Lady Loggers place second in district tournament
<p>Freshman Jayden Winslow brings the ball down court on a fast break second quarter vs. Eureka Feb 18.</p>
<p>Sophomore Shannon Reny fouled on this attempt, 0 for 2 from the line second quarter vs. Eureka Thursday, Feb. 18 with Amanda Peterson, left, and Jayden Winslow. Libby over Eureka 39-36.</p>
The Lady Loggers battled their way past Eureka Thursday evening, 39-36, but fell to the rampaging Valkyries of Bigfork Saturday in the District 7-B championship game, 47-37.
The ladies started off strong against the Lady Lions, jumping out to a 10-5 lead after the first quarter. A tough defensive second quarter, in which the Lady Loggers scored six to Eureka’s four, extended the lead to 16-9 at the half.
The Lady Lions closed the gap on the Lady Loggers with a 13-10 third quarter, with a strong fourth quarter thinning the gap even further. In the end, though, the Lady Loggers held on to their edge and secured the victory, 39-36.
“The Eureka girls came out and played great after we got them in their gym a week ago,” said head coach Jim May. “We had troubles scoring against their defensive adjustments, but we showed a lot of guts in the end. Some timely steals and rebounds with some big free throws allowed us to get a lead late.”
The win set up the Lady Loggers to face the district-leading Valkyries of Bigfork in the championship game Saturday afternoon in Polson.
The Lady Loggers battled with Bigfork’s twin towers throughout most of the first half, but with just three minutes of play left in the second quarter, the Vals started pulling away. The half ended with Bigfork holding a 27-14 advantage.
Libby’s girls battled back in the second half, outscoring the Vals 13-9 in the third. The run wasn’t enough, though, and the Vals held on to take the 10-point win.
“We had a good game plan against Bigfork and the girls executed well until the last three minues of the first half,” May said. “The score went from 15-14 to 27-14 at the half in a hurry. So, in the second half we made some adjustments on both ends of the floor, forced some turnovers and gradually got back into the game. The score was 37-33, but we missed some free throws and some other scoring opportunities. Their free throws at the end enabled them to open the lead up at the end of the game. The kids really battled back and put themselves in a position to win, but we just fell short.”
The ladies tip off at divisionals Thursday at 9 p.m. in the gym at Flathead High School against Deer Lodge.