GIRLS BASKETBALL: Missoula Sentinel runs away from Bravettes
“You can’t eat the elephant with one bite.”
Wisdom from the mouth of Flathead coach Lisa Hendrickson, delivered to her team during Saturday’s game, although it may as well have been the message leading into the contest.
After all, the Bravettes were sitting in front of a giant elephant indeed — undefeated Missoula Sentinel — and hoping to win their first Western AA conference game since February 2013.
“You’ve got to take little chunks out,” the metaphor continued.
And early on, Flathead was doing just that. Down three points at the end of one quarter, Tiana Johnson converted a three-point play early in the second to tie the score at 13.
Then, in an instant, the elephant ran away.
Shannon Worster ripped off a personal 9-0 run — seven of which came over a 40 second span — to put the Spartans ahead by double-figures and Sentinel went on to roll over Flathead, 63-39.
“There’s lots of positives, we did some really good things,” Hendrickson said after the game.
“We just have to learn from the mistakes that we have and not let runs get so deep. We got into a deep hole and it’s really hard to dig out of a deep hole like that.”
Sentinel (7-0, 2-0 Western AA) bookended the first and second half with a 32-8 run and used full-court pressure defense to force 29 Bravettes turnovers, many of which led to transition baskets.
“They’re going to press and they’re going to use their press the entire game,” Hendrickson said.
“We know that and we know the pressure but when you have turnovers that are in a row, all of a sudden it’s a 10-point difference, then you’re down 20.
“It’s a matter of runs and we need to handle the ball better and handle the pressure better.”
Despite the lopsided final score, Hendrickson saw plenty of things she liked in her team’s performance, and when the Bravettes (3-5, 0-2) were not turning the ball over they played right with Sentinel when it was allowed to become a half-court game.
Johnson just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Sierra Siblerud added six points for Flathead. Kylee Meredith had a stat-stuffing five-point, five-rebound, seven-assist, four-steal game, but was also credited with 10 turnovers.
Worster, who was averaging 17 points per game coming in, was limited to just two free throws in the first quarter but wound up with 19 points in total, thanks in part to her second period flurry. Kylie Frolich added 12 in the win.
While Flathead has dropped each of its first two conference games, Hendrickson reminded her players that those games came against two of the league’s elites.
“We’re at the beginning of the season,” she said.
“Now you know where you’re at and you know what you have to do to get there if you want to get there.”
Flathead has six days off before hosting Great Falls C.M. Russell on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Sentinel 13 22 13 15 — 63
Flathead 10 8 12 9 — 39
SENTINEL — Shelby Schweyen 2 1-2 5, Kylie Frolich 6 0-4 12, Jordyn Schweyen 3 0-0 7, Shannon Worster 8 2-2 19, Bronwyn McCormick 1 0-4 2, Brittany Delridge 3 0-1 6, Grace Stayner 0 0-0 0, Kayla Daily 3 0-0 6, Emma Blakeley 1 2-4 4, Jadyen Mueller 0 2-3 2, Lauren Bingham 0 0-0 0. Totals — 27 7-20 63.
FLATHEAD — Kylee Meredith 2 0-1 5, Sierra Siblerud 3 0-0 6, Kelsey Gillespie 2 1-2 5, Tiana Johnson 5 3-5 14, Liz Lorentz 0 0-0 0, Cadelyn Nunn 1 0-0 3, Allison Gagnon 1 1-5 3, Taylor Henley 1 1-3 3, Kylee Beccari 0 0-2 0. Totals — 15 6-18 39.
3-point field goals — Sentinel 2 (J. Schweyen, Worster), Flathead 3 (Meredith, Nunn, Johnson). Total fouls — Sentinel 16, Flathead 16. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None. Records — Sentinel (7-0, 2-0 Western AA), Flathead (3-5, 0-2).