Bravettes trip Wildkats, again
Hashley tallies 16 points in 55-39 victory
Quiet, but deadly.
Holli Hashley turned in 16 points and nine rebounds Thursday to help the Flathead Bravettes down an injury-depleted Columbia Falls Wildkat squad 55-39.
"She makes so many opportunities for herself - just the way she rebounds," said Flathead coach Dennis Latimer of the junior post.
The Wildkats (7-3, 2-1) were without the help of senior starters Lindsay Johnson and Bekah Stoltz, injured in a game last weekend.
And without those two, Columbia Falls had a tough time scoring.
The Bravettes (7-3, 4-1), on the other hand, got contributions all around.
They led from tip-off to closing horn.
Sophomore Chaeney Latimer opened the contest with a backdoor layup, then added a 3-pointer less than 20 seconds later.
Columbia Falls' Dani Herman scored at the 6:59 mark for 5-2. That was as close as the Wildkats got.
Flathead led 18-5 after the first period and 31-15 at half.
"We are going to struggle a little bit offensively right now," Wildkat coach Kris Salonen said.
"It was tough for Kris Salonen and her crew coming into this game without two of their starters," Latimer said.
"I thought they looked a little jumbled for awhile, but they played with a lot of heart and spirit."
The Wildkats showed that fight in the third quarter when they outscored the Bravettes 15-10 to climb within nine points.
"The kids came back in the second half," Salonen said. "They did really well. I was proud of them.
"Dani Herman stepped up so well for us," she said.
Herman scored a career-high 21 points, 10 in that third quarter.
"She had a career night against us - and rightly so," Latimer said. "She really played well."
Hashley quashed any comeback ideas the Wildkats and their fans may have harbored.
A pair of free throws in the first 10 seconds of the fourth, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play moments later put Flathead back up 46-32.
Other leaders for Flathead were Latimer with 11 points, Lindsay Bennett with eight rebounds and Amanda Lidstrom and Meghan O'Connell with five steals each.
"I thought Amanda Lidstrom did a great job," the coach said. "(Five steals) is a lot. She stepped in front of a lot of passes and took them out of what they were trying to do. She really works hard and I appreciate her effort tonight."
The good news for Columbia Falls is it finishes this week Saturday against Western AA Hellgate.
"This is a good week to be injured," Salonen said. "But we play Bigfork Tuesday."
It was originally thought Johnson was done for the year, but Salonen said the 5-8 forward may be able to return in the next two to four weeks.
"She's one of those kids with a big heart. She's going to try," the coach said.
Stoltz' status is more up in the air.
"Her ankle is good," Salonen said.
It's the dislocated shoulder that may hold her back.
Stoltz won two Class A state championships last spring - shot and discus. She may not want to take a chance with an injured shoulder.
"Track is important," Salonen said.
"She's going to have to be smart. We may not see Bekah again. It just depends.
"If we can get some things going offensively, we'll be all right," she added.
BRAVETTES 55, WILDKATS 39
Columbia Falls 5 10 15 9 - 39
Flathead 18 13 10 14 - 55
Columbia Falls - Callie Spencer 1 1-3 3, Amber Lampman 1 0-0 2, Jenna Toole 3 0-0 6, Kim Pearce 1 2-2 4, Jessica Davis 0 1-2 1, Dani Herman 7 7-10 21. Totals 13 13-23 39.
Flathead - Christina Zorn 0 3-3 3, Chaeney Latimer 4 0-0 11, Amanda Lidstrom 2 0-1 5, Holli Hashley 5 6-7 16, Meghan O'Connell 2 1-2 6, Lindsay Bennett 2 1-2 5, Kristina Ylinen 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 11-15 55.
3-point goals: Columbia Falls 0, Flathead 6 (Latimer 3, Lidstrom 1, O'Connell 1, Newgard 1). Total fouls: Columbia Falls 16, Flathead 17. Fouled out: None.