Libby girls end year with consolation loss

Libby’s Lady Loggers went out fighting Sunday when they closed their basketball season with a 35-32 loss in the Northwestern A Consolation Game.

The Lady Loggers (8-13) dropped their Saturday semifinal match with Frenchtown, 49-26. Facing elimination, Libby responded with a 43-22 domination of Whitefish in the knockout game. The win gave Libby a chance to claim third in the tournament, and things looked promising early. Libby was up 19-12 against Polson at half, but roles reversed when teams came out of their locker rooms.

“They amped up the pressure we had beat earlier,” Libby Coach Jim May said. “We played some of our best defense in the first half, but we panicked a bit and got us out of our schemes. We had a couple chances to tie with shots inside. I thought it was way too physical and should have been to the line a few more times. It’s a bummer.”

Senior Taylor Quinn led all scorers with 14 points in her final high school game.

“Taylor faced a tough year after her knee injury last season,” May said. “She got really solid at the end of the year, averaging about 11 points a game. She really relaxed and used her post moves at the tournament. She should be proud of the effort she put in.”

Hard-nosed defense was the Lady Loggers calling card this season. Juniors Shyla Stevenson and Devon Gallagher were menaces on the ball and in the passing lanes. Playing to their strengths, the Lady Loggers played a deliberate pace.

The Lady Loggers will be strong next season when they will return every starter except Quinn. Along with Stevenson and Gallagher, junior guard Dayln Germany also improved her ball-handling and jump-shooting. Hailley Moe, another junior post, was reliable on defense. Sophomore guard Bailie Rosling plays like a Stevenson clone and will likely find more playing time next year.

“The big picture is the fact that the kids had a pretty solid season,” May said. “They did a good job with kids moving around and replacing players. They were competitive and beat teams they should. Hopefully they are motivated for the future. They need to start next season with better conditioning and couple their experience with skills.”

Polson: 4 8 11 12—35

Libby: 9 10 5 8—32

Libby 43, Whitefish 22:

At Kalispell, the Lady Loggers extended their season Sunday morning with a knockout-game win against Whitefish.

Libby earned a 9-2 lead after the first quarter and added to their advantage every quarter. Moe led all scorers with 12 points. Quinn added 11.

“I was worried about how we would respond,” May said. “We controlled the tempo. I think Whitefish made their first field goal with three second left in the half. I was happy with how we took control of the game.”

Libby: 9 11 10 13—43

Whitefish: 2 4 5 11—22

Frenchtown 49, Libby 26:

At Kalispell, the Lady Loggers hung around for a half before fading in the third quarter.

Libby trailed 17-14 at halftime, playing the pace Coach May said would be crucial for his team to compete. But Libby took some chances in the second half and Frenchtown got away.

“We wanted to take away their point guard and limit their touches in the post,” May said. “It worked and the kids hung tough. We had a hard time scoring and they extended their press in the second half. It was surely a great effort.”

Libby: 4 10 5 7—26

Frenchtown: 8 9 14 18—49