Girls upset Libby, then fall to undefeated Vals in title game

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

The stands of Glacier High School gym were packed all three nights, the fans were rowdy, and the action on the courts did not disappoint, especially for Bulldog faithful.

The Whitefish girls are going to the Montana Class A high school basketball state tournament, where anything can happen. The Libby girls found that out all too well on Friday night in their opening game at the Northwest A divisional tournament.

No. 3 Whitefish upset the No. 2 Lady Loggers 52-45 in a classic battle, punching a ticket to the big dance in two weeks.

Although they lost to the undefeated-in-conference Bigfork Valkyries in the divisional championship game on Saturday night, the Lady Bulldogs are headed to the state meet for a chance at revenge.

The tournament in Hamilton starts March 6, where Whitefish will be the No. 2 seed from Northwest A.

"It's pretty exciting to be going to state," said senior Ashley Ferda, who will play in the state meet for the first time since her sophomore year. "Especially for the seniors, it's going to be our last chance to play together."

The Whitefish vs. Libby rivalry was hot all season, as the teams split their regular season showdowns, both with home wins. In the Friday game, the rivalry played out with even more intensity.

Libby jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the first quarter, but it was clear that the game was going to be a defensive struggle. The Lady Bulldogs outscored Libby 23-12 in the second quarter to take a 30-22 advantage into halftime.

It was the Kate Klundt show, as Lady Bulldog junior forward notched a double-double against Libby with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Even Libby's star, Jackie Mee, had a hard time getting the ball away from Klundt under the basket. Ferda had 15 points and six boards.

"It was nice to see (Klundt) in there getting the ball," said Ferda, who was recently named a McDonald's All-American player. "We wanted to focus on rebounding because we know that's what we're going to have to do against some of the bigger teams."

Ferda was deadly from beyond the three-point line, going three-for-three. She also went 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.

It was the senior star's shots from way out that sparked the Lady Bulldogs' late rally. Libby took a 40-39 lead late in the third quarter, but Ferda made them pay for their focus on defending the lanes.

Ferda said the Lady Bulldogs changed their game plan a bit after their loss in Libby earlier in the season.

"We handled their press a little bit better this time," she said. "We did a good job of knowing where their shooters were."

She said having the tournament so close to home played to her team's favor.

"It was exciting to have so many Whitefish fans down there," she said. "Now we have two weeks off. It's going to be good to rest our injuries, but we really can't wait to play again."

Saturday vs. Bigfork

The Whitefish girls gave a valiant effort on Saturday night, but it wasn't enough to topple the No. 1 Bigfork Valkyries in the Northwest A divisional championship game.

The Lady Bulldogs (13-8) battled to a tough 40-49 loss to the Vals.

Whitefish gave Bigfork their biggest scare of the season on Saturday, taking an early lead and turning it into a 30-28 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs couldn't weather the storm, however, as Bigfork senior post Alyssa Fierro hit three fourth-quarter field goals to give her team a permanent lead in the final frame.

The story of the game was that Ferda, one of the best free-throw shooters in conference history, didn't get to the line a single time, while the Lady Loggers went to the charity stripe 12 more times than Whitefish.

The Lady Bulldogs take on Livingston at 6:30 p.m. on March 6 in Hamilton to start the Class A state tournament.