Belgarde guides Kats past Valkyries
COLUMBIA FALLS — Paced by senior Hailey Belgarde’s game-high 15 points, Columbia Falls defeated Bigfork 42-35 for a nonconference girls basketball win on Thursday night.
After outscoring the Valkryie 15-5 in the first quarter, where Belgarde scored the Wildkats first six points and grabbed four rebounds, Bigfork played from behind the rest of the contest.
Columbia Falls started the game off in a 2-3 zone and switched between a 1-3-1, both of which stifled the Valkyrie early in the game.
“Cydney [Finberg] had five steals and a lot of deflections and caused them a lot of problems up top,” Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg said. “I thought Ellie Johnson played a very good game at the bottom of our 1-3-1. She worked her tail off for us.”
Bigfork junior Riley Coleman hit her second three-pointer of the half with just under two-minutes to play in the second quarter, and junior Josie Spoklie’s field goal cut the deficit to seven as Columbia Falls lead 21-14 at the half.
The Wildkats kept their distance from Bigfork for the duration of the third quarter. After Lana Berg’s put-back and a Coleman free throw gave the Valkyries some momentum, Columbia Falls guard Ciera Finberg made it a 10-point game with a 18-footer from the right corner.
Belgarde hit two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in the third to extend the lead to 11, but Valkyries sophomore Miranda Campbell caught an offensive rebound and got a shot off just before the buzzer to make it a 35-26 game, heading into the final period of play.
Bigfork carried the momentum of Campbell’s buzzer-beater into the fourth quarter and turned up the defensive pressure. Junior guard Marissa Hiza stole an errant Wildkat pass and took it coast-to-coast for a lay-up to trail by five.
After a Wildkat basket, she hit a three-pointer on the following possession and Bigfork trailed by four with four minutes to play.
It was the smallest deficit Bigfork faced since the first quarter as Hiza finished with a team-high nine points.
“We worked on it this week, trying to get ball movement, and I was proud of them for that,” Bigfork coach Mark Hansen said.
“They’re shooting the ball well and they need to take that confidence into each game,”
Columbia Falls stood strong and answered the Valkyrie surge with four more points from Belgarde and a Cydney Finberg free throw to hold on for the victory.
“We needed a game like tonight where we were challenged a little bit and I thought the kids responded and did a nice job of keeping their poise,” coach Finberg said.
Lana Berg grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Valkyrie to go along with her six points.
“She’s an athlete; she runs and jumps really well. She does a nice job and I thought her and Tessa [Robertson] each had a great second half,” Hansen added.
Bigfork (11-4) will face Troy at home on senior night tonight at 6 p.m.
Columbia Falls (13-1) travels to Polson for a Northwestern A match-up at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Bigfork 5 9 12 9 — 35
Columbia Falls 15 6 14 7 — 42
BIGFORK — Marissa Hiza 9, Riley Coleman 7, Mattison McAnally 3, Lana Berg 6, Josie Spokie 2, Kallister Meagher 2, Tessa Robertson 4, Miranda Campbell 2.
COLUMBIA FALLS — Ciera Finberg 5, Cydney Finberg 5, Ellie Johnson 2, Andrea Getts 4, Winter Kemppainen 8, Miranda Livingston 1, Allyson Gimbel 2, Hailey Belgarde 15.