Girls nab first wins of the season

New year. Better results. The Columbia Falls girls basketball team got on a winning track last week, downing Libby and Eureka for their first wins of the season.

Last Thursday the girls got their first win of the season, downing Class B Eureka 57-19. Kayla DeWit scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds in the win. Point guard Dani Gilley also had a great game with six points, seven steals and eight assists and just two turnovers.

“She ran the floor super well,” said coach Dan Fairbank. “She played with confidence and took care of the ball.”

On Friday at home, the girls shot out to a 17-0 lead over the Loggers. But Libby battled back in the second quarter after a spat of Wildkat turnovers to cut the Kats’ lead to five early in the third quarter. Libby had a chance to make it just a three-point game after a Wildkat foul, but missed the free throws.

The Kats (2-4) then woke up in a big way and scored 14 points in the quarter. Kayla DeWit had 19 points in the victory. Hope Burlage also had a nice game with seven points.

“We played solid basketball for 2 1/2 quarters,” Fairbank said. He said they need to work their game up, so they’re playing hard buzzer-to-buzzer by the end of the season.

The girls travel to Ronan Friday and then face Whitefish away Saturday. The Whitefish game starts at 4:30 p.m.

“We’re going to see a lot of pressure,” Fairbank said. “It will be a good game.”

Col. Falls 16 12 21 8 - 57

Eureka 5 5 5 4 - 19

COLUMBIA FALLS - Kayla Stratton 3, Danielle Gilley 6, Kayla DeWit 26, Ali Lampman 3, Courtney White 2, Hope Burlage 4, Jonna Werner 6, Erin Hill 4, Shaun Rowe 3.

EUREKA - Mikayla Grove 9, Allyssa White 2, Brooke Williams 2, Cassidy Morgan 2, Kendra Chupp 2, Alex Holland 2.

Libby 0 13 4 5 - 22

Columbia Falls 17 5 14 6 - 42

LIBBY - Sheena Good 4, Alysha Martin 3, Jenny Gildin 12, Logan Best 2, Kim Tangen 1.

COLUMBIA FALLS - Kayla Stratton 2, Dani Gilley 5, Kayla DeWit 19, Allie Lampman 4, Hope Burlage 7, Jonna Werner 3, Shaun Rowe 2.