BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Bravettes drop nail-biter; Polson boys stay unbeaten in Northwest A
Flathead led at the end of each of the first three quarters but stumbled in the final period, suffering a heartbreaking 49-48 loss at home against Missoula Hellgate in Western AA conference girls basketball play on Saturday afternoon.
The Bravettes (4-8 overall, 0-4 league) led 38-34 going into the fourth quarter but were outscored 15-10 in the final eight minutes.
The two teams played a designated nonconference game on Jan. 2 in Missoula, a contest the Knights won 50-33.
Kylee Meredith led Flathead with 11 points, marking the first time in 12 games this season Tiana Johnson was not the Bravettes’ leading scorer. Meredith knocked down three of Flathead’s six made 3-pointers.
Johnson and Mary Heaton each scored eight in a losing effort. Heaton, a sophomore, had scored only seven points all season before Saturday’s game.
Syd Riddle paced Hellgate (8-4, 3-2) with a game-high 15 points. Kylie McWilliams added 12 and Kaci Paffhausen scored 10.
The Bravettes continue conference play Friday when they host Helena at 7:30 p.m.
Hellgate 9 15 10 15 — 49
Flathead 10 18 10 10 — 48
HELLGATE — Syd Riddle 15, Kylie McWilliams 12, Kaci Paffhausen 10, Kaila Olson 4, Darby Henthorn 3, Claudia Wiese 2, Katie Stahl 2, Saydee Cheff 1.
FLATHEAD — Kylee Meredith 11, Tiana Johnson 8, Mary Heaton 8, Kelsey Gillespie 7, Cadelyn Nunn 7, Sierra Siblerud 2, Taylor Henley 2, Liz Lorentz 2, Taryn Gutierez.
3-point field goals — Hellgate 3 (McWilliams 2, Henthorn), Flathead 6 (Meredith 3, Gillespie 2, Nunn). Total fouls — Hellgate 22, Flathead 20. Fouled out — Riddle.
Missoula Loyola-Sacred Heart 67, Bigfork 59
MISSOULA — Tessa Burke scored 29 points and Missoula Loyola-Sacred Heart erased a halftime deficit to hand Bigfork a nonconference loss in Class B play.
The Valkyries (10-4) jumped out to a 33-31 halftime lead but saw the Breakers pull away in the second half. Three Loyola players — Burke, Skylar Hollenback (17) and Brook Kolar (17) — scored all but four of the team’s 67 points.
Miranda Campbell led Bigfork with 18 points. Lana Berg added 12 and Mattie McAnally chipped in 10.
The Vals will host Class A Columbia Falls Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Bigfork 18 15 15 11 — 59
Loyola 13 18 18 18 — 67
BIGFORK — Miranda Campbell 18, Lana Berg 12, Mattie McAnally 10, Katie Thomas 6, Haile Norred 6, Jaime Berg 6, Emilee Park 1.
LOYOLA — Tessa Burke 29, Sklar Hollenback 17, Brook Kolar 17, Darien Schneider 2, Joslynn Haran 2.
Eureka 58, St. Ignatius 14
EUREKA — Eureka held St. Ingatius scoreless in the second and third quarters en route to an easy Class B nonconference victory.
Amanda Peterson led the way offensively for Eureka with 15 points. Sienna Utter added 11.
Eureka led 40-5 at the half.
St. Ignatius 5 0 0 9 — 14
Eureka 17 23 13 5 — 58
ST. IGNATIUS — Sydney Castor 7, Bryar McCrea 3, Tianna Brown 2, E. LaChance 2.
EUREKA — Allie Sartor 4, Sienna Utter 11, Cami Combs 2, Liz Pacella 8, Cassie Peterson 3, Rylee Morgan 5, Darian Truman 2, Stacy Cooper 8, Amanda Peterson 15.
Bonners Ferry 59, Stillwater Christian 34
BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — Bonners Ferry outscored Stillwater Christian 31-10 in the middle two quarters to pull away for the nonconference victory.
