Kats battle back to take third in tourney

After a tough 50-37 loss to Polson in the first round, the Columbia Falls girls basketball team played for pride and took third in the Northwest A divisional tournament last week.

The Wildkats kept it close in the first half against the Lady Pirates on Feb. 24. Late in the second quarter, they led 18-17. But with a little more than two minutes left in the half, the Kats had some unfortunate turnovers, and Polson built a five-point lead going into halftime.

Then things got worse. The Kats’ scoring leader, Hope Burlage, picked up her fourth foul in the third quarter, and the Kats’ offense went flat. With Burlage out, Polson outscored the Kats 14-7, and Columbia Falls was never able to close the gap. Burlage led the Kats with 16 points. Haley Belgarde had 11.

“Our inexperience and youth showed up in that Polson game,” coach Cary Finberg said. “Those last two minutes of the first half were pretty critical.”

The Kats battled back the next day in the consolation bracket, downing Whitefish in the early game 48-33. A few hours later, they beat Libby 57-35 to take third place.

Burlage had 20 against Libby and 10 against the Bulldogs. Ciera Finberg and Belgarde both had 12 against the Loggers.

The future looks bright for the program. Columbia Falls played two freshmen, Finberg and Winter Kempainnen, and a sophomore, Belgarde.

Burlage will be a senior next season. There’s also a host of young talent coming up through the ranks as the girls learn an entirely new system of playing basketball under coach Finberg, where an emphasis on defense and transition basketball are keys to success.

“They improved throughout the year,” Finberg said. “We put down the foundation to be successful in the future.”

He also had kudos for seniors Cortney White and Madison Sandefer.

“They were tremendous,” he said. “They led by example.”

The Kats finished the season at 9-12 overall. Frenchtown won the tournament, beating Polson, 40-35.