GIRLS BASKETBALL: Bravettes struggle in loss to C.M. Russell
Confidence can be a funny thing.
It’s hard to get it if you don’t have it, and often times the only way to get more of it is to have it in the first place.
And her Bravettes don’t have it, so coach Lisa Hendrickson is faced with quite the little conundrum.
Flathead enjoyed long stretches of strong play coupled with flurries of self-inflicted mishaps in a 51-37 loss at home to Great Falls C.M. Russell Saturday night in Class AA nonconference girls basketball action.
It’s been eight years since the Bravettes (3-6) had a winning season, and despite plenty of reasons to be optimistic about this year’s youthful team, Flathead is still struggling to find victories — especially the kind of victories that would breed a little confidence.
This game felt familiar, with one lopsided stretch of play — a 20-4 CMR run to start the second half — proving to be Flathead’s demise.
After the game, Hendrickson met with her team for more than 25 minutes as they talked about ways to turn their season around.
“I have so much confidence in them, we practice so hard,” Hendrickson said. “They’re ready for the payoff.
“They don’t have a lot of self-confidence and they don’t play the same way they practice. I’m not sure how we can find that, so it’s a matter of brainstorming together.”
Flathead was competitive throughout the first half and was within 24-22 at halftime. Early, the Bravettes were balanced — five different players scored in the first half — but the second half was a different story.
“We had a great first half, played well,” Hendrickson said. “We didn’t necessarily score well but we were playing within our means and good things were happening.
“We just get a little panicked.”
CMR (3-6) pressured Flathead all over the court and a Rustlers’ big second-half run was fueled by Flathead mistakes against that pressure. The Bravettes turned the ball over 25 times and at times the team looked visibly frustrated in the second half.
“How do you get that self-confidence?” Hendrickson said.
“I believe in you, so do you believe in your teammates? (We’ve had) those kinds of talks about having faith in each other and sticking to what we’ve got, because we play well for big streaks.”
The Rustlers went on a 13-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters to go ahead 44-26 and put the game away.
Tiana Johnson was nearly the entire Flathead offense in the second half. Johnson scored 10 of the Bravettes’ first 12 points after halftime, spanning a stretch that lasted deep into the fourth quarter.
Johnson finished with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead the way. The rest of the Flathead roster combined for 18 points. Johnson, a junior, has led the team in scoring in each of its nine games this season.
Addison Gardner was the offensive star for the Rustlers, matching Johnson for game-high honors with 19 points. Mady Skawinski added 13.
CMR went 17 for 23 from the free-throw line, while the Bravettes sank just 3 of 8 at the charity stripe. Flathead did make six 3-pointers in the game.
Freshman Taylor Henley made the first start of her career for Flathead and scored on the game’s first possession. She finished with four points.
Flathead hits the road Tuesday to take on Whitefish at 6 p.m. The Bravettes beat the Bulldogs, 56-35, at home earlier this season.
CMR 12 12 16 11 — 51
Flathead 8 14 4 11 — 37
CMR — Mady Skawinski 4 3-4 13, Courteney Shovlin 0 2-2 2, Addison Gardner 6 6-8 19, Courtney Schroeder 2 2-2 6, Cailey Froehle 1 0-0 3, Zuzu Rudio 1 0-0 2, Sam Payne 0 0-0 0, Eryn Frahm 0 0-1 0, Kayci Edwards 0 0-0 0, Kyra Willis 1 0-0 2, Briana Brown 0 4-6 4. Totals — 15 17-23 51.
FLATHEAD — Kylee Meredith 1 1-4 4, Sierra Siblerud 1 0-0 2, Kelsey Gillespie 0 0-0 0, Taylor Henley 2 0-0 4, Tiana Johnson 7 2-4 19, Mary Heaton 0 0-0 0, Cadelyn Nunn 2 0-0 6, Clara Vandenbosch 1 0-0 2, Allison Gagnon 0 0-0 0, Liz Lorentz 0 0-0 0, Taryn Gutierez 0 0-0 0. Totals — 14 3-8 37.
3-point field goals — CMR 4 (Skawinski 2, Gardner, Froehle), Flathead 6 (Johnson 3, Nunn 2, Meredith). Total fouls — CMR 11, Flathead 16. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.