Kats on a roll heading into divisional tournament

They just keep playing better. The Columbia Falls girls basketball team dropped Polson 63-52 at home to go undefeated in conference play Feb. 14.

The Wildkats won the regular season conference title with an 8-0 record. They went 15-3 overall, their only losses at the hands of Class AA Flathead and Glacier high schools.

With another year of varsity experience and comfort under the coach Cary Finberg style of basketball, the Kats have seen a marked improvement over last season, when they were 7-11 heading into the Northwest Class A divisional tournament. They’re passing the ball well, limiting turnovers and they’ve found their shot.

“Defensively, we’re playing a lot better, and the girls have found their roles,” Finberg said. “The leadership from the seniors has been huge.”

And the underclassmen have been finding the basket. Sophomore Ciera Finberg scored 18 points against Polson, along with four rebounds and four assists. Junior Haley Belgarde had 20 points, eight boards and eight blocks, sophomore Winter Kemppainen had 12 points and 15 rebounds, and junior Andrea Getts had eight blocks along with her four points.

Senior Hope Burlage played great defensively and had nine points, 11 rebounds and four assists as the Kats held off a late rally by the Lady Pirates in the fourth quarter.

The Kats are ranked No. 1 in the state for Class A heading into the divisional tournament. They’ll face the winner of the Libby-Whitefish game Friday in Ronan at 6 p.m. Libby should win that game, and they can be dangerous — the Kats beat the Lady Loggers by just four points earlier this season.

If the Kats advance to the finals, they could face Frenchtown again, which plays Polson. Frenchtown is also a dangerous team. Both games against the Lady Broncs this season have come down to the final seconds of play.

The girls championship game is at 8 p.m. The top two teams in the tourney will advance to the state tournament in Butte the following weekend.

Polson 12 6 12 22—52

Columbia Falls 14 15 17 17—63

POLSON — Mckenzie Banner 12, Malia Hamel 6, Keegan Bauer 10, Anna DiGiallonardo 2, Jessica Bagnell 4, Monica Frame 2, Heidi Rausch 16.

COLUMBIA FALLS — Ciera Finberg 18, Hope Burlage 9, Andrea Getts 4, Winter Kemppainen 12, Haley Belgarde 20.