Vals take conference opener

Bigfork scores 21 points in first quarter to down Libby

BIGFORK - Defending a title is never easy, but a fast start goes a long way.

The Bigfork High School girls' basketball team used an explosive first quarter Tuesday night to beat Libby 50-35 in the Northwestern A opener for both teams.

Alyssa Fierro scored nine of Bigfork's 21 points in the opening frame as the Valkyries staked themselves to an 11-point lead before finding themselves in a defensive struggle.

It was a satisfying victory for the Valkyries, who won the conference championship last winter, but opened the season by splitting two games at last weekend's Northwestern A vs. Southwestern A Tip-off Tournament.

"We were pretty concerned about whether or not we could come out and play with some intensity tonight," Bigfork coach Nate Hammond said. "I think we played better than we did last weekend, which is good.

"Libby came out and gave us some good pressure defense, and that was good for us. We need to learn to handle that."

The 6-foot-2 Fierro led the Valkyries with 17 points, followed by Hattie Bowen with 10, Jaylee Haveman with eight and Charlene Miller with six.

Bowen drained a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, but Bigfork did most of its damage inside, controlling the offensive glass and denying Libby's passes in the paint.

"We really pride ourselves on defense, so defending the paint is really important," said Bigfork point guard Avery Vogel, whose first-quarter bucket gave the Valkyries a 12-3 lead.

"We didn't play so well at the tip-off tournament, so we really had something to prove to ourselves and to everyone else who had been watching us."

"It wasn't a game plan, that's where we naturally try to go," Hammond said of feeding the ball inside. "That's where the easiest place to make a shot is, so if we can get that on offense, that's what we're looking for first.

"It's easier said than done to take it away defensively. If we can knock down a few outside shots like we did in the first half, that helps loosen it up a little for us."

Jackie Mee scored 13 points to lead the Lady Loggers, who made just 10 shots from the field, but kept within striking distance by shooting 11-for-15 at the free-throw line.

Brittany Martin drained three treys en route to 10 points as the Lady Loggers pulled within 41-33 with 3:43 left in the game.

"We had a stretch there … where they hit a couple 3s on us and got right back in it," Hammond said. "That cushion we built in the first quarter really helped. We would have been behind had we not had that."

But each time Libby clawed back, Bigfork clamped down on defense, harassing shooters and passers alike.

"We're trying to make a pass, and the girl guarding the ball touches the ball," Libby coach Jim May said. "That's something that we have to be able to control. It's a real good indicator that we're on our heels, we're not playing aggressively, we're not attacking gaps against zones."

Laice Dedrick and Holly Cirian rounded out Libby's scoring, totaling seven and five points, respectively.

May said the Valkyries gave the Lady Loggers fits with fast breaks last season, but Tuesday's first-quarter woes were due to Libby's own mistakes.

"It was just missed assignments and kids not in the right spots and not executing defenses correctly," May said. "And that's frustrating because it's something you can control so much."

While the conference opener guarantees nothing for the victor or the loser, the Valkyries served notice that they are a force to reckon with on both ends of the floor.

"I think if I won the game I'd make a bigger deal of it, obviously," May joked, "but we've got a lot of basketball left. We wanted to come up here and win tonight, and we just didn't give ourselves the right kind of opportunities to do it.

"Sometimes there's a reason why you can't get a shot up. Their defense is good, too."

Libby 10 12 5 8 - 35

Bigfork 21 12 6 11 - 50

LIBBY (1-2, 0-1) - Jackie Mee 3 7-8 13, Holly Cirian 2 0-0 5, Brittany Martin 3 1-2 10, Laice Dedrick 2 3-5 7. Totals 10 11-15 35.

BIGFORK (2-1, 1-0) - Alyssa Fierro 7 3-4 17, Hattie Bowen 4 0-0 10, Charlene Miller 2 2-3 6, Avery Vogel 1 0-2 2, Roxy Thurman 0 3-4 3, Jaylee Haveman 3 2-8 8, Kailey Fierro 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 10-21 50.

3-point goals - Lib. 4 (Martin 3, Cirian), BF 2 (Bowen 2). Total fouls - Lib. 15, BF 12. Fouled out - none.