Lady Loggers feel the bite at home, 62-41
<p>Senior KimTangen pulls down a defensive rebound in fourth quarter action in Thursday's contest with the Columbia Falls Wildkats.</p>
<p>Lady Loggers time out during the matchup with Columbia Falls</p>
<p>Freshman Shyla Stevenson drives on C-Falls' Madison Sandefer in the first quarter vs. Wildkats</p>
<p>Libby's Taylor Quinn has her third quarter shot blocked by C-Falls' Hope Burlage, left, and Tori Price</p>
The Lady Loggers basketball team, after being outscored nearly 2-to-1 in the early going against the Columbia Falls Wildkats on Thursday, rallied to within three points at halftime but the comeback came up short, eventually losing 62-41.
For Libby, it was a testament to a team that is improving with each game.
“This may have been our best effort this year,” Libby coach Jim May said. “This game was different in that we didn’t lose to them, they beat us. We made them outplay us.”
In the early going, it looked as if the Wildkats were going to run away from the Lady Loggers.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Wildkats’ Tori Price put Columbia Falls ahead, 13-4.
The nine-point lead was the largest margin for the Wildkats in the second quarter as Columbia Falls found itself in foul trouble, sending Libby into a double-bonus situation.
It was the bonus that enabled Libby to trim the lead by halftime.
“I just told the girls to stop fouling Libby,” Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg said. “We let Libby back into the game. I think they got 13 of their 16 points from the free-throw line.”
The Wildkats’ fouling visibly bothered Finberg.
“You can defend a jump shot or steal a pass,” Finberg said. “There is no defense for a free throw.”
That string of free throws and Libby’s ability to trim the halftime score to a difference of just three points pumped up the Lady Loggers and their fans, as some gave the Lady Loggers a standing ovation as the half expired.
However, a combination of Finberg’s halftime pep talk and Libby’s inability to maintain the same momentum in the second half sent the girls to the loss.
“We just kept them off the line in the second half,” Finberg said. “That was the difference.”
In that second half, the Wildkats found their game and outscored the Lady Loggers 26 to 11, using a stingy defense and good inside passing.
Both teams employed a man-to-man defense initially, but in the second half the Lady Loggers were not as effective with the Wildkats’ zone strategy.
“The zone defense did give us a little problem in the second half,” May said. “Although, we’re getting better at it.”
The Lady Loggers managed just four points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth.
For Libby, Taylor Quinn scored 12; for Columbia Falls, Haley Belgrade scored 14, 10 in the first half on high-percentage turn-around jumpers in the paint.
Libby’s freshman girls team defeated Columbia Falls 25-11, but the JV squad met a similar fate as the varsity, bowing 62-41.