Glacier girls hold off Helena
There’s a lot of fight in this Wolfpack.
Reese Ramey scored 15 points and Cassidy Daniels added 11 more as Glacier held off Helena 64-60 in girls basketball Friday at the Wolf Den.
Cazz Rankosky and Karley Allen tallied 10 points as the Wolfpack (3-2 overall 1-0 in Western AA games) never trailed in the second half.
McKenna Pipinich led the way for the Bengals (2-3, 0-1) with 18 points, Cassidy Smith added 13.
Glacier ran a six-player rotation for the majority of the game after a first quarter injury to Cadence Daniels. After being helped off the court, Daniels rejoined the team behind the bench on crutches and in a knee brace.
“Cadence is a huge part of our team,” Rankosky said. “If we have a teammate that goes down, we will play for that teammate and make up for that loss.”
“We talk a lot every day about our motto of a ‘sisterhood’ and supporting each other as young women,” Glacier coach Amanda Cram said. “They have bought into that.”
Helena used an early 12-2 run to take an early lead, forcing Cram to use a timeout. Out of the stoppage, the Wolfpack used a pair of 3-pointers from Cassidy Daniels and Rankosky to cut the deficit to 14-11.
After Lauryn Lieberg hit a triple to open the second quarter, Glacier rattled off the next seven points to take a 25-22 lead.
The Wolfpack used another 6-0 spurt — powered by four points from Cassidy Daniels — to end the half and take a 34-28 lead into the locker room.
Out of the break Rankosky knocked down another three ball and Glacier’s lead ballooned to 37-28 — the largest of the evening.
“Right before the game I said I want to hit a three this season, because I hadn't yet up until now” Rankosky said, she finished with two 3-pointers.
The Bengals battled back though, scoring eight of the next 10 to cut the deficit to 39-36.
After Helena cut the lead to one, Glacier’s Madi Stevens beat the buzzer to end the third quarter and give The Wolfpack a 52-49 lead heading into the final frame.
Ramey — who played all 32 minutes — knocked down a triple early in the fourth quarter to put Glacier ahead 57-49, but Helena answered right back as Pipinich hit from beyond the arc just 10 seconds later.
“Reese is a superstar,” Cram said. “She doesn’t want to come off the court and she just leads with a level head.”
Helena closed the gap to 62-60 with 19 seconds left. Out of a timeout Smith put up a 3-point attempt to win the game that rattled off the rim with five seconds left, the Wolfpack secured the board. Allen then knocked down a pair of free throws to secure the win for Glacier.
“It certainly was a roller-coaster," Cram said. “I felt like my girls maintained a solid head and they were ready for the fight and when it came down to it, they executed what needed to happen.”
Glacier is back at home Saturday against Helena Capital at 2 p.m.
Helena 19 9 21 11 - 60
Glacier 18 16 18 12 - 64
HELENA — Addi Rousch 1 1-2 3, Morgan Koch 0 2-2 2, Madi Todorovich 3 0-0 6, McKenna Pipinich 8 1-2 18, Alexa Lundstrom 0 0-0 0, Dakota Lieberg 1 1-2 3, Lauryn Lieberg 3 5-6 12, Cassidy Smith 4 3-4 13, Grace Murgel 1 0-0 3. Totals 21 13-18 60
GLACIER — Karley Allen 3 2-2 10, Allie Krueger 4 1-3 9, Madi Stevens 3 0-2 6, Reese Ramey 6 1-4 15, Cassidy Daniels 4 2-2 11, Cazz Rankosky 3 2-4 10, Cadence Daniels 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 8-17 64.
3-point goals — Helena 5 (Smith 2, Murgel, Pipinich, L. Lieberg), Glacier 7 (Ramey 2, Rankosky 2, Allen 2, Cassidy Daniels). Fouls — Helena , Glacier 15. Fouled out — none.