Great Falls drops Flathead

A 12-2 Great Falls run to start the third quarter was enough to put away the Flathead Bravettes, who suffered a 56-47 nonconference loss in their Class AA season-opener at Flathead High School Saturday.

Great Falls’ Liz Klinker knocked down a three-pointer to spark the run and give Great Falls (1-1) a 26-24 lead. Jessia Keller, who scored 13 of her game-high 19 points after the break, followed with a 12-footer and a pair of free throws to extend the Bison run to 7.

By the time the dust settled at the end of the quarter, Flathead (0-1) trailed 40-30.

The Bravettes trailed by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter before a late surge cut their deficit to seven. While that effort was too late to change the game’s outcome, Flathead coach Karly Tait said she was proud her team didn’t give up.

“It was just that one little run in the third quarter that killed us,” Tait said. “But I think the rest of the time we played very, very hard.”

Flathead led 24-23 at the end of the second quarter, but its offense stalled after halftime. The Bravettes had three misses and two turnovers in their first five possessions of the third quarter, and scored just six points the entire period.

Flathead forward Emma Andrews attributed the Bravettes’ sluggish third quarter to fatigue.

“I think we started to get a little bit tired,” she said. “But in the fourth quarter we came back and gave it our all.”

Conversely, Great Falls sizzled after the break, scoring 17 points in the third quarter while shooting 52 percent in the second half.

With four starters listed at 5-foot-10 or taller — compared to one for Flathead — the Lady Bison used their height advantage to dominate the offensive glass. They also found gaps in Flathead’s 2-3 zone and converted multiple midrange jump shots.

“We need to work more on our zone,” Tait said. “That and boxing out, but those are things that we can tackle.”

Flathead’s Tana Fountain opened the fourth quarter with a 15-foot jumper, but Keller answered with a pair of transition layups to give Great Falls a 46-32 lead with 5 minutes and 28 seconds remaining.

After a Flathead timeout, Emily Russell sparked the Bravettes with nine points in the last five minutes. Russell’s offensive rebound and put-back cut Flathead’s deficit to 11 before Andrews scored a fast-break layup. Russell drew a foul and knocked down both free throws to make it 54-47, but Great Falls’ Mikaela Kynett sank a pair of free throws with 16.9 seconds left to end the 7-0 Flathead run.

Andrews and Russell each scored 15 points to lead the Bravettes. Fountain and Jessika Abbrescia each scored six.

Despite coming up short in the opener, Andrews said she’s optimistic about the rest of the season.

“I really think we can play as a team, and we definitely are all hard workers,” she said. “I’m just really excited for the season. All the girls on the team are all friends, so I think we can do really well.”

The Bravettes travel to Columbia Falls on Friday.

Great Falls 12 11 17 16 — 56

Flathead 13 11 6 17 — 47

GREAT FALLS - Liz Klinker 1-3 0-0 2, Taylor Kumm 0-3 0-0 0, Jessica Keller 8-9 3-3 19, Kelsey Delvin 3-6 1-1 7, Callee Remsen 3-10 0-2 6, Nora Klick 4-6 1-2 10, Mercedes Bourgeau 0-1 0-0 0, Mikaela Kynett 0-0 2-2 2, Markaela Francis 2-10 2-5 7, Darbi Fought 0-0 0-1 0. Totals: 21-48 9-16.

FLATHEAD - Emma Andrews 5-15 3-6 15, Dani Davis 0-2 2-2 2, Emily Russell 4-10 7-8 15, Jessika Abbrescia 2-6 2-4 6, Jenessa Heine 1-5 0-2 2, Tana Fountain 2-5 2-4 6, Payton Pietron 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 15-47 16-26.

3-pointers: Great Falls 2-13 (Klick, Francis), Flathead 2-5 (Andrews 2). Rebounds - Great Falls 39 (Keller 5, Klick 5, Kumm 4, Francis 4), Flathead 30 (Andrews 6, Abbrescia 4, Heine 4). Assists - Great Falls 2 (Klinker, Remsen), Flathead 3 (Andrews, Davis, Fountain). Blocks - Great Falls 0, Flathead 0. Steals - Great Falls 7 (Kumm 2, Remsen 2, Francis 2), Flathead 6 (Andrews 4, Davis 1, Russell 1). Turnovers - Great Falls 14, Flathead 17. Fouls - Great Falls 21, Flathead 17. Technical fouls - none. Fouled out - Abbrescia.