Bravettes surge into Western AA semifinals
HELENA — Kennedy Moore scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Maddy Moy started a late, critical surge that carried Flathead over Missoula Big Sky 48-39 at the Western AA girls basketball divisional Thursday.
Moy finished with 11 points, and her jumper started an 8-0 burst that gave the Bravettes (15-4) a 43-34 lead with 1:35 left. That all but sealed a berth in the semifinals, where Flathead will play Helena Capital at 8 p.m. Friday, at Carroll College.
Capital edged Butte 28-24 in another first-round game.
Missoula Big Sky (6-13) got 13 points from Averi Batt and 12 from Kadynce Couture, and gave Flathead fits until late. The Eagles turned an 11-7 deficit into a 21-16 lead in the second quarter, before Moore’s put-back of a missed free throw brought the score to 21-19 at halftime.
The lead changed hands five times in the third quarter and twice more in the fourth, before Olivia Pate’s free throw at 6:09 gave the Bravettes the lead for good, 33-32.
Two Moore free throws made it 35-32, and after Big Sky scored Moy got the critical run going with a shot in the lane at the 5:00 mark. Akilah Kubi scored next, getting the roll on a bank shot at 2:47; then Clare Converse knocked home a three at 2:30.
Moore capped the run with a single free throw with 1:35 left.
Kubi had seven points and five rebounds; Converse hda seven and four. Moy had five steals.
The Bravettes and Bruins split their regular-season meetings, each winning on their home floor.
First round
Big Sky 7 14 5 13 - 39
Flathead 11 8 9 20 - 48
MISSOULA BIG SKY — Grace Bunnell 1-1 0-0 3, Avari Batt 2-6 9-11 13, Kadynce Couture 5-10 2-2 12, Maddie Jones 1-7 0-0 2, Audrey Hale 1-6 1-3 3, Sadie McGuinn 2-5 0-0 5, Gainna Janacaro 0-3 1-2 1, Kyler Latrielle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-38 13-18 39.
FLATHEAD — Akilah Kubi 2-2 3-9 7, Maddy Moy 4-9 3-4 11, Kennedy Moore 6-11 4-6 16, Avery Chouinard 1-5 0-0 3, Clare Converse 3-7 0-0 7, Tali Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Olivia Pate 1-1 1-2 3, Ivy Gannon 0-1 1-4 1. Totals 17-37 12-25 48.
3-point goals — Big Sky 2-13 (Bunnell 1-1), McGuinn 1-3), Flathead 2-10 (Chouinard 1-4, Converse 1-3). Rebounds — Big Sky 28 (Couture 12), Flathead 29 (Moore 10). Fouls — Big Sky 17, Flathead 17. Fouled out — Chouinard. Steals — Big Sky 7 (Hale 3), Flathead 12 (Moy 5, Kubi 4). Blocks — Big Sky 2 (Couture 2), Flathead 3 (Moore 2, Converse). Turnovers — Big Sky 18, Flathead 13.
Capital 28, Butte 24
With points at a premium — the score was 13-9, Butte, at halftime — it’s good to have Jada Clarkson.
Capital’s junior guard hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the third quarter to put the Bruins ahead for good, 21-19. Then she drove for a layup with 2:15 remaining in the game and, after two Kodie Hoagland free throws for Butte, hit a 3-pointer at the 1:30 mark.
That gave Capital a 26-21 lead, which was enough, barely. The Bruins turned it over before Hoagland hit Butte’s only three to cut the gap to 26-24 with 15 seconds left. The teams traded turnovers under Butte’s basket before Kayla Almquist hit two free throws with 1.7 remaining.
Clarkson scored a game-high 10 points. Hoagland led Butte (4-15) with seven.