Loggers bury Bulldogs, 47-32
WHITEFISH — Two words came to Libby girls basketball coach Wally Winslow’s mind as he searched for apt descriptors of his squad’s Northwest A conference win over Whitefish — patience and perseverance.
The Loggers exhibited both on Friday night as they overcame an early deficit to run away with a commanding 47-32 victory over the Bulldogs.
“Play every play,” Winslow told his team as it trailed early on. “Don’t get focused on the score. You just got to defend the next possession or execute on your next offensive possession. It’s just a play at a time.
“You can’t get too worked up about the scoreboard in the second quarter or the first quarter.”
In due time, the scoreboard shifted from a place from which the Loggers wanted to avert their eyes to one they longed to gaze at endlessly.
An early 7-0 run helped Whitefish build a lead that stood for most of the first quarter and well into the second. But once Libby found answers to its early offensive struggles, the points came like a surging wave that the Bulldogs were powerless to stop.
The Libby run proved much more devastating than Whitefish’s before it.
The 22-3 push for the Loggers, one that stretched from the middle of the second quarter to the beginning of the fourth, turned a small deficit into an insurmountable lead.
The third quarter was particularly problematic for Whitefish, as Libby outscored it 11-1 in the period.
“That’s tough to come back from mentally, physically,” Whitefish coach Ben Johnson said. “We’re competing. We just— it’s figuring out how to put four quarters together. That’s still our goal.”
Libby’s offense, which typically stars its forwards and post players, instead was led by 5-foot-4 junior guard Alli Collins, who scored a game-high 14 points.
Twelve of Collins’ points came in the first half, and eight of her 14 came from the free-throw line, where she did not miss. Her other six points came on a pair of 3-pointers.
“She’s very athletic, and she’s very quick,” Winslow said. “She can go and get to the rim. That’s a part of her game every day. But the difference today is she was able to knock down some shots from the perimeter, which was good to see.”
Shannon Reny, the game’s only other double-digit scorer, checked in right behind Collins with 13 points.
Payton Kastella knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to lead Whitefish with nine points.
“Any time you can play in the Northwest A and get a win, it’s a positive thing for your program,” Winslow said. “Every opponent we play, we feel we can beat. We also know that every opponent we play can beat us.
“To get a road win is big. Any conference win is a good win.”
Libby 8 18 11 10 — 47
Whitefish 12 10 1 9 — 32
LIBBY: Emma Gruber 1, Alli Collins 14, Samantha Miller 3, Jayden Winslow 8, Sammee Bradeen 2, Khalyn Hageness 1, Shannon Reny 13, McKenzie Proffitt 2, Brooklyn Rainer 4.
WHITEFISH: Kit Anderson 1, Hope Brown 5, Claire Carloss 2, Kaiah Moore 3, Ashton Ramsey 2, Annisa Brown 6, Payton Kastella 9, Marlee Bender 4.
Boys
Libby 61, Whitefish 44
LIBBY — Ryggs Johnston poured in a game-high 30 points, helping Libby overcome Whitefish and a similarly impressive performance from Lee Walburn.
Walburn, who tallied 25 points, was the only Bulldogs to score more than six points as Whitefish struggled throughout the night to dig out of a massive hole it dug itself in the first quarter.
The Loggers jumped out to a 22-8 advantage after the opening period.
Brian Peck threw in eight points for Libby.
Whitefish 8 14 14 8 — 44
Libby 22 13 18 8 — 61
WHITEFISH: Alex Keuylian 5, Justin Conklin 4, Mark Anderson 2, Ryan Kemm 6, Lee Walburn 25, Dillon Botner 2.
LIBBY: Brian Peck 8, JJ Davis 6, Chandler Bower 1, Ryggs Johnston 30, Jay Beagle 2, Nik Jones 7, Keith Johnson 7.