Girls get huge win, two tough losses at state

Ormsby's free-throw lifts Whitefish to thrilling victory over Dillon

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

It all came down to nerves. The game was tied at 50 with 1.5 seconds left on the clock, the season on the line at the state tournament. A classic loser-goes-home-forever battle.

Whitefish's Amanda Ormsby had been fouled to the ground. Her first free-throw rattled off the rim. The Dillon fans let out a sigh of relief. Whitefish head coach Tim Olson paced the sideline, grinning but obviously emotionally drained. The girls on the Lady Bulldog bench clasped each other's hands. Some looked down, eyes closed, while others cheered on their teammate.

Ormsby had the fate of the 2007 Whitefish High School girls basketball season in her hands, literally. If the game goes to overtime, anything can happen. Whitefish could come away from the Class A tournament winless, and the locker room would be a somber place.

The referee handed Ormsby the ball again, and the gym went almost silent. It is safe to say there were Dillon fans wishing the Whitefish senior post some ill-will, to say the least. Ormsby looked up, dribbled the ball four times, as she always does, and let it fly.

Swish. Nothing but net, and the Whitefish fans went to their feet. Olson's tie flew in his face as he pumped his fists and jumped up and down. The Lady Bulldogs would live to fight another day.

"I was really nervous," Ormsby said. "I was just hoping that I could make at least one. Missing the first one really scared me. I guess I took a short walk to half court after I missed, but I don't remember it. I usually never do that, I had no idea I walked that far. When I took (the game-winning shot), it felt good when it left my hands, but I was kind of freaking out."

Whitefish didn't come away with any hardware, but they did get one last sweet victory at the Class A basketball state tournament in Hamilton over the weekend.

"The locker room was crazy after the game," Ormsby said. "We were all screaming. It was exciting, especially for us seniors. We didn't want to go home. All of us were playing really hard, because we wanted to redeem ourselves from Thursday. We just didn't come out to play against Livingston at all."

Friday afternoon's loser-out game against Dillon was a nail-biter, as both teams fought to keep their season alive. Whitefish's five seniors, Ormsby, Desiree Clarke, Chelsea Ray, Ashley Ferda and Dana Labuda, didn't want to end their careers without a win in the state tournament, and they played like it against the Lady Beavers.

The game was a back-and-forth struggle, with both teams getting into foul trouble. Ferda strained her knee in the second half, and the Lady Bulldogs went to the foul line 21 times. Clarke had four steals and six points. Ferda had a game-high 19 points. Ray had eight points, and Labuda had three.

Dillon fought to a 26-24 half-time lead, but Whitefish head coach Tim Olson was determined not to let his young squad give up.

"I was very proud of my kids," he said. "What you're looking for is to be playing your best basketball at the end of the season, and we were."

The Lady Bulldogs battled for a fourth-quarter lead, but the tenacious Lady Beavers kept fighting back. Finally, as the clock showed under a minute, Whitefish led 50-47.

Unbelievably though, Dillon junior Grace Zitzer converted a traditional 3-point play to force a tie with 35 seconds left. Whitefish then lost the ball, and the Beavers called a time-out to discuss their play.

But they never got the chance. Dillon's in-bounds pass sailed into the bleachers. Whitefish got the ball back, and Clarke launched a desperation shot from just inside the arc. It bounced off the rim, and Ormsby got the rebound. As she attempted the put-back, however, she was knocked to the ground. The rest is Lady Bulldogs history.

Ormsby missed all of last year with a knee injury, and she said her come-back season as a senior was one she won't forget.

"Being away from the game so long made me realize how much I miss basketball," she said.

"I couldn't be happier for the kid," Olson said of his senior's game-winning shot. "That's what you dream about as a coach. She worked her tail off to get back on the team."

On Friday, the Lady Bulldogs were beaten by Livingston 53-33. In Saturday's consolation game, Whitefish was eliminated from the tournament by Havre 43-51, but Friday afternoon's victory was the one the team will remember.

"This was the best season I've ever had by far," Ormsby said. "We had a great season, and we all really bonded well. It was a lot of fun for me."

Sunday:

Havre 9 14 17 11 - 51

Whitefish 11 16 9 7 - 43

Whitefish (14-10) — Klundt 4-7 2-2 10, Ferda 2-11 3-6 7, Labuda 0-1 2-2 2, Ray 4-8 3-6 11, Ormsby 3-6 3-7 9, Powell 0-1 0-0 0, Clarke 0-2 2-4 2, Cullen 1-2 0-0 2, Slaybaugh 0-1 0-0 0, FauntLeRoy 0-0 0-0 0, Nagler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-39 15-27 43.

Saturday:

Dillon 12 14 8 16 - 50

Whitefish 13 11 13 14 - 51

Whitefish (14-9) — Torie Powell 0-1 1-2 1, Kate Klundt 1-1 4-4 6, Ashley Ferda 7-14 2-4 19, Desiree Clarke 3-6 0-0 6, Dana Labuda 1-1 1-2 3, Chelsea Ray 3-7 2-2 8, Amanda Ormsby 2-5 4-7 8. Totals 17-35 14-21 51. 3-point goals —, WF 3-9 (Ferda 3-8, Ray 0-1). Rebounds — ,WF 23 (Ferda 7, Ormsby 6, Ray 2, Klundt, Clarke, Labuda, team 5).

Friday:

Whitefish 9 1 15 8 - 33

Livingston 9 10 18 16 - 53

Whitefish (13-9) — Torie Powell 0-1 0-0 0, Kate Klundt 3-10 5-9 11, Ashley Ferda 6-17 0-0 13, Desiree Clarke 0-4 0-0 0, Dana Labuda 0-1 0-0 0, Beth Donovan 1-1 0-0 2, Chelsea Ray 2-7 1-4 5, McCara Cullen 0-1 0-0 0, Amanda Ormsby 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 13-46 6-13 33.