Girls wallop Whitefish, Stevi to go 17-1

Talk about ending the regular season on a high note.

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team walloped Whitefish at home Thursday, 80-11 and Stevensville 87-33 on the road Saturday to end the regular season at 17-1 (6-0). Their only loss this year was to AA Missoula Sentinel on the road.

Against Whitefish the girls played stellar defense, holding the Lady Bulldogs to just six points in the first half.

Peyton Kehr led the team with 20, followed by Kiara Burlage with 17 and Cydney Finberg with 12.

Whitefish has yet to win a game this season. Against Stevensville, it was more of the same, as the Wildkats held the Lady Yellowjackets to just 11 points in the first half en route to the rout.

Dani Douglas had 24, Burlage had 15, Sydney Hovde had 17 and Kehr had 13. The Wildkats were 9 for 13 on threes and had 27 assists in the win. Douglas had 20 in the first half, Cydney Finberg had six rebounds and 10 assists.

“Our defense is what’s starting us,” coach Cary Finberg said. “Once we get some stops and steals, it’s leading to good offense.”

The competition gets tougher this week as they head into the Western A divisional tourney Wednesday at Hamilton. Dillon and Butte Central are both tied with 13-5 (6-2) records in the Southwest. The Kats open the tournament Wednesday against Hamilton at 2:30 p.m. and then will likely face Central at 3 p.m. on Friday. Central won the state A title over the Wildkats last season. The season is reset.

“Every team is zero and zero now,” Finberg said

He has confidence in the squad.

“A lot of different people are doing a lot of different things,” he said. This team doesn’t rely on one or two players, it has eight, nine that contribute every night.

In the broader picture, Hardin in the East also has a 17-1 record, with their only loss coming at the hands of Billings Central.

The state tournament this year is in Butte, March 2-4.