Vals make quick exit at state tournament

By FAITH MOLDAN / Bigfork Eagle

Bigfork High School's varsity girls basketball team lost its first games since Dec. 7 at the Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament in Hamilton last week. Those losses were hard to take for both the Valkyries, who came into the tournament with a 19-1 overall record, and their fans.

The Vals lost 41-39 to the Havre Blue Ponies on Thursday as Bigfork's last-second shot bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded. Bigfork faced a tougher comeback the following afternoon against the Miles City Cowgirls. The Cowgirls corralled the Vals in the second half, defeating Bigfork 67-35 in loser-out action.

"We were disappointed in the tournament," Bigfork coach Nate Hammond said. "We didn't play our best."

Both teams forced Bigfork to switch its defensive strategy while using their own to limit the Vals' scoring and forcing Bigfork turnovers during the second half of play.

"We had to adjust and we didn't," Hammond said. "We started out both games well. They (Havre and Miles City) started shooting the ball well and we turned the ball over." Bigfork committed 21 turnovers against the Blue Ponies and 25 against Miles City.

Bigfork led the Blue Ponies 26-16 at halftime, but Havre's hot shooting eventually took its toll on the Vals and their lead. A 3-point basket cut the Vals' 10-point lead to single digits and another trey about two-and-a-half minutes later brought the Blue Ponies within two points of Bigfork.

While Havre had a field day from beyond the arc, Bigfork managed just four points in the third quarter. All four points came via the free-throw line. Havre took the lead for the first time with 1:03 remaining in the third quarter, going ahead of the Vals 29-28. The Blue Ponies led 32-30 at the end of the third with another 3-pointer.

Bigfork trailed Havre the remainder of the game, coming within one point twice in the final minute. The Vals led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter twice, but they shot just 30.8 percent in the second half compared to their 55.6 percent in the first half.

Senior Jaylee Haveman began the game with six straight points. Bigfork kept the Blue Ponies scoreless for close to the first half of the first quarter. She finished the game with eight points. Havre scored its first points with 4:25 on the clock. Emily Hardman gave the Vals their first 14-point lead in the first quarter. She sank both of her free throws about two minutes into the quarter. Avery Vogel made it 14 again, dishing the ball to Haveman with 5:28 on the clock.

"We couldn't get our bodies into position to run our offense well," Hammond said. "We were off-balance and our offense out of sync."

Alyssa Fierro finished the game with 13 points, three blocks and 12 rebounds. Vogel, who scored three points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had five assists.

While the first half of the Vals' game against Miles City, the defending state champions, was closer than Bigfork's first game, the Cowgirls dominated the second half more than Havre had.

Bigfork kept the Cowgirls' lead to single digits in the first quarter, never trailing by more than seven points. The Vals found themselves down by four points after the first quarter and only two at halftime, despite the Cowgirls' full-court press.

"We struggled with the pressure," Hammond said of the press. "It was a lot rougher down there than we're used to. It's a lot looser. They let them play more."

Three straight Miles City 3-pointers started a 12-0 Cowgirl scoring run in the third quarter. A Fierro free throw and 2-point field goal served as bookends to that run, which put Miles City ahead 32-22. Fierro added two more points in the third, scoring a basket assisted by Vogel with less than a minute to go. Fierro led the Vals with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the game. Bigfork trailed the Cowgirls 42-26 at the end of the third.

Miles City struggled from beyond the arc in the first half, missing all of its 15 3-point attempts. The Cowgirls shot 26.7 percent in the first half and finished the second half with 70 percent.

"That kind of took us out of it," Hammond said. "That just kind of took the wind out of our sails."

Bigfork finished its season with a 19-3 record, losing only to eventual state champion Anaconda, third-place Miles City and fourth-place Havre.

"I'm proud of what we did," Hammond said. "We were divisional champions for the second straight year. We never lost to any mediocre or average teams."

The Bigfork Valkyries' starting five received All-Conference selections for their 2007-2008 seasons.

First team selections included Alyssa Fierro and Hattie Bowen. Fierro was also selected All-State along with Whitefish's Ashley Ferda and Libby's Jackie Mee.

Fierro was named to the Class A State All-Tournament basketball team last year. This is both Bowen's and Fierro's second straight year being named All-Conference.

Avery Vogel recieved second team all-conference honors, while Roxy Thurman and Jaylee Haveman were named honorable mention. Thurman, a junior, is the Vals' only returning selection for next year.

