JV girls drop a pair of games, freshman team splits

The junior varsity Vals lost to both Polson and Columbia Falls last week at home, 63-24 and 41-35, respectively.

Bigfork trailed Polson 25-14 at the half Tuesday night. The Vals scored just 10 points in the second half while Polson put up 38.

“We hung with them the first half and then our defense shut down,” said Bigfork JV girls basketball coach Mandy Williams. “We just didn’t come to play.”

Caitlin Charlebois and Miranda Miller led the Vals with seven and six points, respectively. Miller scored all of her points in the first quarter, which included a 3-pointer.

Friday night the Vals came out much stronger, posting 17 points in the first quarter and holding the Wildkats to six. But they let their lead slip away over the next three quarters. Bigfork posted just three points in the second, eight in the third and nine in the fourth and allowed Columbia Falls to score 10, then 16 and nine in the final period.

“They played much better this game,” Williams said. “They’re intensity level was much better.”

Charlebois was the high scorer of the game with 13 points, including two 3-pointers in the first quarter. Melissa VanDerveer and Kristen Woll each contributed six. VanDerveer’s points were all scored in the fourth quarter while she was a perfect six-of-six from the free-throw line. Holly MacFarlane scored five points for the Vals, all in the first quarter with a 3-pointer and a field goal.

“Holly played a good game,” Williams said. “She looked to be a scoring threat for us. She got into some foul trouble, but she made some adjustments and played really good defense for us the rest of the game. Kristen continues to play well for us. She plays hard and she does so many things so well.”

Bigfork’s freshman girls team had a little better luck this week, as they lost to Polson 39-32 and beat Columbia Falls 36-28.

In Tuesday’s game against Polson the Vals were behind 22-15 at the end of the first half. Bigfork outscored Polson 11-6 in the third, but in the fourth Polson outscored the Vals 11-6.

“We were slow to start,” said Bigfork freshman girls basketball coach Jim Epperly. “The freshman and JV dug themselves in a hole. Then we played some good ball. I think we had to expend so much energy to get back into the game that they had more energy than us at the end.”

VanDerveer and McKenzie Shults led Bigfork with nine and eight points, respectively. MacFarlane contributed six.

“They made a great come back,” Epperly said. “They hustled until they had nothing left. I was proud of them for that.”

On Friday Bigfork held a two point lead at half-time against Columbia Falls, 15-13. They stretched that lead in the third, as they put up 12 points and held Columbia Falls to eight. In the fourth the Vals scored another nine and the Wildkats posted seven.

“We got off to a better start,” Epperly said. “They were chasing us the whole game which was a nice change.”

Shults led Bigfork with 12 points, half of which she scored in the fourth quarter. Heather Lehrman added five points.

“Sara Keenan really hustled,” Epperly said. “She didn’t score a point or get a foul, but she played really hard defense.”