Freshman look strong at Tip-Off Tournament
The Whitefish girls basketball team bounced back from an opening season loss to Corvallis in the Western A Tip-Off Tournament on Friday with a resounding victory over Stevensville on Saturday.
Against Corvallis, Whitefish built a 25-13 lead at halftime, but the offense slowed in the second half in the 40-35 loss. Reese Hudson was a danger from long-range for the Lady Bulldogs with four three-pointers and 15 points.
Yoli Krastev and Charlize Ullrich each scored seven points as well.
“I'm excited about our group this year,” Whitefish Head Coach Bob Bolam said. “We have three seniors - Yoli Krastev, Charlize Ullrich, and Carmella Alfieri - and a lot of youth who are all working very hard to become a successful team.”
Bolam started three freshmen against Corvallis - Allie Shors, Reese Hudson, and Stella Frishbee and currently has five playing on the varsity roster.
Against Stevensville, Whitefish’s defense held the Lady Yellowjackets to three points in the second half in a 65-11 victory. Bolam also started two freshmen in this game - Allie Shors and Reese Hudson.
“We went down to Frenchtown for the Tip Off Tournament to get a feel for where we stand at the moment with other teams,” Bolam said.
Whitefish led 32-8 at halftime and then went on a 19-3 run in the third quarter. Shors and Carmela Alfieri led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points, while Ullrich had nine points and Hudson had eight points.
“Freshmen Izze Short and Vivian Triewieler Schmidt got a lot of playing time,” Bolam said. “The freshman on varsity are holding their own and working really hard to improve. We are probably a bit behind other teams that we saw, but our youth will gain on them as the season progresses.”
Bolan said his seniors showed great leadership skills when working with younger teammates.
“They have been leading by example, and everyone has shown them great respect for that,” Bolam said. “We will be leaning heavily on them to carry us through the year.”
And this year, the tough Northwest A will provide a strong test.
“You don't get a night off playing against the likes of Bigfork, Browning and Columbia Falls,” Bolam said. “I'm also impressed with Ronan and Polson as they look strong, and Libby shows a lot of improvement from last year. It is going to be a very challenging year, and we hope our young girls grow and that we will be playing our best basketball in February.”
Bolam added that in the Southern A, Dillon and Frenchtown look big and athletic.
“Those two will probably be fighting it out for first place in the south,” Bolam said.
At Frenchtown
WHITEFISH 65, STEVENSVILLE 11
Stevi - 4 - 4 - 3 - 0 - 11
Whitefish - 16 - 16 - 19 - 14 - 65
WHITEFISH SCORING: Reese Hudson 8, Grace Inabnit 6, Yoli Krastev 5, Clair Easterly 2, Charlize Ullrich 9, Kori Armonn 2, Allie Shors 11, Carmela Alfieri 11, Izze Short 5, Stella Frisbee 6.
At Frenchtown
CORVALLIS 40, WHITEFISH 35
Whitefish - 10 - 15 - 4 - 6 - 35
Corvallis - 4 - 9 - 11 - 16 - 40
WHITEFISH SCORING: Reese Hudson 15, Yoli Krastev 7, Charlize Ullrich 7, Carmella Alfieri 2, Allie Shors 2, Izze Short 2