Valkyries get back at Loyola

BIGFORK - Caitlin Charlebois and the Bigfork Valkyries might not say it, but they clearly remember a certain Saturday night from late last February.

In the Western B divisional girls basketball title game on Feb. 28, the Vals let a 3-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter and lost the division crown to Loyola Sacred Heart, 42-41.

This Saturday night wasn't for any championships, but the Bigfork girls still exacted a little early-season revenge.

Bigfork's returning all-state guards, Charlebois and Mallery Knoll, each scored 13 points, Taylor Peck had seven and the Vals dealt the Breakers their first loss of the season with a 59-48 victory.

Bigfork (3-1) led the game every minute but the first thanks to a quickness advantage that overcame Loyola's size advantage.

"It was nice to get a win. We knew we wanted this game," Charlebois, one of five Bigfork seniors, said. "We just shared the ball, bottom line. We connected and made the passes we needed to and at the end there when we could have let go, we knew what we had to do and we did it."

With a well-rounded group of girls that seem to excel in any number of sports depending on the season, Bigfork was a model display of chemistry, which resulted in an impressive 20-point first quarter.

Speed doesn't hurt either.

"Bigfork is quick. I knew that and they were quick last year," Loyola coach Randy Stobb said. "I've watched some of these girls run track in the spring, and they're going to just get quicker. So we expected that."

McKinze Schults and Quinci Paine chipped in seven points apiece for the Vals and Melissa VanDerveer and Kate Lamm each had five.

"The girls did a nice job. They knocked down some shots and I thought we really moved the ball today real well," Bigfork coach Mark Hanson said. "That's what we knew we needed to do against a much bigger team. We won't see many teams that we match up with size-wise, but the girls are really competitive. We just need to work out some kinks but I think we can be tough to beat."

Bigfork, with six girls who have three years of solid varsity experience, is off to another strong start like last year. Last season, the Vals went undefeated in District 7B and advanced to a state tournament for the third-straight season with a 19-4 record. The team lost out in two postseason games, but returns the core of that squad.

"So far so good," Charlebois said. "I think we're coming together every game and getting there. I'm happy."

Loyola 15 13 10 10 - 48

Bigfork 20 10 15 14 - 59

LOYOLA - Kim Tirrell 1 0-0 2, Alex Anderson 3 5-14 11, Maggie Crippen 1 0-0 2, Kiernan Haggarty 2 1-2 5, Taylor Galiher 2 0-0 4, Maddie Keast 1 0-0 2, Maddie Mansch 1 2-2 4, Ashley Medeiros 6 6-9 18. Totals 17 14-25 48.

BIGFORK - Mallery Knoll 6 0-0 13, McKinzie Shults 3 1-2 7, Quinci Paine 3 1-1 7, Taylor Peck 2 4-4 9, Melissa VanDerveer 2 1-1 5, Caitlin Charlebois 3 5-9 13, Kate Lamm 2 1-2 5. Totals 21 13-19 59.

3-pointers - LSH 0, BF 4 (Charlebois 2, Knoll, Peck); Team fouls - LSH 16, BF 18; Fouled out - Peck.