Lady Hawks get another shot at Mission

The Thompson Falls girls' basketball team also finished their season at the divisional tournament in Pablo. Like the boys, the Lady Hawks made it to Saturday's consolation semifinal where they had a rematch with the district champion Mission Bulldogs, falling 60-35 in what would be Thompson's final game of the season.

"Divisional was a learning experience for us," Coach Mike Tessier said. "None of our girls have played at that level. Our youth showed and we needed that seasoned veteran." He said he's excited for next year when his players will have that division-level experience under their belts. He hopes to get the team to compete in the offseason as well and continue developing their leadership and skills.

"We are seeing the leadership roles start to develop," Tessier noted. He said that sophomore Solveig Nygaard rolled her ankle in practice on Wednesday but showed up with intensity Thursday to the tournament. "It was a good motivator for other girls to see Solveig some in and play at a high level," he said.

Coach Tessier said he was impressed with the number of fans and the amount of support for the team throughout the season, at district and divisional. "We travel well and have a great fan base that's so supportive. We really appreciate that as a team. It does not go unnoticed."

The Blue Hawk girls had a tough first matchup against Florence at the divisional tournament, losing 62-47. The Hawks had lost to Florence by just 10 points early in the regular season. The Thompson Falls team has grown and developed as a team throughout the season and were ready for a fight in the rematch with the Falcons.

Turnovers plagued the Hawks as they struggled to maintain control throughout the game and Florence was able to add more points to the scoreboard. Florence put full pressure on the Hawks and took the lead early. The Hawks played with determination, however, and were down just seven points, 18-11, at the end of the first.

The second quarter was slower in points for both teams as they were focused on stopping their opponents. Florence led 31-19 at the half.

The Hawks kept their energy high as they put points on the board in the second half, but it wasn't enough to catch Florence as the Falcons won 62-47.

Next up for the Lady Hawks was a bout with Plains in a loser-out game on Friday afternoon. "After that disappointing loss to Florence, we responded well and handled Plains like we thought we should. It was a feel-good win for us," Tessier said. Sophomore Addi Pardee agreed. "I definitely think for how young our team is we responded well to the first loss. We're a very resilient team and we continue to fight even when we're down."

Thompson Falls beat Plains 53-34 in an intense game. Though the Hawks led the entire game, they had to remain focused. Pardee said it was one of the best games of the season for the team. The win against Plains kept the divisional tournament going for the Hawks and set up a district championship rematch. A week earlier, Thompson had played Mission in the district championship, falling 49-37. The Hawks were hungry for another shot at the Bulldogs in the divisional consolation semifinal on Saturday in Pablo.

The Hawks struggled on the court early as the powerhouse Bulldogs scored six unanswered points and Thompson struggled to break the full-court pressure. The Lady Hawks would score just three points in the first quarter of play while Mission sank nearly every shot, including a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Mission continued the pressure against the Hawks in the second quarter, and also continued sinking three-pointers, strengthening their lead to 33-11 by halftime. "I was proud of the girls. They didn't give up, ever, whether we were down by 25 or 2, they still played hard," Tessier said.

The second half was aggressive, but Thompson Falls was determined to put up a fight. The team endured a barrage of Mission points as the Bulldog defense denied the Hawks several baskets. "They stayed focused and used the intensity as momentum to come back in the third quarter," Tessier explained, adding that the third quarter against Mission was one of the highlights of the tournament for him. "I was really proud of them and that whole effort. We could have quit but we fought our way back."

Thompson Falls was down by just 11 points going into the final quarter, but were no match for the aggressive Bulldogs, who sealed the win and advanced in the tournament.

"I'm really proud of us and I think we're going to come back next season even stronger and better," Pardee expressed. "I'm definitely looking forward to next season. We are not losing any seniors and we have good chemistry with each other and will continue to grow together." She said a pivotal moment in the season for the Lady Hawks was taking Eureka in overtime at home during the regular season. "That really bonded our team. We needed to go into overtime with them to know that we can beat them and handle the stress." She noted that a lot of the team members have played together "since we can remember and we have gained a few along the way who add to our team and make it stronger."

Tessier said his team has a lot of resilience and passion. "The girls have come so far this year and they got high-level postseason experience. They were familiar with some of the teams but it's another level at divisional. It gave the team a hunger and they know what to expect next year. The future is bright for the Lady Hawks."