Senior Alisa Venman scored a season-high 13 points and also had five rebounds for Stillwater (6-11).
Dori Smith had 11 points along with six rebounds for the Cougars.
This was Stillwater’s fourth game of the week.
The Cougars host Troy on Tuesday.
Stillwater Christian 10 6 4 14 — 34
Bonners Ferry 13 13 18 15 — 59
STILLWATER CHRISTIAN — Rochelle Fisher 2, Sereka Koch 1, Haleigh Schwartz 1, Don Smith 11, Lulu Neumann 4, Chloe Erb 2, Alisa Venman 13.
BONNERS FERRY — Amanda Bauer 9, Kerstin Oxford 7, Brittany Spangler 4, Miranda Wenk 2, Kadi Bateman 9, Nicole Donn 10, TDrinity Goldes 7, Abby Davis 9, Jordan Burt 2.
Frenchtown 49, Polson 41
FRENCHTOWN — Frenchtown outscored Polson 34-19 in the second half to rally for the Northwest A victory.
Emilie Hinrichs led a balanced Frenchtown attack with 11 points. Lexi Statelen and Kylie Willett both had 10.
Nichole Lake had a game-high 23 points for Polson, which led 21-15 at the half.
Polson 9 13 10 9 — 41
Frenchtown 6 9 20 14 — 49
POLSON — MaKenna Weltz 4, Marlee Congdon 5, Lavern Lefthand 3, Kyler Lundeen 1, Brenna Clarke 5, Nichole Lake 23.
FRENCHTOWN — Megan Delaney 3, Lexi Statelen 10, Kylie Willett 10, Alli Moe 7, Emilie Hinrichs 11, Ali Hochhalter 8.
Ronan 53, Libby 50
LIBBY — Shannon Reny scored a game-high 27 points for Libby in a Class B nonconference setback to Ronan.
Reny was 13 of 17 free-throw shooting and also scored seven field goals. She scored 17 points in the second half to keep Libby close.
Alicia Camel tallied 20 points and Lee Camel 19 for Ronan.
Ronan 14 11 15 13 — 53
Libby11 7 18 14 — 50
RONAN — Micalann McCrea 10, Jordyn Clairmont 4, Alicia Camel 20, Lee Camel 19.
LIBBY — Ashley Walker 3, Trinity Wallace 2, Madisen Monigold 5, Abby Ennenga 8, Jayden Winslow 5, Shannon Reny 27.
Troy 49, Thompson Falls 35
THOMPSON FALLS — Troy dug out of an early hole by outscoring Thompson Falls 36-14 in the second half to notch a road victory in District 7B play.
The Trojans trailed 21-13 after two quarters but went on a scoring binge in the third, putting 22 points on the board and building a 35-30 lead. The Blue Hawks scored 16 points in the first quarter and just 19 the rest of the game.
Olivia Roach led Troy with 11 points and Allie Coldwell added 10.
Shey Hannum led Thompson Falls with 10.
Troy 9 4 22 14 — 49
T. Falls 16 5 9 5 — 35
TROY — Olivia Roach 11, Allie Coldwell 10, Alyssa Lewis 8, Kaitlyn Downey 8, Aurora Becquart 5, Sami Rohrich 4, Allie Brown 3.
THOMPSON FALLS — Shey Hannum 10, Haley Wilson 9, Haley Morgan 6, Lindsay Laws 5, Gillian Nelson 5.
Boys
Polson 54, Frenchtown 43
FRENCHTOWN — Polson maintained its stranglehold on the Northwest A conference with a decisive win at Frenchtown.
The Pirates (10-3, 5-0 Northwest A) stretched a three-point halftime advantage to 40-29 with a strong third quarter and held on from there.
Three Polson players finished in double-figures, led by Payton Lefthand’s 14 points. Matthew Rensvold had 11 and Kabe Webster 10.
