Kats claw their way to victories over Bulldogs, Indians

They stayed perfect on the year, but it wasn’t easy.

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team squeaked past Whitefish Thursday at home 48-47 in what was a defensive struggle throughout.

Neither team could hold a lead and the game came down to the last few possessions. With about 15 seconds left the Bulldogs had a chance to win it with the Kats up by just one, but the Bulldog point guard was swarmed by the Wildkats before she could get a pass off.

She turned the ball over and the Kats were able to secure the victory.

Maddie Robison led the Kats with 19 and Grace Gedlaman came off the bench to score 11, including all eight of the Kats’ first-quarter points.

Freshman Hope McAtee had five, including a key three-pointer in the fourth.

The Kats had a better showing on the road against Browning Saturday, beating the Lady Indians 56-41.

The Kats were led by Hannah Schweikert with 15, Robison had 14 and Madysen Hoerner had nine. LaKia Hill had a solid game, with eight points, five boards and seven assists with just one turnover at the point. Robison also had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals against Browning.

She’s starting to round into form, Coach Cary Finberg noted, which is good to see.

Finberg was pleased with the defensive effort in both games.

He noted that against the Bulldogs, the Kats had 14 more shots, but only two more than what Whitefish shot went in. They also had 14 more free throws than the Bulldogs.

The Indians missed at least 15 three pointers while the Kats shot the ball better on the road.

The girls faced Ronan at home Tuesday after presstime and then are on the road Friday against Class B Eureka. They have another class A showdown against Hamilton at home Saturday at 4 p.m. Hamilton is undefeated in the Southwest A conference. Eureka is one of the top teams in Class B.

The flurry of tough opponents is what the team wants, Finberg said.

They enjoy the challenge, he noted.