Hawks bounce back from losses

It was the battle of the unbeatens Tuesday in Thompson Falls, as the 8-0 Bigfork Valkyries took on the 7-0 Lady Hawks in a 7-B matchup. Bigfork kept their undefeated season going, handing the Hawks their first loss of the season, 69-30.

It was a physical game against a physical team, with both teams hitting the court in aggressive fashion. Thompson Falls junior Natalie Roberts took a charge in the first quarter as the Valkyries took an early lead. Caity Alexander scored the first basket for the Hawks five minutes into the game. Maliyah LeCourge took a charge in the second quarter as the number of fouls for both teams put players at the line. Bigfork led 33-16 at the half and increased their lead throughout the second half as the Hawks suffered their first defeat of the season.

"It was a good game for us to have. It showed us some adjustments we need to make," Hawk Coach Chadd Laws said, adding that the loss didn't slow his team down. "It was motivating. After that we had two of the best practices ever. The girls stepped up the intensity and their focus." He added that the team is working on being more physical and taking better care of the ball.

Laws says he wants his team to be aggressive and push themselves, but encourages them not to be reckless. "I'm OK with mistakes as long as you're going 100%." The Lady Hawks pushed themselves back into the victory lane with a 76-20 win over Deer Lodge on Saturday, the first of four games they have scheduled in a six-day period. "We got back to who we were, pressing and moving on defense," Laws said of the Deer Lodge matchup. The team hit 10 three-pointers against Deer Lodge, including four from Alexander and three from LeCoure.

Laws mentioned that his entire team is stepping up, noting that Roni Hanks has come a long way in her basketball career and is a smart, steady player for the Hawks. She scored 11 of Thompson's 30 points against Bigfork.

The Lady Hawks traveled to Eureka on Monday and were handed their second loss of the season, 51-39. Ellie Baxter led the Hawks with 24 points against the Lions. The Thompson Falls girls were set to welcome Plains on Tuesday. Results of that matchup was not available at press time. Thompson Falls will then travel to Libby on Thursday.

The Blue Hawks boys also split their games last week, falling to Bigfork 56-30 on Thursday and beating Deer Lodge 60-29 on Saturday. Coach Jake Mickelson said Bigfork is a solid, tough team, but his team was a good opponent for them and then came back and played a great game against Deer Lodge.

The Vikings took an early lead against the Hawks Thursday. Thompson Falls was able to get within one point in the second quarter before Bigfork pulled away. The Hawks struggled in the third quarter, not scoring until Bryson LeCoure sank a three-point shot with less than four minutes remaining.

Against Bigfork, senior Nathan Schraeder led with nine points and had four rebounds and one assists; Bryson LeCoure had five points, three rbounds; Breck Ferris scored four points and led the team with seven rebounds; Ben Cooper had four points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal; Josh Wilhite scored three points and added four rebounds, two assists and two steals; Jesse Claridge score two points and contributed three rebounds and two assists; and Adam Childers had three points, two rebounds. Mickelson said defensively the Hawks played well against Bigfork, but needed to be more aggressive trying to score.

The Hawks bounced back for the home win against Deer Lodge, outrebounding their opponent for the first time this season. "Our kids are getting more comfortable shooting the ball," Mickelson said. "It was another good weekend for the Blue Hawks."

In the home win against Deer Lodge, Schraeder again led with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Claridge scored 16 points and led the team with 12 rebounds, Wilhite scored eight points, Childres six, LeCoure five, Alex Menzel added four points, and Ferris and Braxton Dorscher two apiece.

This week the Blue Hawks have two games on the schedule, as they headed to Libby on Tuesday and will host Plains on Thursday. Mickelson said the team is looking forward to going to Libby on Tuesday hosting Plains on Thursday.