'Competitive depth' powering CMR boys' basketball

On paper, this year’s C.M. Russell High boys’ basketball team is relatively brand new.

But longtime Rustler head coach John Cislo sees a team that has garnered plenty of experience behind the scenes since the season ended last March.

“Last year we didn’t have a lot of depth, so it appears we’re not bringing back a lot of players,” Cislo said. “We kind of a solid core of kids that have been playing a lot of AAU basketball. I guarantee they’ve played 50-70 games since last season over AAU or CMR basketball in the summertime and they’ve enjoyed a lot of success.”

The Rustlers moved to 2-0 to start the season with a pair of nonconference wins, holding off Kalispell Glacier 45-44 Friday night at CMR Fieldhouse before cruising past Kalispell Flathead 91-32 Saturday afternoon.

The biggest void left from graduation for CMR is All-State forward Trigg Mapes, as well as standout guard Tyler Moore and Gus Nunez.

But while the Rustlers lost a lot of scoring from last year’s squad, Cislo has a number of veterans to rely upon.

Senior River Wasson is the leading returning scorer at just under nine points per game and is coming off another standout football season for the Rustlers, bringing a high level of athleticism on both ends of the floor.

“I’d argue River is one of the better athletes we have in our conference,” Cislo said. “I think he could be a really, really good defensive player. When River gets to the rim and plays within that 15 feet he can elevate and get over the top of people.”

Senior guard Hunter McMann is also a returning starter who led the Rustlers with 20 made 3-pointers last winter.

“If he can find consistency from the 3-point line I think he has a chance to be one of the top 3-point shooters in our conference,” Cislo said.

Junior Dean Blair will look to lead CMR on the low block, standing at 6-foot-5. Cislo said Blair has grown his offensive game in the offseason and has the potential to be one of the top players in the Eastern AA.

“Dean Blair played quite a bit for us last year but he was kind of an unselfish kid that didn’t really look to score. And he’s learned how to score between March and now,” Cislo said.

Junior Jonah VanTassell has the potential to go on hot streaks from beyond the arc and displays a good all-around game, Cislo said, while senior Hunter Goad is a solid catch-and-shoot offensive player at forward.

Senior Landon Grosenick will run the point for the Rustlers, while sophomore Drew Etcheberry will see minutes in the backcourt and 6-5 Kael Barnes will be in the rotation down low.

“We’ve got a lot of good competitive depth,” Cislo said. “We’ve just got a lot of good players right now playing for us.”

Cislo said this year’s squad has shown an offensive prowess above team’s of the recent past, and the key for the Rustlers will be finding a flow on the defensive end.

“I think if we can learn how to play defense, that can be the difference between us being the middle of the road or our goal of being at the top end of the conference,” Cislo said.

CMR 91, Flathead 32 (Saturday)

The Rustlers started out hot offensively Saturday afternoon, and yet somehow found a way to turn up the heat.

CMR ripped off 38 points in the second quarter and held the Braves to just two points in the frame to run away with a 91-32 nonconference victory.

Van Tassell led the way for the Rustlers with 21 points on four made 3-pointers, while Grosenick added four makes from downtown of his own to finish with 19.

Blair was also quite solid – particularly in transition – pouring in 13 points while Wasson added 12.

The Rustlers made 10 of their first 11 3-point attempts in the first half of the victory, building a 68-19 margin at the half and forcing a running clock for the entirety of the final 16 minutes.

Blair started the offensive runaway in the second with a pair of drives to the hoop before Van Tassell swished a step-back 3 from the corner.

Grosenick hit three shots from beyond the arc in the frame while Wasson hit a 3-ball of his own and beat the buzzer with a tip-in to make it a 48-point lead heading into the break.

Lyric Ersland led Flathead with 12 points and Jordan Griffin added six.

Flathead 17 2 6 7 – 32

CMR 30 38 10 13 – 91

Flathead – Brodee Zahn 2, Lyric Ersland 12, Gabe Sims 2, Brody Thornsberry 3, David Moody 2, Jordan Griffin 6, Korbin Eaton 5.

CMR – Hunter McMann 3, Landon Grosenick 19, River Wasson 12, Jonah Van Tassell 21, Drew Etcheberry 5, Ben Cunningham 7, Dean Blair 13, Hunter Goad 4, Nick Donester 2, Ronald Rickett 5.

3-pointers – Ersland 2, Eaton; Grosenick 4, Wasson, Van Tassell 4, Etcheberry, Rickett.

CMR 45, Glacier 44 (Friday)

Dean Blair racked up 20 points as the Rustlers edged the Wolfpack in the season-opener on Friday night.

Glacier 14 11 10 9 – 44

CMR 12 14 8 11 – 45

Glacier – Cohen Kasterlitz 24, Liam Els 3, Luke Nikoken 3, Owen Henry 2, Brantly Salmonson 5, Slate Burrington 2, Jackson Endresen 5.

CMR – Hunter McMann 2, Landon Grosenick 3, River Wasson 5, Jonah Van Tassell 9, Dean Blair 20, Hunter Goad 6.

3-pointers – Els, Nikoken; Wasson, Van Tassell.

Photo provided courtesy of Matt Ehnes of Jared’s Detours.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: 'Competitive depth' powering CMR boys' basketball