Lady Hawks kick off with a win

The Lady Hawks showed they were a force to be reckoned with Saturday as they traveled to Troy for their first game of the season last Saturday. The Hawks came home with a 63-7 win over Troy, dominating the Trojans the entire game.

"We used our entire bench to play," Coach Chadd Laws stated. "Everybody got a ton of playing time and we got to work on some of our different offenses and defenses. The biggest thing was just getting more playing time together and doing what we do, pushing the ball up and down the court and playing a high level of defense." He said his team put a lot of pressure on the ball and utilized different combinations.

The Hawks hit hard in the first quarter, scoring a whopping 29 points and leading 29-5 at the end of the first quarter. They kept the momentum as they led 47-5 at the half. Thompson Falls kept Troy scoreless in the second and third quarters, allowing only five points scored in the first and two in the fourth.

The team sank five three-point shots, all in the first half, with two each from Chesney Lowe and Maliyah LeCoure and one from Ellie Baxter. Laws said junior Avery Burgess had a particularly good game on defense, with nine steals. "Everybody had a lot to contribute," the coach said. Baxter finished with 20 points, 18 of which were in the first half. Laws noted that sophomore Hattie Neesvig had a great day on both varsity and jv and has put in a lot of work to develop her shot. Baxter, Burgess and Natalie Roberts had four assists each, Lowe finished with 12 points and LeCoure 10 points. Overall, the Lady Hawks had 22 steals and 32 offensive rebounds, which Laws said was awesome.

What stood out for Coach Laws is how his team is there for each other. "We talk a lot about being there for your teammates and they have really bought in. They are very good to each other," he added.

The Lady Hawks head to Anaconda for tournament play this weekend, facing off against Stillwater Christian at 3 p.m. on Friday and playing Choteau at 10 a.m. Saturday.