Wildkats earn trip to state tourney

Columbia Falls beats Libby in Northwestern A challenge game

The Daily Inter Lake

EUREKA - There's nothing like senior leadership and veteran poise to calm a coach's nerves in an important game. Just ask Columbia Falls High School girls basketball coach Kris Salonen.

Salonen's four healthy seniors combined for 42 points Monday night as the Wildkats handled Libby 57-46 in a Northwestern A challenge game to clinch a berth in next month's Class A state tournament in Belgrade.

The game was necessary because Libby and Columbia Falls did not face each other in last week's Northwestern A divisional tournament in Eureka. Bigfork won the tournament, earning one of the conference's two state berths, leaving the Lady Loggers and Wildkats squared off with the league's second state spot on the line.

Senior guard Callie Spencer had 20 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists to lead Columbia Falls, which split two regular-season contests with Libby. The Wildkats beat the Lady Loggers soundly in Columbia Falls on Jan. 4, but Libby edged them at home by one point three weeks ago.

"I definitely think we felt like we had something to prove - that we deserve to go to state," Spencer said. "(Libby is) a good team, but we've worked very hard to get where we are."

Senior guard Mary Nolan scored 11 points for Columbia Falls while senior Jessica Boyer added nine on three treys. Senior Amber Lampman's bucket gave the Wildkats a 10-point lead with 6:21 left in the second quarter.

Columbia Falls junior Sam Ladenburg came off the bench to notch nine points and a game-high eight boards, and junior Alyssa Ladenburg added four points and a team-high three assists.

"Those six kids are just so competitive and they play so well together," said Salonen of the Ladenburgs and her seniors. "I told the kids today, 'We all want this and there's not one person in here that wants it more than anybody else, but seniors, this is it for you.'"

Spencer said the Wildkats did nothing special in their rubber match with the Lady Loggers. They simply displayed the improvement they've made since their loss in Libby.

"We're a different team than we were before, so we didn't even watch our last film because our coaches have said we've come really far from the last time we played them," Spencer said. "We just looked to run the floor. Our team conditions a lot, and so we look to push it up."

According to Salonen, the decision to not have the Wildkats watch video of their last outing with Libby was an easy one.

"I was watching the tape and I thought, 'We're going to get nothing out of watching that game tape today other than to make us feel we can't beat them,'" Salonen said. "I just didn't want them to feel that way."

The guard-oriented Wildkats came out gunning against the taller, but much younger Lady Loggers. Columbia Falls led 31-20 at halftime and 48-35 after three quarters before drastically slowing their tempo in the final frame.

Salonen said Columbia Falls' objective in the fourth quarter was to simply "take care of the ball."

The Wildkats committed just 14 turnovers all game and stifled Libby with man-to-man defense.

But Libby was never blown away. Freshman Jackie Mee led the Lady Loggers with 19 points, and sophomore Brittany Martin scored 10. Martin's second 3-pointer pulled Libby within 36-33 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.

"This is as proud as I've been of a group," said Libby coach Jim May. "They overachieved and had a shot to go to state - had it down to three points in the third quarter. Things were going good, but (the Wildkats are) a team you've got to play four quarters against. You've got to play four quarters against them and we didn't, and they put us at arm's length again and kept us away."

The Lady Loggers played just one senior (Ashley Brossman) and started three juniors along with Mee and Martin. They finish 11-12.

"We had sophomores, freshmen out there under pressure situations that two years ago were playing junior high ball," May said. "Of course it's a character builder. Hopefully we can draw on that experience in the offseason before our season starts up again, so I'm excited."

Salonen wasn't thrilled about playing a challenge game after finishing second in the conference with a 10-2 record, but she managed to find a positive in it.

"The biggest thing is we are heading into state with a win," Salonen said. "We're coming off a win - that's a big deal. We didn't win the championship, but we came off with a win, so we're going to hopefully carry that momentum into the tournament."

The Wildkats take a 15-7 record to Belgrade after losing three games to Class AA teams and two to Bigfork.

"I'm not really sure what to expect down at state, but we're definitely looking to compete," Spencer said. "It's not just a long shot, Hail Mary shot that we got to state."

Columbia Falls' shot at a state championship might be even better if not for the loss of 5-foot-10 senior Beth Karper, whose season ended last month with a torn ACL.

"I'll say this about Columbia Falls: They lost one of their best players to a knee injury pretty late in the season - their tallest player and a pretty athletic kid - and they're going to state," May said. "I just give all the credit to coach Salonen and her girls because that can be devastating to a team, but they overcame it and that's to be commended.

Libby 9 11 15 11 - 46

Columbia Falls 17 14 17 9 - 57

LIBBY (11-12) - Brooke Hageness 0-1 2-2 2, Holly Cirian 2-4 0-0 5, Korey Kulbeck 0-2 0-0 0, Brittany Martin 4-12 0-1 10, Laice Dedrick 2-6 4-7 8, Jackie Mee 6-11 5-5 19, Ashley Brossman 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 14-36 13-17 46.

COLUMBIA FALLS (15-7) - Jylisa Fields 0-1 0-0 0, Callie Spencer 7-13 6-6 20, Amber Lampman 1-2 0-1 2, Jessica Boyer 3-6 0-0 9, Mary Nolan 2-4 7-10 11, Alyssa Ladenburg 2-5 0-2 4, Sarah Marcille 1-1 0-0 2, Sam Ladenburg 4-6 1-3 9. Totals 20-38 14-22 57.

3-point goals - Lib. 5-16 (Cirian 1-2, Martin 2-7, Mee 2-7), CF 3-6 (Fields 0-1, Boyer 3-5). Rebounds - Lib. 16 (Martin 4, Dedrick 4, Hageness 2, Cirian 2, Mee 2, Brossman 1, Nichole Newman 1), CF 22 (S. Ladenburg 8, Spencer 6, Lampman 3, A. Ladenburg 2, Fields 1, Boyer 1, Nolan 1). Assists - Lib. 8 (Martin 4, Hageness 2, Dedrick 1, Mee 1), CF 9 (A. Ladenburg 3, Spencer 2, Fields 1, Lampman 1, Boyer 1, Nolan 1). Steals - Lib. 9 (Hageness 2, Cirian 2, Martin 2, Dedrick 2, Sperry Robinson 1), CF 9 (Spencer 4, Fields 2, Lampman 1, Nolan 1, A. Ladenburg 1). Blocks - Lib. 0, CF 0. Turnovers - Lib. 19, CF 14. Total fouls - Lib. 19, CF 17. Fouled out - none.