Libby hoops drops a pair at home
The Libby Logger (0-2, 1-5) basketball team lost 86-50 to the Frenchtown Broncs (5-2, 3-0) at home on Saturday. Senior guard Jared Winslow led the Loggers with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Junior post Michael Curtiss scored 10 for Libby.
“Frenchtown is a good team,” Libby Coach Wally Winslow said. “They have a lot of depth and a quality playmaker in (John) Chapman. He makes a lot of kids on that team a lot better.”
Bridger Truett led all scorers with 32 points. Chapman, with 19 points, and Andrew Honken, with 12, were the other Frenchtown players to score double figures.
“(Chapman) and Jared are good friends,” Coach Winslow said. “They have a lot of respect for each other’s games.”
The Loggers were unable to get the stops they needed against a quality opponent. The score was 45-28 at halftime, and a 24-8 third quarter sealed the game for the visitors. In all, nine players scored a point for Frenchtown.
The Loggers play next at 4 p.m. Friday when they travel to Thompson Falls (2-5, 1-2).
“Thompson Falls always plays us tough,” Winslow said. “They compete well, and I expect a competitive game.”
Frenchtown 63, Libby 31: At Libby, the Lady Loggers (1-1, 2-4) were down 12-0 before junior Taylor Quinn’s midrange jumper got the home team on the board. A buzzer-beating three-pointer by fellow junior Devon Gallagher made it 16-5 at the end of the first quarter.
It was more of the same in the second frame as Frenchtown (1-1, 6-1) went into half with a 31-10 lead.
“Frenchtown is a good as advertised,” Libby Coach Jim May said. “We had a hard time scoring. We knew Frenchtown was going to force some turnovers.”
The visitors, in black shorts and black jerseys with orange stripes around the collar and numbers, shot 16-26 from the free throw line and moved the ball swiftly, frequently finding open opportunities under the basket.
Libby scored a game-high 11 points in the fourth quarter, but it was a hustle play in the waning moments that captured the crowd’s attention. With 24 seconds remaining, the Lady Loggers turned the ball over on the offensive end. Rather than watching her opponent gallop in for one last layup, Gallagher sprinted back on defense and poked the ball away on a dive. With 15.8 seconds remaining, Quinn made a free throw after being fouled on a converted layup, bringing the game to its final score, 63-31.
The Lady Loggers play next at 1 p.m. Saturday when they travel to Polson.