Lady Bulldogs hang with Columbia Falls
<p>Whitefish senior Taylor Havens puts up a running jump shot against Libby on Thursday during the first round of the divisional basketball tournament in Columbia Falls.</p>
The Lady Bulldogs might have missed out on the state tournament and tallied only a single win all season, but the team clearly finished the year on positive note.
Whitefish gave Columbia Falls all they could handle in the loser-out game of the divisional tournament last weekend before falling 48-33. The Lady Bulldogs held a 9-7 lead over the favored Kats after the first period and kept it close going into halftime.
Simone Craft knocked down a jumper and 3-pointer in the first quarter and added another trey to open the second. Senior Taylor Havens scored on a fastbreak and Shannon Craft converted in the post to make it 15-18.
Shannon Craft further closed the gap in the third with another short jumper to make it 18-22. Amanda Floey put in a jumper and Ashley Milliard knocked down a 3-pointer to keep the game within reach at the end of three quarters.
In the fourth, Havens sank a trey and Milliard hit another 3-pointer to make it a four-point game with five minutes on the clock.
“We gave them problems with the press,” Whitefish coach Sean Duff said. “But in the end we couldn’t get anything out of it.”
The Kats went on a run at the end after key players Shannon Craft and Ashlee Brewer fouled out.
Simone Craft led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points.
“I don’t think anybody had seen them play that hard,” Duff said. “We had an opportunity to win, we just fell a little bit short.”
Whitefish finished the season with one win coming against Libby, but Duff says there were some positives.
“It was tough in the win/loss column, but the kids take so much more out of the season than that.”
He calls this year’s seniors the best leaders he’s had.
“We’ll miss our seniors,” he said.
There is a bright future for the program, Duff says, with younger players moving up the ranks. He says Whitefish may take some knocks for another year, but the team is getting more competitive.
“We’ve got kids coming back with a lot of experience,” Duff said.
Col Falls 9 13 11 15 — 48
Whitefish 7 8 9 9 — 33
COLUMBIA FALLS — Ciera Finberg 1 3-5 5, Tori Price 1 0-0 2, Allie Dierenfield 1 2-2 4, Hope Burlage 2 6-10 10, Madison Sandefer 2 0-0 4, Cortney White 0 5-8 5, Winter Kemppainen 1 2-2 4, Haley Belgarde 7 0-3 14. Totals: 15 13-30 48.
WHITEFISH — Taylor Havens 2 0-0 5, Ashley Millard 2 0-0 6, Amanda Foley 1 0-2 2, Ashlee Brewer 1 2-4 4, Simone Craft 3 3-4 11, Melissa Poe 0 1-2 1, Shannon Craft 2 0-0 4. Totals: 11 6-12 33.
3-point goals: Havens, Millard (2), Si. Craft (2); Team fouls: Columbia Falls 12, Whitefish 21