Stretch run keys Valkyries

BIGFORK - With Bigfork and Columbia Falls locked in a war of attrition, whichever team got hot late was going to walk away victorious. And on the strength of a 10-0 fourth-quarter run, the Valkyries were able to push a three-point advantage to double digits and won 46-35 over the Wildkats on Tuesday night.

Both offenses were as stagnant as a Florida swamp so the Vals crashed the boards throughout, grabbing 20-plus offensive rebounds. In one minute-long stretch, Bigfork hauled in six straight offense boards, converting them into five points to go up 46-33 with 1:30 remaining.

"We gave up way too many offensive rebounds, and we were giving away the inside position on defense," Wildkats coach Kris Salonen said.

With 6-foot-3 sophomore Alyssa Fierro dominating the glass, the Vals outrebounded the Kats 42-27. Fierro had 20 rebounds (10 offensive), to go along with 10 points and five blocked shots.

"It's nice having her (Fierro) down there, especially defensively," Bigfork coach Nate Hammond said. "With her down low, we're able to extend the defense and get more into the passing lanes."

Fierro got going early, rebounding her own shot and

getting the put-back to put the Vals up 6-0 midway

through the first quarter. Just over a minute later

she grabbed two straight on the offensive glass and

found Carly Hilley, who sank a wide-open 3-pointer to

put the Vals up 9-2. They led 15-5 after the opening

quarter.

Fierro got another rebound and put-back to put Vals up

17-11, then she made her presence known on defense,

netting two straight emphatic blocks as the Bigfork

faithful shouted "Seven-footer."

"It's great to be known as the 'seven-footer,'" Fierro

said. "We take a lot of pride in our defense here."

But it was the Kats' D that made the biggest showing

in the second quarter, keying a 9-2 run that was

capped by Jessica Boyer's first trey and giving

Columbia Falls its first lead at 20-19. Boyer was one

of three players who led the Kats with six points.

Amber Lampman and Jessica Davis also netted six.

"Our defense really got us back into the game,"

Salonen said. "We had a chance to win, but we have to

learn to finish games."

Breana Brendsel led the Vals with a game-high 13

points, while sophomore Jaylee Haveman came off the

bench to score nine.

"Breana did a nice job in the paint, and Jaylee had

some key baskets for us," Hammond said. "It was nice

to have some players step up."

Bigfork was able to win despite the loss of leading

scorer Mary Hall, who tore her meniscus on Saturday

and is expected to miss at least six weeks. The Vals

are now 8-4 overall and 5-1 in Northwestern A play.

Columbia Falls, 1-4 and 5-7, plays at Ronan on Friday.

VALKYRIES 46, WILDKATS 35

Columbia Falls 5 15 11 4 - 35

Bigfork 15 6 13 12 - 46

Columbia Falls - Callie Spencer 1 3-4 5, Amber Lampman

2 2-4 6, Jessica Boyer 2 0-0 6, Alyssa Ladenburg 2 0-1

4, Beth Karper 2 0-3 4, Jessica Davis 3 0-0 6, Kate

Marcille 2 0-0 4. Totals: 14 5-12 35.

Bigfork - Hattie Bowen 0 3-6 3, Whitney Wilson 3 0-0

6, Carly Hilley 2 0-0 5, Breana Brendsel 5 3-5 13,

Alyssa Fierro 4 2-5 10, Jaylee Haveman 4 1-2 9.

Totals: 18 9-18 46.

3-point goals: Columbia Falls 2 (Boyer 2), Bigfork 1

(Hilley). Total fouls: Columbia Falls 17, Bigfork 12.

Fouled out: Karper.