Basketball Recap: Flathead Valley Comes Up Short

If Flathead Valley was riding high fresh off their 80-60 takedown of Immaculate Conception Academy back in December of 2024, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Flathead Valley Crusaders came up short against the Stillwater Christian Cougars on Saturday, falling 70-49. The Crusaders have struggled against the Cougars recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Stillwater Christian's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lucas Rietema, who went 6 of 8 on his way to 19 points and seven rebounds. The dominant performance gave Rietema a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Linn, who went 6 for 12 en route to 18 points and six boards.

Flathead Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 1-1. As for Stillwater Christian, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-3.

Flathead Valley does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Stillwater Christian, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, an 81-9 win against Varsity Opponent on the 13th.