see him missing much of anything. [Cameron Garcia] did a pretty good on him and Cam looked at me and I said, 'There's nothing you can do but be there. If he makes it, he makes it.' He won that battle."

Clark Fork scored 24 points in the second half against the Panthers.

Carey shot 25-60 (41.6%) from the field and knocked down 11 3-pointers. Clark Fork went 11-33 from the field and 5-18 (27.7%) from beyond the arc. The Panthers outrebounded Clark Fork 43-24.

Carter Sanroman and Cole Reuter each scored nine points for the Wampus Cats. Reuter hit a trio of 3-pointers and Sanroman also had five rebounds and four assists. Garcia finished with eight points and three rebounds and Sam Barnett added four points and five rebounds.

Late in the game, Sanroman got into some foul trouble, but Beason said the junior didn't want to go to the bench until he fouled out.

"He told me, 'I'm not leaving this court until I foul out, I'm not quitting at all,'" Beason said.

That moment epitomized the fight Clark Fork played with all season.

The team finishes with a 4-14 record, but the young squad gained a lot of knowledge at state. The Wampus Cats now know how high the level of competition is at the state level and the tempo teams down south play with, Beason said.

Despite going 0-2 at state, Beason said his group kept a positive attitude after falling to Carey and started thinking about what they need to do to get back to state next winter.

"I believe that if we were able to get back here, things would be a little bit different," he said. "They are already talking about this as, 'We're not done. We're coming back again next year, we can do this.'"

Ten of the 12 players that saw varsity time for Clark Fork will return next season. The two that won't be back are seniors Cameron Garcia and Chris Wade.

Throughout his career as a Wampus Cat, Garcia has been a leader on and off the court and a mentor to the younger players. Beason said his presence will be missed.

"He was definitely 110 percent all the time," Beason about Garcia, "and I liked his competitiveness. He never backs down from a challenge."

Wade returned to the court this season after missing the past few due to knee issues. Beason said Wade's presence in the paint helped the team get back to state this season.

"Chris came in and definitely helped out this year," he said. "I wish he would have been able to play all four years."

Clark Fork 4 3 13 11 — 31

Carey 17 15 22 14 — 68

CLARK FORK — Garcia 8, Sanroman 9, Reuter 9, Barnett 4, Howard 0, Mayorga 0, Shelton 1, Wade 0.

CAREY — Parke 8, Simpson 11, Drage 2, Smith 31, S. Mecham 5, Villanueva 3, Sparrow 3, Carrillo 0, Bennion 1, W. Mecham 4.