Lady Dogs bounced from divisional tourney
Another tough season for the Lady Bulldogs came to a close last week after the team was bounced from the Northwest A divisional basketball tournament at Glacier High School.
Coming in as the No. 5 seed, Whitefish fell to No.4 Polson 48-34 on Thursday. They were knocked out of the tournament by No. 3 Libby on Sunday morning in a 43-22 loss.
Divisional tournament games were canceled on Friday due to blizzard conditions, which prevented Frenchtown from making the drive to Kalispell.
Columbia Falls won the conference championship Sunday night and will advance to the Class A state tournament along with Frenchtown.
Whitefish finished the season 1-19 overall and 0-8 in the conference.
Despite the overall record, first-year Whitefish coach Clint Peters said he’s proud of his team for staying positive all season.
“The girls did a phenomenal job of hanging in there,” he said. “It’s not easy to come out and fight every game. I’m really proud of them.”
Peters believes the playing time some of the younger players picked up will pay off going forward. Yet, he says it’s going to take commitment in the off season to turn the program around.
“The hope is that we can build a program where girls play basketball more than during the season,” Peters said. “There needs to be time put in during the off season. That’s not to say the girls can’t play other sports, but we want them picking up a basketball.”
The Lady Dogs’ lone senior Simone Craft led the team this season with 108 total points. She also tallied 63 rebounds, dished out 13 assists and snagged 20 steals.
“We’re going to miss Simone,” Peters said. “She’s the type of senior you want. She left an impression of what it takes to become a good player. She was a perfect fit for our team as far as leadership and work ethic.”
As a coach, this season taught Peters about patience.
“It was a good experience,” he said. “Of course I hoped for a better win-loss record, but I was never displeased with the girls’ heart. It motivates me to get better with my trade. I want to be the guy that turns this program around.”
He said he plans on returning next season.
Polson 11 16 7 14 — 48
Whitefish 9 8 8 9 — 34
POLSON — Skyla Krantz 4 2-4 10, Jaylin Kenney 1 2-2 4, Jessica Bagnell 3 4-6 10, Nichole Lake 2 3-4 7, Kaelen Wall 0 4-6 4, Lauren Lefthand 4 2-4 13. Totals 14 17-26 48.
WHITEFISH — Allie Schulz 2 4-4 9, Katie Fyall 0 2-8 2, Haley Nicholson 2 1-6 5, Mariah Drown 1 0-0 2, Simone Craft 4 3-6 13, Anna Peterson 0 1-2 1, Makenna Bendbrook 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 11-26 34.
3-point goals — Polson 3 (Lefthand 3), Whitefish 3 (Craft 2, Schulz); Fouls — Polson 15, Whitefish 15.
Libby 9 11 10 13 – 43
Whitefish 2 4 5 11 – 22
LIBBY – Ashley Walker 2 1-2 5, Gery Oliver 0 1-2 1, Dani Hawthorne 0 0-2 0, Shyla Stevenson 3 2-3 8, Hailey Moe 3 6-9 12, Taylor Quinn 4 3-4 11, Dayln Germany 0 1-2 1, Devon Gallagher 2 0-0 5. Totals 14 14-24 43.
WHITEFISH – Katie Fyall 1 2-2 4, Haley Nicholson 1 1-4 3, Simone Craft 2 3-4 7, Cevana Lawshe 0 0-1 0, Anna Peterson 0 4-4 4, Makenna Benbrook 0 0-1 0, Victoria Buls 2 0-0 4. Totals 6 10-15 22.
3-pointers – Libby 1 (Gallagher), Whitefish 0. Total fouls – Libby 17, Whitefish 20. Fouled out – None.