Kats drop Whitefish, Libby; host Indians
Despite an elbow to the gut, Alexa Friske drops a shot against the Bulldogs.
The Columbia Falls girls basketball team got two key conference road wins last week, dropping Whitefish Tuesday 55-28 and Libby 55-12 Thursday.
The Wildkats were led by Kierra Kemppainen with 10 points against the Loggers, while Onnikka Lawrence had 14 to lead the team against Whitefish.
The girls outscored Libby 22-2 in the first quarter and held Whitefish to just 10 points in the second half.
The wins draw the Kats to .500 for the first time this season, at 8-8 overall and 6-4 in conference play. The goal, coach Jeremy Grilley noted previously, is to win out the regular season, which would assure them second place in the conference and a better seeding in the divisional tourney.
The big test is against Browning Friday night at home. The Indians bested the Kats earlier this season 71-54 in Browning.
The Browning game is a “must win” Grilley noted. The road to Saturday night at the divisional tourney is much easier as a second seed than as a fourth.
As far as last week’s games, Grilley was pleased with defensive effort.
“We took our defense to another level,” he said. “Our help side has gotten a lot better, making things tough for the teams we’re playing.”