The never-quit girls

RONAN – The Lady Hawks never quit trying but finally ran out of games to play at the Western B divisional tournament in Ronan last week.

Coach Doree Thilmony and her Lady Hawks opened the Western B with a 61-34 loss to Florence Thursday and were eliminated in a 50-48 loss to District 7B rival Eureka Friday. The Hawks finish season play with a 3-17 record, with two of those three wins coming in the last two weeks of the regular season against Class B foes Mission and Troy.

Bigfork defeated Deer Lodge in the Western B championship Saturday and the Vals and Lady Wardens move on to the State B tourney in Missoula March 8-10. Florence defeated Loyola in the consolation game but could not challenge Deer Lodge for the division's second spot into the State B.

Thilmony said a little more time in Friday's game against Eureka could have given the Hawks another late-season victory to hang their hats on.

"We needed about 15 more seconds and I think we would have won that game," she said. "We threw a full-court press on them and almost got it there at the end. The girls really showed no quit in that game, played very hard right to the final buzzer."

Belle Cooper, who according to Thilmony enjoyed a "breakout game," led the Lady Hawks with 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

Riley Wilson added nine points and a pair of steals, Jody Detlaff eight points, six rebounds and two assists, Megan Baxter seven points, eight rebounds and two assists, Maya Stiles six points, Sarah Detlaff four points, four assists and two rebounds and Haley Morgan three points, eight rebounds and two assists.

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Sienna Utter tallied 16 points to pace Eureka and Erynn Thier added 14.

The game with Florence went the Falcons' way early – they flew out to an 18-6 lead after the first quarter – and the Hawks could never recover.

"We played pretty well outside of that first quarter," Thilmony said. "We played with them a lot better this time than we did earlier this season, I will say that."

Baxter scored yet another double-double by throwing down 15 points and spearing 11 rebounds, Jody Detlaff added nine points, Cooper six points, four boards, two assists and two steals, Wilson two points and two rebounds, Morgan one points, six rebounds and three assists, and Sarah Detlaff four steals and three assists.

Danielle Zahn bucketed 21 points to pace Florence and Makenna Liles added 14.

Now that Thilmony has her girls thinking about tournament basketball after the Lady Hawks finally got the chance to play in one after several years without, she wants to keep their minds on it now.

"The State B tournament is in Missoula in two weeks and I plan on going," she said. "I have six empty seats in my car so I will take as many of our players as I can with me. I think they could learn a lot by just watching it and I hope they join me."

Thilmony thanked her girls for what they gave her, and the program this season.

"These girls never gave up, they played hard all season," she said. "And we had a very young team, I think the future looks bright for this group if we keep working at it."