Kats fall just short to Butte Central in state final

Despite a valiant effort, the Columbia Falls girls basketball team fell short in the state A title game to Butte Central, 55-48. The girls played great defense, but the Kats had untimely turnovers and missed some key free throws down the stretch which proved to be their undoing.

Butte led at the half 27-22 after a Kloie Thatcher trey at the buzzer bounced off the rim, went up in the air and then rolled around the rim and through the hoop as time expired.

The shot would prove prophetic, as the Kats would tie the game at 48 apiece with 90 seconds left, but would get no closer. The Kats couldn’t buy a shot in the closing seconds and the free throws simply didn’t drop.

Junior Kiara Burlage led the squad with 17 and earned every point as she got hammered under the basket. Peyton Kehr had 10, Allyson Gimbel had eight.

Gimbel had a nice game in the semifinal against Browning, tallying nine points against Browning’s Tiara Gilham who was bigger and stronger by a wide margin. The girls didn’t shoot the ball particularly well against Browning, but Sydney Hovde hit some key free throws late in the fourth to secure the victory against the Indians, 42-39. Kehr led the squad with 12 points.

The girls opened the tourney with their best offensive showing of the tourney, dropping Havre, 64-54. Senior Ellie Johnson had a career high 22 points and hit five treys in the victory to lead the Kats.

The girls finished the season 21-3. Their only losses were to Butte Central and class AA Missoula Sentinel. It was the first time in 30 years the girls made it to the state finals. They’ve played Saturday night in the tournament for the past three years. 

Coach Cary Finberg said that’s something the seniors have to be proud of.

As for the Central game, the girls just had a few mistakes.

“The girls competed hard, but we made enough mistakes and they capitalized on those mistakes,” he said. With Central’s trey and the end of the half, and another shot that put them up by eight early the first quarter, the Kats were playing catch-up. It proved to be too much.

The future looks bright for next season.

The Kats return a great core of juniors, including Burlage, Hovde, Cydney Finberg and Kehr. They also have a talented bench, so they should be right in the mix again.

“I feel very confident in what we have coming back,” Finberg said. 

There’s work to do in the next six to seven months in the offseason.

“They need to work at it and I think they will,” he said. “I’m very proud of the girls. It was a tremendous season. It just didn’t finish the way we wanted.”

Central only loses two seniors to graduation. Can you say rematch? 

Butte Central 14 13 16 12 - 55

Columbia Falls 10 11 20 7 - 48

BUTTE CENTRAL (24-0) – Kloie Thatcher 3 0-0 9, Mollie Peoples 4 3-3 12, Sierra Pica 9 1-3 19, Kailee Murphy 2 0-0 4, Emily St. John 3 4-7 11, Taylor Wahl 0 0-0 0, Megan Michelotti 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 8-13 55.

COLUMBIA FALLS (21-3) – Sydney Grilley 0 0-0 0, Cydney Finberg 2 2-2 7, Ellie Johnson 0 0-0 0, Peyton Kehr 4 0-0 10, Miranda Livingston 0 0-0 0, Kiara Burlage 5 6-13 17, Allyson Gimbel 2 4-5 8, Sydney Hovde 3 0-0 6. Totals: 16 12-20 48.

3-point goals: BC 5 (Thatcher 3, Peoples 1, St. John 1), CF 4 (Kehr 2, Finberg 1, Burlage 1). Fouls: BC 14, CF 12. Fouled out: none. Technicals: none.

Browning 7 13 13 6 — 39

C. Falls 10 11 11 10 — 42

Browning – Olivia Hall 7, Taylor Calf Boss Ribs 3, Ronnell Jordon 9, Audrey Whitegrass 3, Tiara Gilham 17.

Columbia Falls – Ellie Johnson 5, Peyton Kehr 12, Miranda Livingston 2, Kiara Burlage 7, Allyson Gimbel 9, Sydney Hovde 7.

Havre 8 13 3 28 — 52

C-Falls 9 20 10 25 — 64

HAVRE – Ceyara Plante 0 0-0 0, Ryen Olson 1 0-0 3, Dani Wagner 7 5-8 19, Kaylee Nystrom 0 0-0 0, Naomi Terry 4 3-4 14, Marca Herron 2 1-2 7, Danielle Wallace 3 0-0 6, Kristen Nash 1 1-4 3, Kyley Verploegen 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 10-18 52.

COLUMBIA FALLS – Sydney Grilley 1 4-8 6, Cydney Finberg 2 1-2 6, Ellie Johnson 8 1-2 22, Peyton Kehr 5 5-8 15, Miranda Livingston 1 0-0 2, Kiara Burlage 3 2-2 9, Allyson Gimble 0 0-0 0, Sydney Hovde 1 2-3 4. Totals: 21 15-25 64.

3-point goals: Havre 6 (Terry 3, Herron 2, Olson 1), Columbia Falls 7 (Johnson 5, Finberg 1, Burlage 1). Total fouls: Havre 19, Columbia Falls 17. Fouled out: none. Technicals: none.