C-Falls girls edge Bigfork in OT

Challenge met, and for a little extra measure, she proved she's pressure tested as well.

Kelsey DeWit pulled down 17 rebounds, demonstrated clutch free throw shooting under fire and finished with a game-high 23 points in helping Columbia Falls edge two-time defending Northwestern A divisional champion Bigfork 55-53 in overtime Saturday night at Glacier High School in the championship game.

DeWit's two pressure-packed charity shots found nothing but net and broke a 53-all tie with 3.6 seconds. It also earned the Wildkats a trip to the Class A state tournament in Butte, which begins Thursday.

Bigfork had one final chance after DeWit's free throws, but a desperation shot from near the midcourt line fell short of the mark as the buzzer sounded. A rush of emotions and relief then set off a wild celebration for the Columbia Falls players and fans afterwards as it swept divisional titles on the final night of the tournament. The Columbia Falls boys started it all a couple hours earlier with a dominating 64-45 victory over Polson.

"I was so nervous," DeWit said of her game-winning free throws.

"I can win the game, this is it. (I just kept telling myself) I'm not gonna miss."

And she didn't.

DeWit also made one of two free throws with 32 seconds remaining, giving Columbia Falls a 53-51 advantage. But Bigfork quickly responded for the umpteenth time, tying it on a pull-up jumper by Mallery Knoll with 12.4 seconds to play. Knoll finished with 16 points.

"I was proud of the way my girls battled back," Bigfork coach Mark Hansen said.

"I never doubted (them). That's a tough team to match up with. I would have loved to have won it."

DeWit, a 6-foot-1 junior post, was a force inside, along with her sister Kayla DeWit, who finished with 14 points. Kelsey picked up 10 crucial points along the way off five offensive rebounds.

"That's what I challenged her to do," Columbia Falls coach Dan Fairbank said during the team's shoot-around earlier in the day.

"She had just two rebounds the night before. She's a great kid, she works so hard."

The DeWits accounted for all nine of the Wildkats points in overtime.

Columbia Falls, 14-7 overall, jumped out to an 11-1 led on the Valkyries in the first four minutes of play, but it was a struggle all the way for the regular-season champions.

Columbia Falls led just 13-10 after the opening quarter and 23-15 at the half. Bigfork finally tied the game at 45-all on a free throw by Kailey Fierro with 1:33 left in regulation.

Bigfork led for the first time at 46-45 when Knoll hit a free throw. That came with 38 seconds remaining.

Alyssa Ladenburg's free throw with 11.8 seconds remaining tied the game at 46-all and forced overtime. The Columbia Falls senior guard finished with seven points.

Roxy Thurman turned in a gritty performance for Bigfork before fouling out. She finished with 14 hard-earned points, but her hustle and determination helped Bigfork battle back.

Thurman twice left the game limping off the court and on the verge of tears, only to return both times.

"She gave me the nod (to go back in) and pulled on my pants," Hansen said of Thurman.

"She said she was ready to go. I told here 'I don't know.' But she said 'I wanna play."

Hansen said Knoll was just as inspirational for the team with her efforts on both ends of the floor.

"Huge game, huge tournament," he said.

"She got us going."

Hansen will be looking for more of that from his two standouts as they are back at Glacier High School on Monday for a challenge game with Polson. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to state.

Columbia Falls 13 10 13 10 9 - 55

Bigfork 10 5 15 16 7 - 53

COLUMBIA FALLS - McKenzie Reeve 2 0-0 4, Danielle Gilley 1 1-2 3, Brooke Cady 1 0-2 2, Kayla DeWit 6 2-4 14, Alyssa Ladenburg 2 3-8 7, Shay Grilley 1 0-0 2, Shiloh Knudsen 0 0-1 0, Kelsey DeWit 7 9-13 23. Totals: 20 15-30 55.

BIGFORK - Mallery Knoll 7 1-4 16, Quinci Paine 1 0-0 2, Quindee Averill 2 0-0 4, Roxy Thurman 4 5-8 14, Caitlin Charlebois 4 3-6 12, Kailey Fierro 1 3-6 5. Totals: 19 12-25 53.

3-point goals: Knoll, Thurman, Charlebois; Team fouls: Columbia Falls 20; Bigfork 24; Fouled out: Thurman.