Wildkats competitive in losses to Dillon, Anaconda in Tip-off Tournament
Competitive. That’s the best one-word description of the Columbia Falls varsity girls hoop team in its games in the Western A Tip-off Tournament last weekend.
The Wildkats opened with a 40-36 loss to Dillon on Friday at Corvallis High School, staying with the Southwestern A team in every quarter. The Kats trailed defending state champion Anaconda by just four points at halftime Saturday at Hamilton Middle School, but were outscored 25-9 in the decisive third period.
CFHS was right with Dillon, leading by one with a period to play. The Kats were outscored 11-6 in the final quarter.
“The Dillon game we had in hand,” CFHS coach Dan Fairbank said. “We had a couple of costly errors in the end. I’m pretty happy with the girls. We did that with 25 turnovers. It was a game we should have won. They weren’t really putting a lot of pressure on us.”
The Kats had the size advantage, but the rebounding numbers came out even — 39-39.
“We should have done better on the boards,” CFHS coach Dan Fairbank said.
CFHS shot 32 percent from the field, which is an improvement over most of the Kats’ games last season.
Disparity at the free-throw line was a factor. Dillon was 14-for-22 from the stripe, and CFHS was just 4-for-11.
Alyssa Ladenburg, the sole senior on the team, led the Kats with 11 points, six assists and four steals.
WITH THE THIRD period aside, the Kats played very well against Anaconda.
“They didn’t match up with us sizewise, but they were very quick,” Fairbank said. “We played three solid quarters. They have state championship experience and a lot of kids coming back. I was happy with most of the effort in both games.”
The coach talked about the third quarter against Anaconda.
“We came out lethargic,” Fairbank said, the team committing four turnovers in the first five possessions of the second half. “We hung with them the rest of the quarter. We calmed down in the fourth quarter.”
There was defensive intensity throughout the game.
“They pressured our ballhandlers and we pressured their ballhandlers,” Fairbank said.
The result was 28 turnovers by the Kats and 20 by Anaconda. There were 60 free throws in the game, 35 by Anaconda and 25 by CFHS.
“We will pressure people a lot more. We’re a little behind where I wanted to be in the pressure aspect,” Fairbank said.
Torry Hill torched the Kats for 34 points, despite playing with a splint on a finger on her shooting hand.
“If we weren’t in her face instantly she’d hit a 3-pointer,” Fairbank said. “It was an eye-opener for us.”
From the field, CFHS shot 33 percent. The Kats won the board battle, 36-34.
Kayla DeWit was 8-for-12 from the foul line and led the Kats with 14 points. She grabbed 15 rebounds for an impressive double-double, and had two assists. Ladenburg had 11 points, and Kelsey DeWit added eight.
The Kats face Flathead High on Friday in Kalispell. They host Missoula Sentinel on Saturday.
DILLON (40)
Totals 11 15-22 40.
COLUMBIA FALLS (36)
Cady 1 2-2 4, Kayla DeWit 4 0-2 8, Ladenburg 5 1-2 11, Grilley 3 0-2 6, Knudsen 0 1-2 1, Kelsey DeWit 3 0-1 6. Totals 16 4-11 36.
Dillon 13 9 7 11 — 40
Columbia Falls 12 8 10 6 — 36
3-point goals: Dillon 4. Fouled out: Kelsey DeWit.
ANACONDA (69)
Totals 19 25-35 69.
COLUMBIA FALLS (52)
Reeve 2 2-2 6, Stratton 2 1-2 3, Cady 0 2-4 2, Kayla DeWit 3 8-12 14, Ladenburg 4 2-4 11, Grilley 2 0-1 4, Knudsen 2 0-0 4, Kelsey DeWit 4 0-0 8. Totals 18 15-25 52.
Anaconda 17 15 25 12 — 69
Columbia Falls 10 18 9 15 — 52
3-point goals: Anaconda 6; Ladenburg. Total fouls: Anaconda 21, CF 23. Fouled out: None.