Austin Means’ 17 points for Frenchtown (3-11, 3-4) led all scorers.
Polson 13 10 17 14 — 54
Frenchtown 8 12 9 14 — 43
POLSON — J’von Niemeyer 2, Payton Lefthand 14, Tanner Wilson 2, Shade Main 2, Matthew Rensvold 11, Kabe Webster 10.
FRENCHTOWN — Ethan Pyron 3, Jacob Price 3, Kyle Smith 4, Parker Spadt 2, Austin Means 17, Andrew King 11.
Libby 67, Ronan 57
LIBBY — Jonny Cielak tallied 21 points and Ryggs Johnston and Erik Lauer followed with 15 and 13, respectively, as Libby defeated Ronan in a nonconference matchup.
Cielak went 10 for 14 at the free-throw line.
Aaron Misa scored 21 points for Ronan while Ezekiel Misa tossed in 18.
Both teams had six treys. Johnston had three along with Ezekiel Misa.
Ronan 21 12 13 11 — 57
Libby 18 17 18 17 — 67
RONAN — Jackson Duffy 3, Ezekiel Misa 18, Ty James 2, Kasey Mock 11, Aaron Misa 21, Kobe Morigeau 2.
LIBBY — Jonny Cielak 21, Ryggs Johnston 15, Zander Petersen 3, Anthony Johnson 7, Jason Brant 2, Colin Maloney 3, Erik Lauer 13, Brandon Sadewasser 3.
Missoula Hellgate 61, Flathead 36
MISSOULA — Missoula Hellgate drained seven 3-pointers and stymied the Flathead offense all night in a Western AA conference win.
The Knights (9-3, 3-2 Western AA) beat the Braves for the second time this year, following up 48-40 win in Kalispell on Jan. 2.
After an even first quarter, Hellgate pulled ahead in the second to lead 27-18 at halftime. They outscored the Braves 34-18 in the second half.
Derrius Collins hit three 3-pointers and scored 13 points for the Knights. Connor Schenk led the way with 17.
Matt Marshall paced the Flathead (3-9, 0-4) attack with 11 points. Tyler Johnson added nine.
The Braves return to the court Friday at Helena at 7:30 p.m.
Flathead 7 11 10 8 — 36
Hellgate 7 20 16 18 — 61
FLATHEAD – Matt Marshall 4 2-3 11, Seth Adolph 2 1-2 5, Cade White 2 0-1 4, Wyatt Potter 1 0-0 3, Bridger Johnson 1 0-0 2, Tyler Johnson 3 1-2 9, Sam Elliott 0 2-2 2. Totals: 13 6-10 36.
HELLGATE – Landon Youbles 1 1-2 3, Derrius Collins 5 0-0 13, Buckley Belcourt 1 0-1 1, Peter Vandam 0 3-4 3, Kade Lunday 2 1-2 6, Jason Koehn 3 0-0 8, Justin Koehn 3 1-1 7, Connor Schenk 7 2-2 17, Collin Reid 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 8-12 61.
3-point goals – Flathead 4 (Johnson 2, Marshall 1, Parker 1), Hellgate 7 (Collins 3, Ja. Koehn 2, Lunday 1, C. Schenk 1). Total fouls – Flathead 15, Hellgate 18. Fouled out – none.
Stillwater Christian 60, Bonners Ferry 50
BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — Joe Hooker scored 21 points to help Stillwater Christian knock off Bonners Ferry in a nonconference contest.
Hooker cashed in at the free-throw line, hitting seven of his 10 attempts.
Isaac Neumann added 14 points and Clay Hashley 13.
Caleb Harrington led Bonners Ferry in scoring with 13.
Stillwater outscored Bonners Ferry 25-17 in the first and third quarters.
On Friday at West Valley School, Stillwater defeated Flathead Valley Homeschool 65-46 for a season sweep in the rivalry.
