Lady Bulldogs stifle Lady Loggers down the stretch

After watching the Lady Loggers storm back from an eight-point halftime deficit, the Lady Bulldogs knew it was time to take a stand - a long one.

The Whitefish High School girls' basketball team used stingy fourth-quarter defense to edge Libby 52-45 on Friday night in semifinal action at the Northwestern A divisional tournament at Glacier High School.

Whitefish (13-7) earned a spot in tonight's 6 o'clock championship game against Bigfork, while Libby (13-6) heads to today's 9 a.m. loser-out contest against Ronan at Flathead High School.

The Lady Bulldogs held the Lady Loggers to five points in the final 7 minutes, 23 seconds after Libby took a 40-39 lead on consecutive 3-pointers by Brooke Hageness and Jackie Mee.

Libby led 10-7 late in the first quarter, but Whitefish used a 23-12 run to close the first half with a 30-22 advantage and a sense of control.

Another dramatic finish wasn't surprising, however, considering the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Loggers split a pair of regular-season nail-biters.

Whitefish's Kate Klundt had a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Ashley Ferda with 15 points and six boards. Chelsea Ray added nine points, while Amanda Ormsby tossed in six.

Mee hit three 3-pointers en route to a team-high 14 points, but the Lady Bulldogs kept Northwestern A's leading scorer quiet after her go-ahead trey. Whitefish regained the lead for good, 41-40, on a pair of Klundt free throws, and Ferda's 3-pointer with 4:51 remaining gave the Lady Bulldogs a two-possession lead, 44-40, that they never relinquished.

Libby's balanced attack featured 10 points by Brittany Martin, eight by Laice Dedrick and seven by Hageness. But the Lady Loggers scored just three points after the 4:08 mark.

"We talked about it in the pregame that defense was going to win us this ball game," Whitefish coach Tim Olson said. "It certainly paid off there in those last four minutes. To shut that ball club down, that's just unbelievable defense."

Libby used an 8-0 run to stage its final lead, but Whitefish answered with a 7-0 spurt, capped by a Desiree Clarke layup. According to Olson, the Lady Bulldogs weren't surprised or fazed that they had to battle back down the stretch.

"There are a bunch of veteran players on my ball club," Olson said. "We knew they were going to make a run.

"Any great shooter like Jackie Mee is going to have a chance to get her team back in the ball game. We just had to stay with her. We lost track of her a couple times, and you just can't do that against a shooter like Jackie Mee."

Libby's defense was typically solid, too, holding Whitefish to just 16 field goals, including seven after halftime.

"(Libby coach) Jim May is a class act," Olson said. "He's got a great program. He had us confused a few times, threw a bunch of different looks at us.

"We weathered the storm, we got through it. We kept our composure there in the last four minutes, and then we shut them down defensively."

Whitefish now looks to do what no Northwestern A team has done this season: beat Bigfork. The Valkyries (18-1) reached their second straight divisional championship game with a 60-45 victory over Polson in Friday's other semifinal.

Bigfork beat Whitefish twice in the regular season, but the teams' second meeting came down to the wire.

"We're going to enjoy this (win) for about an hour tonight," Olson said. "We know what Bigfork does, we know what they're all about, and it's time to just take one more shot at them.

"They're a quality ball club, and we're glad to have the opportunity to play in the championship game."

Whitefish 14 16 9 13 - 52

Libby 10 12 12 11 - 45

WHITEFISH (13-7) - Kate Klundt 5 6-9 16, Ashley Ferda 3 6-7 15, Desiree Clarke 2 0-0 4, Dana Labuda 1 0-0 2, Chelsea Ray 3 2-2 9, Amanda Ormsby 2 2-5 6. Totals 16 16-23 52.

LIBBY (13-6) - Brooke Hageness 3 0-0 7, Holly Cirian 1 0-0 2, Korey Kulbeck 2 0-0 4, Brittany Martin 4 1-3 10, Laice Dedrick 4 0-0 8, Jackie Mee 5 1-4 14. Totals 19 2-7 45.

3-point goals - WF 4 (Ferda 3, Ray), Lib. 5 (Mee 3, Hageness, Martin). Total fouls - WF 15, Lib. 20. Fouled out - Hageness.

Bigfork 60, Polson 45

The Valkyries are back in the championship game, but it wasn't easy.

Bigfork needed a big second half to pull away from Polson in a semifinal contest.

Bigfork led 28-25 at the half and took a 48-38 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

"It's very scary to lose the semi because if you lose that one, you can win them all and not make it to state," Bigfork coach Nate Hammond said.

"Polson shot very well. They had four 3-pointers in the first half. They were shooting the ball really well."

Alyssa Fierro led the way for Bigfork with 20 points. Avery Vogel tallied nine of her 14 points for the Valkyries in the third period.

Vogel also finished with eight assists.

Bigfork will face Whitefish in the divisional final today at 6 p.m.

Polson 8 17 13 7 - 45

Bigfork 9 19 20 12 - 60

Polson - Jessica Buckless 2 0-0 6, Amanda James 1 2-3 5, Rochelle Woods 2 0-0 6, Breanne Kelley 1 0-0 2, Merilee Mowbray 6 4-8 16, Nicole Davey 1 0-0 2, Sierra Pete 0 0-2 0, Sarah Newton 4 0-0 8. Totals: 17 6-13 45.

Bigfork - Hattie Bowen 3 1-3 7, Avery Vogel 4 5-6 14, Roxy Thurman 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Fierro 8 4-5 20, Kailey Fierro 2 1-2 5, Jaylee Haveman 6 0-0 12. Totals: 24 11-16 60.

3-point goals: Buckless (2), James, Woods (2); Vogel; Team fouls: Polson 17, Bigfork 13; Fouled out: None.