Kats Marooned in state tourney, lose 49-47

The Columbia Falls girls basketball team was shocked by Butte Central 49-47 in the opening round of the state Class A tournament in Hamilton on Thursday.

The score was tied at 47 apiece with 23 seconds left when the Maroons dropped in a shot with five seconds left. Ciera Finberg heaved up a desperation shot for the Wildkats as time expired, but to no avail.

The Maroons outscored the Kats 19-11 in the fourth quarter. The Kats had a 36-30 lead heading into the stanza. Winter Kemppainen led the team with 15 points, but fouled out late in the quarter.

The Maroons played good defense and took care of the ball. The Kats had 19 turnovers while the Maroons only had seven.

Columbia Falls will now hope for a third-place finish — the same result as last year — as they play Lewistown on Friday, March 6, at 12:30 p.m. The Kats went into the tourney ranked No. 1 in the state.