Isaac Bedway becomes second 1,000-point scorer in school history
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
With a chance to win their way into the third and final spot in the divisional tournament, the Lone Peak High School boys basketball team weren’t able to finish the job against Jefferson High School.
The Big Horns season ended Saturday with a 57-48 loss, their fourth game in 48 hours as part of a hectic District 5B tournament. Head coach Al Malinowski said the fatigue was evident, but the Big Horns played their hearts out as a historic season came to an end.
“You get that close and you walk away initially feeling pretty bummed. But yet when you think about what we’ve been able to accomplish this year and how close we came, I think it’s a pretty impressive result,” Malinowski said in a phone call with EBS on Monday. This season, the Big Horns won 14 total games, exactly twice as many as last year, and second-most in program history—most of that history was against smaller schools in Class C, but now Lone Peak is the smallest school in their Class B district.
“So, really impressive that this team was able to accomplish what they did this year,” Malinowski said. “That helped kind of put a smile back on my face, that this was a huge step forward.”
After defeating Broadwater High School in the opening round, the Big Horns faced a top-ranked Three Forks High School team and lost 83-35. Trying to fight their way out of the consolation ladder, the Big Horns faced Ennis on Saturday morning, and walked away with a 48-40 victory.
“Tough to beat a team like [Ennis] that’s so excited to play us, that’s motivated to play us—tough to beat a team like that three times in one season,” Malinowski said.
In the second quarter, senior Isaac Bedway scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the second-ever Lone Peak player to reach the milestone, after 2017 graduate Eddie Starz, with 1,334 points. Malinowski noted it only took Bedway three seasons—he moved to Big Sky before his sophomore season—and Bedway also scored in all 71 of his varsity games.
“A pretty significant milestone, I think, in the state of Montana,” Malinowski said, pointing to limited schedules compared to other states. “Something that should be celebrated and recognized.”
Bedway also finishes his Lone Peak career with all-time records in blocks, 3-point shooting and rebounds.
A few hours after the win over Ennis, the Big Horns faced Jefferson High School to decide which team would earn the third and final spot in the divisional tournament.
“Jefferson came out a little hotter than us in that game,” Malinowski said. “I sort of anticipated fatigue in both teams, and they didn’t show it early.”
The Panthers took a big lead, but Big Horns closed it as sophomore Ryan Malinowski hit a driving layup to tie the game toward the end of the second quarter.
Jefferson led by four points at halftime, and extended their lead to 11 at end of the third quarter on their way to a 57-48 win.
Malinowski was proud of his team’s effort, especially considering Jefferson is the largest high school in the district with more than 300 students, to Lone Peak’s 117.
He looks forward to welcoming much of the team back next season.
“A lot of guys got good playing experience at a young age and will be coming back with the opportunity to help us again next year,” Malinowski said.
The team will miss seniors including Bedway and Grady Towle, who struggled with injuries preventing him from training over the past year but mentored younger players.
“What a leader, and what heart he brings to the program,” Malinowski said of Towle.
Kael Gilbert, who joined the program late, will be remembered for his attitude. “Just brings such a good attitude to everything. He’s one of those guys who’s willing to do whatever he’s asked.”
Malinowski looks forward to seeing offseason work and growth from younger players including Ryan Malinowski, Miles Romney and Sid Morris—as well as other players who mostly contributed at the JV level.
“We’ll continue to set high goals, and hopefully we’ll continue to achieve as many as we can,” he said.
