Lady Bulldogs narrowly defeat Libby

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

The Lady Bulldogs answered a big question in the Northwestern A race on Friday. They had not yet faced Libby, a team ranked second in a pre-season coaches poll.

As only the two top teams in the conference will go to the state meet, Friday's showdown was a big test for both squads.

The Whitefish gals scraped by the Lady Loggers 54-51 to hold on to their second-place standing behind the undefeated Bigfork Vals. The Libby girls looked every bit as good as their hype, but Whitefish proved their 6-1 conference record is no fluke.

The Lady Loggers never saw Desiree Clarke coming, as the Whitefish senior guard finished with 12 points and three steals. The stats don't even begin to paint the whole picture as Clarke, who stands 5'5" on a good day, terrorized the Libby girls with her cat-quick defense and solid shooting.

"She just has a nose for the ball," head coach Tim Olson said. "If you watch her eyes on defense, she's just looking for the opportunity to jump somebody who's not looking. She really sets the tone defensively."

Ashley Ferda had 12 points, four assists and four steals for the Lady Bulldogs. Amanda Ormsby got seven rebounds, while Kate Klundt had six.

The Lady Bulldogs took a 26-23 halftime lead and never trailed the rest of the game, but the Lady Loggers were within a long-range basket for most of the second half.

Libby's big post-player, Jackie Mee, missed a three-pointer in the final three seconds, and the Whitefish crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. Mee finished with a game-high 19 points.

Whitefish 12 14 15 13 - 54

Libby 15 8 13 15 - 51

Whitefish (8-5, 6-1) - Kate Klundt 2 8-11 12, Ashley Ferda 5 2-2 14, Desiree Clarke 5 1-2 11, Dana Labuda 1 2-2 4, Chelsea Ray 3 1-1 7, McCara Cullen 0 2-2 2, Amanda Ormsby 1 2-7 4. Totals 17 18-27 54.

3-point goals: Ferda (2). Team fouls Libby 19, Whitefish 15. Fouled out (none).