Bigfork 12 14 4 9 — 39

Havre 2 14 16 9 — 41

BIGFORK (19-2) — Emily Hardman 0-0 2-2 2, Hattie Bowen 2-4 0-1 5, Avery Vogel 1-4 1-2 3, Roxy Thurman 1-5 5-6 7, Alyssa Fierro 6-13 1-2 13, Kailey Fierro 0-0 1-2 1, Jaylee Haveman 4-5 0-0 8. Totals 14-31 10-15 39.

HAVRE (16-6) — Sarah Blessum 0-2 0-0 0, Tricia Samson 1-6 1-3 3, Hope Hedges 1-5 1-3 3, Katie Mariani 7-18 3-10 20, Stacey Sheppard 0-0 1-2 1, Steph Stremcha 2-5 2-2 6, Jenna McCann 1-6 0-0 2, Hayley Donovan 2-3 2-3 6. Totals 14-45 10-23 41.

3-point goals — BF 1-2 (Bowen 1-2), Hav. 3-17 (Mariani 3-11, Hedges 0-3, Blessum 0-1, Samson 0-1, McCann 0-1). Rebounds — BF 36 (A. Fierro 12, Vogel 11, Thurman 3, Haveman 2, Hardman, K. Fierro, team 6), Hav. 22 (Mariani 4, Stremcha 4, Sheppard 3, McCann 3, Donovan 2, Samson, Hedges, team 4). Assists — BF 10 (Vogel 5, Thurman 4, A. Fierro), Hav. 5 (Hedges 2, Samson, Mariani, Donovan). Blocks — BF 4 (A. Fierro 3, Vogel), Hav. 1 (Mariani). Steals — BF 6 (A. Fierro 2, Vogel, Bowen, Thurman, Haveman), Hav. 14 (Samson 3, Hedges 3, Mariani 3, Donovan 3, Stremcha, McCann). Turnovers — BF 21, Hav. 8. Total fouls — BF 19, Hav. 12. Fouled out — Bowen.

Bigfork 10 11 5 9 — 35

Miles City 14 9 19 25 — 67

BIGFORK (19-3) — Lila Cenis 0-2 0-0 0, Emily Hardman 1-2 0-0 2, Hattie Bowen 0-4 4-6 4, Avery Vogel 1-4 4-4 6, Roxy Thurman 2-2 0-0 4, Alyssa Fierro 7-14 2-6 16, Mallery Knoll 0-2 0-0 0, Kailey Fierro 1-3 0-0 2, Jaylee Haveman 0-2 0-0 0, Signa McLeod 0-2 0-0 0, Ariana Shults 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 12-37 11-18 35.

MILES CITY (19-3) — Mary Gillette 0-3 2-3 2, Torrie Cahill 8-14 10-13 27, Alexia Mader 2-6 1-2 7, Brilyn Steadman 1-5 0-0 2, Kaycee Cooley 1-6 2-2 4, Laura Gillette 1-1 0-0 2, Mackenzie Maki 0-0 1-2 1, Kalli Durham 3-7 3-3 9, Anna Magnuson 3-4 2-6 8, Taylor Handerson 1-1 2-2 5. Totals 20-47 23-33 67.

3-point goals — BF 0-1 (Knoll 0-1), MC 4-20 (Mader 2-5, Cahill 1-4, Henderson 1-1, M. Gillette 0-2, Steadman 0-4, Durham 0-4). Rebounds — BF 30 (A. Fierro 11, Bowen 4, K. Fierro 4, Hardman 2, Haveman 2, Cenis, Vogel, Thurman, McLeod, Knoll, team 2), MC 32 (Cooley 5, Magnuson 5, Steadman 4, Durham 4, Cahill 3, L. Gillette 3, M. Gillette 2, Mader, Henderson, Jamie Lee Kittelman, team 3). Assists — BF 4 (Vogel 2, A. Fierro, Haveman), MC 5 (Durham 2, M. Gillette, Mader, Steadman). Blocks — BF 1 (Thurman), MC 0. Steals — BF 6 (Vogel 2, Thurman 2, Bowen, Haveman), MC 16 (Durham 5, Cahill 3, Steadman 3, M. Gillette 2, Cooley 2, Magnuson). Turnovers — BF 25, MC 10. Total fouls — BF 23, MC 17. Fouled out — Thurman.