Valkyries topple two more in conference

By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

The Bigfork Valkyrie basketball team went on a 14-0 and 17-0 run versus the Libby Lady Loggers and Eureka Lady Lions Friday and Saturday, giving the Vals the edge they needed to remain undefeated in the Northwest A conference.

Bigfork hosted Libby Jan. 19 at home, in what was a close matchup early on before the Vals won 55-41. The Loggers came out scoring four points on baskets by Brittany Martin and Jackie Mee. The Vals’ first field goal came about two minutes into the quarter, as Charlene Miller’s basket made the score 3-4. Bigfork forced two Logger turnovers following Miller’s field goal. Alyssa Fierro tied the game at four points apiece, making one of two free throws with 4:42 on the clock.

Undeterred, Libby took the lead back with two more field goals from Mee. With their shots not falling, the Vals gained possession of the ball with 1:22 left in the quarter. Roxy Thurman and Miller tied the game at eight as time ran out in the first quarter. Miller was assisted by Avery Vogel.

Vogel continued to make things happen for the Vals in the second quarter. The quarter began with Vogel assisting Fierro and Miller again, giving the Vals a 12-8 lead. Vogel followed her assists by driving the baseline and scoring two points of her own. She tallied three points in the game, seven rebounds and eight assists. The Vals had 19 assists against the Loggers. Another Bigfork field goal, this time from Jaylee Haveman, forced a Logger timeout.

Libby ended its scoring drought, and Bigfork’s 14-0 scoring run, with a free throw by Martin.

“Basketball is a game of runs,” Bigfork coach Nate Hammond said. “It’s uncommon for us to go on that big of a run.”

Finally on the board in the quarter, the Loggers went on a short scoring-run. Mee scored four points for the Loggers and Holly Cirian added two, bringing Libby within five points of the Vals. Carly Hilley scored three points for Bigfork, preventing the Loggers from cutting into the Vals’ lead too much. Hilley scored six points for the Vals. Bigfork led 26-17 at halftime.

Bigfork lengthened its lead to 14 points in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Martin sank a three-point basket, cutting Bigfork’s lead to 10 points, but Fierro, Miller and Jamie Halliday all scored to put the Vals ahead 38-24. The Loggers’ Korey Kulbeck added another three-point field goal to make the score 38-27 at the end of the third quarter.

The Vals maintained their lead in the fourth quarter, leading by as much as 19 about halfway through the quarter after a field goal by Fierro. She ended the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Hattie Bowen made a three-point basket with 1:28 left in the game, making the score 55-39. She was the last Val to score as Halliday’s shot got stuck between the hoop and the backboard, and Thurman’s layup failed to fall as the buzzer sounded. The Vals shot 48 percent from the field against Libby.

The Vals found themselves down again against the Eureka Lady Lions on the road Saturday. The Lions led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter, but the Vals battled back to win the game 46-33.

Bigfork outscored Eureka 14-4 in the second quarter, giving the Vals a 23-16 lead at halftime. Eureka came back in the third quarter, coming within one point of the Vals — 29-28.

Eureka took a small lead in the fourth quarter, going up 30-29 before the Vals went on a 17-0 run.

“We never panicked,” Hammond said. “That was real important. We didn’t give up on what we were doing.”

The Vals’ scoring run put them ahead 46-30. The Lions scored just three more points in the quarter, as the Vals outscored them in the final quater 17-5.

Bowen led Bigfork in scoring with 19. She also pulled down six rebounds and grabbed four steals. Hilley added seven points for the Vals, while Miller and Haveman scored five points each. Miller had five rebounds and one steal. Fierro tallied seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks, while scoring two points.

“We had two extremes in the two games,” Hammond said. The players that did well and scored a lot agaisnt Libby, did not score as much in Eureka. “We have kids who don’t care who gets the credit. They’re a close group,” Hammond said of the Vals. He added that their closeness was evident at a get-together at one of the player’s homes Friday night and on the bus ride home Saturday.

“They could have checked out, but they all rode the bus home,” Hammond said.

The Vals, now 8-0 in the Northwest A conference and 11-1 overall, travel to Columbia Falls Jan. 26 to face the 5-1 Wildkats.

“Whoever wins wins . . . will be in the driver’s seat to win the conference,” Hammond said.

Action starts at 4:15 p.m. with the freshman game. The Vals, ranked third in girls’ class A basketball, beat the Kats in their last matchup 44-41. Bigfork hosts Frenchtown Jan. 27 at 3 p.m.

“I don’t think we’re going to beat anybody easily,” Hammond said of the remainder of the season. “We have to do things right when it matters.”

Bigfork 55

Libby 41

BIGFORK - Jamie Halliday 4, Roxy Thurman 2, Hattie Bowen 5, Charlene Miller 8, Avery Vogel 3, Carly Hilley 6, Alyssa Fierro 23, Jaylee Haveman 4.

LIBBY - Brooke Hageness 1, Holly Cerian 2, Korey Kulbeck 5, Brittany Martin 12, Laice Dedrick 4, Jackie Mee 15, Nichole Newman 2.

Bigfork 46

Eureka 33

BIGFORK - Roxy Thurman 4, Hattie Bowen 19, Charlene Miller 5, Avery Vogel 4, Carly Hilley 7, Alyssa Fierro 2, Jaylee Haveman 5.

EUREKA - Melanie Finch 4, Amy Roberts 16, Brianne Linnell 6, April Paden 3, Mariah Newell 4.