HAMILTON — On a Missoula Loyola boys basketball team loaded with stars, Finn Haffey doesn't put up the numbers that some of his teammates do.
But on Saturday, he made the play fans will remember from the Western B divisional championship game.
Late in the third quarter, with the Rams already holding a commanding lead on Thompson Falls, Haffey threw down a thunderous dunk off a baseline out-of-bounds alley-oop. It was just two points in Loyola's 82-40 win over the Blue Hawks on Dale Berry Court at Hamilton High School, but it encapsulated the Rams' ability.
Loyola, the two-time reigning state champion, has made a habit of making it looking easy during this three-year stretch of Class B dominance, and Haffey and the Rams put together their latest powerful performance Saturday.
They led 18-0 within the first four minutes of the game and didn't let off the gas until late in the third quarter, using their length and athleticism to force the Blue Hawks into turnovers that led to transition points for the Rams.
Their uncanny unselfishness led to a balanced scoring attack, with standouts Ethan Stack (23 points) and Reynolds Johnston (17) leading the way.
Loyola led by nearly 40 points in the second quarter and took a 50-15 lead into halftime. The second half was largely reserved for enthusiastic cheers from the crowd to celebrate Thompson Falls baskets, save for the highlight-reel plays from the Rams, including a dunk from Johnston that preceded Haffey's throwdown.
Haffey had six points, while Jack Clevenger added 11 and Jamo Kendrick chipped in nine.
Bryson LeCoure led Thompson Falls with 17 points.
Loyola improved to 22-1 on the season, the lone loss coming to Class A Dillon in December, and will take the West's No. 1 seed into the Class B state tournament, which is scheduled for March 13-15 at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
Thompson Falls (19-4) is also set to play at the state tournament as the division's second seed. The Blue Hawks cannot be challenged by Anaconda, which defeated Florence 52-39 in the consolation final.
Thompson Falls defeated Anaconda 54-36 in a first-round game on Thursday.
