The Vals beat the Kats 45-42 - win divisional title

By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

There’s no denying it, the Bigfork Valkyries are winners.

The Vals, who entered the Northwest A Divisional Tournament in Eureka as the number one seed, stretched out their stellar season by defeating the Eureka Lady Lions 52-30 and the Columbia Falls Wildkats 45-42. Bigfork’s wins Friday and Saturday advanced the Vals to the state Class A tournament in Belgrade March 1-3.

Bigfork started the divisional tournament in dominating fashion, as the Vals led the entire game, with the exception of the first minute, over host team Eureka. Senior Carly Hilley began the scoring for Bigfork with a three-point field goal. She scored nine points in the semi-final game while adding two rebounds and three steals.

“We came out and pressed them,” Bigfork coach Nate Hammond said. He added that the Bigfork press forced the Eureka guards to make bad decisions and created a number of Bigfork steals. “We had them on their heels. We knew that they’d play 1-3-1 defense against us. We’ve made our living from that.”

The Vals rolled from there, as Bigfork led by 11 points at the end of the first quarter. Bigfork lengthened its lead in the second quarter, allowing the Lady Lions to notch just one field goal in the first half of the quarter. Hilley scored three more for the Vals in the second quarter, as did Hattie Bowen, Alyssa Fierro and Roxy Thurman. Bowen finished the game with 12 points and two rebounds.

Fierro and Thurman earned theirs the hard way, making free throws after the basket and foul. Fierro scored 11 of her 17 points in the first half and grabbed 12 rebounds, as well. Seven of her rebounds were defensive. Thurman scored five points against the Lions. She was assisted on her three-point play by Avery Vogel. Vogel did not score, but dished out four assists for the Vals.

Bigfork had a scare about halfway through the second quarter. Starter Charlene Miller had to be taken out of the game momentarily after dislocating a pinky finger. She later returned to the game, and ended with three points. The Vals led Eureka 37-13 at halftime.

Eureka seemed set on making a comeback, outscoring the Vals 11-4 in the third quarter. The Vals continued their teamwork though and maintained a 41-24 lead at the end of the third quarter.

“We worked as one. You have to be one to get to where you want to be,” Fierro said.

It was a record night for the Vals, who committed just eight turnovers. The fourth quarter was much of the same for Bigfork, as the Vals went on to win 52-30.

Jamie Halliday scored three points for Bigfork, Jaylee Haveman added two and Kaemyn Meagher scored one.

“We came out really excited,” Thurman said. “We were just playing well and clicking. We were excited to get our first game done.”

Bigfork faced conference foe Columbia Falls in the championship game the following night. The teams’ two regular-season games went down to the wire. Bigfork beat the Kats in Bigfork, but the Kats got the best of the Vals in overtime in Columbia Falls. The teams also had two games during the summer go into overtime — Bigfork won both of those.

“We knew we would play Columbia Falls,” Thurman said. “We were excited to get revenge (for the OT loss in Columbia Falls).”

The Vals started the championship game the same way as the semi-final game, with a three-pointer from Hilley. Bowen sank one in the opening quarter as well, and Thurman added two to give Bigfork an 8-1 lead with 2:39 on the clock. The Vals led 8-5 at the end of the first quarter.

Columbia Falls closed in further on the Vals’ lead in the second quarter. Bowen, who scored 10 points for the Vals, drained another three to breakup an 8-8 tie. Vogel assisted Miller for two just over a minute later, making the score 15-10 with 5:08 left in the quarter.

“She was pretty irreplaceable against Columbia Falls,” Hammond said of Miller. “She got to a lot of the long rebounds that we needed.” Miller finished the game with 12 rebounds and 3 points.

The Kats tied the game at 17 apiece, and took the lead after that. Bigfork came back in the last two minutes of the first half to cut the Kats’ lead to one point — 22-23 — at halftime.

Thurman scored the rest of her seven points in the third quarter. She made a three-pointer that put the Vals ahead 27-26. Hilley added a three as well. Her three increased the Bigfork lead to six points with 3:22 on the clock. She scored eight points against the Kats and had four assists and six rebounds.

“They were really packing it inside,” Hammond said of the opponents’ defense. “That opened up our shooters.” The Vals made nine threes in their two games.

Columbia Falls came within three with just over a minute remaining in the quarter, but Haveman grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for two points. The Vals led 34-29 at the end of the third quarter.

Neither team shot well from the free-throw line, but both had their fair share of chances in the fourth quarter. Bigfork scored nine points from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. The Vals were 9-for-21 from the line in the fourth quarter and 10-for-27 overall. Columbia Falls made 13-of-24 free throws in the game.

Bigfork led by six points after Miller went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. The Kats cut the lead to three, and Fierro made it four with 24 seconds remaining. She finished the game with 13 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Miller and Fierro hit the boards offensively and ran some time off the clock before the Kats regained possession and made a trip of their own to the line. Columbia Falls’ Callie Spencer was 1-for-2 at the line to make it a three-point game again, but Bowen also made one free throw to bring it back to four. Another Kat free throw brought them within three points, but they would get no further. The Vals won 45-42.

Vogel scored two points for the Vals and had three steals. She also had two assists.

The Vals face the second-place team from the Eastern divisional Thursday, March 1, at 8 p.m. in Belgrade. The winner of that game goes on to play the winner of the 1st Southwest vs. 2nd Central game March 2 at 8 p.m. The loser plays at 2 p.m.

Bigfork 20 17 4 11 - 52

Eureka 9 4 11 6 - 30

BIGFORK - Hattie Bowen 12, Charlene Miller 3, Carly Hilley 9, Alyssa Fierro 17, Jamie Halliday 3, Roxy Thurman 5, Jaylee Haveman 2, Kaemyn Meagher 1.

EUREKA - Amy Roberts13, Auna Lawler 3, Briann Linnell 2, Mariah Newell 5, Cami Stacy 2, Melanie Finch 3, Megan Hannay 2.

Bigfork 8 14 12 11 - 45

Columbia Falls 5 18 6 13 - 42

BIGFORK - Roxy Thurman 7, Hattie Bowen 10, Charlene Miller 3, Avery Vogel 2, Carly Hilley 8, Alyssa Fierro 13, Jaylee Haveman 2.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Jylisa Fields 4, Callie Spencer 11, Amber Lampman 7, Jessica Boyer 6, Mary Nolan 11, Alyssa Ladenburg 2, Sam Ladenburg 1.