Tesoro hits 8 threes, Wolves defeat high ranked Rams

Before their regular-season finale Saturday against second-ranked Columbus, Three Forks boys basketball Head Coach Terry Hauser watched Finnley Tesoro shoot during warmups and told Assistant Coach Connor Sullivan the senior sharpshooter was going to have a big night.

Hauser was more than correct with his assessment as Tesoro had a school-record eight three-pointers and a game-high 31 points in the 77-59 victory.

"Eight is a lot of threes no matter who the opponent is, but to do it on senior night against the number two ranked team in the state and break the old record of seven is just such a cool way to end the season" Hauser said.

The Wolves started strong Saturday and took a 17-9 lead at the end of the first and a 38-31 advantage into the half. After the Rams closed to 53-49 at the end of the third, Three Forks exploded in the fourth quarter outscoring Columbus 24-10.

Hauser lauded the energy from a huge senior night crowd.

"The crowd has been amazing all year. It has always been a great atmosphere for as long as I can remember, but this year was the most impressive in my time as the head coach.

"It was an awesome game between two of the top teams in the state, and the crowd definitely got what they paid for Saturday night," he said.

Mikey O'Dell (15), Owen Long (13), and Shane Williams (11) were also in double figures for the Wolves. Jacob Buchignani added five, and Austin Allen finished with two.

Three Forks opened the week with a 69-36 road victory Friday at East Helena. Up 29-13 at the half, the Wolves would outscore the host Vigilantes 40-13 in the second half.

Tesoro led the team with 17, Long had 13, O'Dell finished with 11, Williams had eight, Allen had five, Walker Page and Buchignani finished with four, and Rylan Koch added two.

Three Forks will open postseason play Friday at 6 p.m. at the 5B District Tournament in Belgrade. The top-seeded Wolves will play the winner of Thursday's matchup between Jefferson and Big Timber.

"It's been such an amazing regular season, and now it's my favorite time of the year, tourney time, baby!" Hauser said.