SCS is the top seed in Montana Christian Athletic Association Western Conference for the upcoming state tournament.
Stillwater (16-2) hosts Troy on Tuesday.
Stillwater Christian 19 9 16 16 — 60
Bonners Ferry 11 10 6 23 — 50
STILLWATER CHRISTIAN — Clay Hashley 13, BJ Bach 8, Joe Hooker 21, Isaac Neumann 14, Bo Mackay 2, Daniel Fetveit 2.
BONNERS FERRY — Elijah Price 2, Chris Sabin 5, Kaleb Stockton 11, Paxon Pluid 6, Caleb Harrington 13, Caleb Blackmore 9, Brady Bateman 4.
Stillwater Christian 14 14 17 20 — 65
FV Homeschool 12 14 7 13 — 46
STILLWATER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL —Clayton Hashley 5, BJ Bach 19, Joe Hooker 8, Isaac Neumann 24, Bo Mackay 2, Daniel Fetveit 7.
FLATHEAD VALLEY HOMESCHOOL — Dylan Kasberg 6, Spencer Burden 5, Jay Baker 6, Taylor Titchbourne 11, Paul Artyomenko 12, Luke Owens 4, Logan Buckner 2.
Bigfork 65, Loyola 50
BIGFORK — Bigfork was solid from start to finish in dropping Missoula Loyola in a Class B nonconference outing.
Bigfork led 32-17 at intermission. Both teams scored 33 points in the second half.
Joseph Potkonjak led Bigfork in scoring with 16 points. Jonathan Landon added 12.
Parker Davis scored 21 points for Loyola.
Bigfork 16 16 19 14 — 65
Loyola 11 6 21 12 — 50
BIGFORK – Anders Epperly 2, Adam Jordt 11, Joseph Potkonjak 16, Jon Landon 12, Logan Taylor 6, Levi Spanogle 2, George Gibson 8, Garrett Beville 8.
LOYOLA – Noah Pohlman 2, Strother Cooper 13, Jack Lincoln 3, Ryan McHugh 1, Parker Davis 21, Lochlin Ermatinger 8, Joey McElroy 2.
Thompson Falls 65, Troy 51
THOMPSON FALLS — Trais Hoisington erupted for 30 points and Thompson Falls earned a District 7B conference win against Troy.
Behind Hoisington, the Blue Hawks outscored Troy 16-4 in the second quarter to build a 35-24 halftime lead.
The Trojans were led by 14 points from Adam Tallmadge. Tucker Winn added 13 and Mason Chapel had 10.
Joe Fields pitched in 17 for Thompson Falls.
Troy 20 4 10 17 — 51
T. Falls 19 16 13 17 — 65
TROY – Zach Cotten 2, Dillon Savage 4, Tucker Winn 13, Adam Tallmadge 14, Sean Opland 8, Mason Chapel 10.
THOMPSON FALLS – McKenzie Holt 2, Trais Hoisington 30, Tanner Laws 3, Corey Tessier 4, Dylan Beckman 6, Joe Fields 17, Max Birkholt 2, Tyler Riffle 1.
St. Ignatius 59, Eureka 38
EUREKA — St. Ignatius used a 15-3 second quarter advantage to pull away from Eureka in Class B nonconference play.
The Bulldogs had three players score at least 16 points, led by Nick Durglo’s 17. Tate Weingart and Billy Von Holtum had 16 each.
Brad Stein was the only Lions scorer in double-figures with 12.
St. Ignatius 18 15 8 18 — 59
Eureka 18 3 8 9 — 38
ST. IGNATIUS — Wacey McClure 2, Nick Durglo 17, Andrew Esslinger 2, Tate Weingart 16, Isaac Alexander 4, Korbyn Pierre 2, Billy Von Holtum 16.
EUREKA — Jamie Good 6, Colton Cooper 9, Brad Stein 12, Moe Henderson 7, Taylor Sherwood 2, Jake Cardinale 2.