Lady Falcons, Lady Mustangs finish strong at state basketball

Two Madison County teams took to the state basketball court last weekend in Butte. The Twin Bridges Lady Falcons found themselves with a fourth-place finish after the three-day, four game venture. The Ennis Mustangs nearly made it to the consolation game on Sat., March 10, but ultimately lost out to Froid-Medicine Lake.

Falcons suffer heartbreaking loss in opening round

Taking on the Box Elder Lady Bears in the opening rounds of the state class C basketball tournament on March 8, the Lady Falcons fought their way to a close finish. Down 18-39 at the half, under the leadership of seniors RaeAnne Bendon and Kailee Oliverson, the Lady Falcons fought their way back into the game, taking a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Tying the game at 57, the Lady Falcons forced the Lady Bears into overtime. Box Elder hit the board first to take a two-point lead, but the Falcons answered back with 17 seconds left. Nikayla Anderson sunk a buzzer-beater three for the Bears, ending the game, 62-59, and the Lady Falcon’s chances at a state title.

Scoring

Falcons: Oliverson 32, Bendon 19, Phillips 4, Madden 2, Guinnane 2

Bears: Gopher 14, Momberg 12, Vielle 9, Anderson 9

Mustangs battle Rams, fall 29-45

The Ennis Lady Mustangs took on the ultimate runner-ups for the state title, the Winnett-Grass Range Lady Rams on March 8 at the Butte Civic Center. The Mustangs and the Rams were evenly matched at the start of the game – Danyel Martin out the first points up for the Mustangs, banking two free throw attempts in the first quarter. Both teams went back and forth for buckets, but a pivotal second and fourth quarter secured the Lady Rams a trip to the semifinals.

“I had a blast coaching these girls,” said Jordan Overstreet, Mustang head coach. “All year, these girls came in and worked extremely hard. Playing Saturday at the state tournament was a pretty amazing accomplishment – winning over 20 games is another huge accomplishment these girls made this season. I'm going to miss coaching this group of seniors and this team! I appreciate all the work these girls put in and all the support we received from our community. Next year you can expect these girls to pick up right where they left off – they will be in the gym all summer trying to get better and make another appearance at the state tournament.”

Scoring

Mustangs: Hokanson 13, Klein 7, Martin 5, McKitrick 3

Rams: Stahl 18, Browning 11, Johnson 9, Jolma 6

Falcons soar over Engineers

Fighting for a chance at the consolation game, the Lady Falcons took on the Lady Engineers from Harlowton on March 9. The Falcons took a quick lead, banking 22 points in the first quarter. Finding momentum in the second half, the Lady Engineers charged back to close the point gap but couldn’t quite get there. The Falcons defeated the Engineers, 65-50.

Scoring

Falcons: Oliverson 31, Bendon 18, Phillips 8, Madden 4, George 2, Keim 2

Engineers: Deitrich 28, Lane 10, Wasson 8, Bornong 3, Hagl 1

Mustangs trot ahead of Bulldogs

The Lady Mustangs took on the Carter County Bulldogs on March 9, defeating the Bulldogs 44-39. Sticking close in points throughout the entire game, the Mustangs had a pivotal fourth period, sending them just above the Bulldogs to move on in the tournament.

Scoring

Mustangs: McKitrick 16, Martin 8, Hokanson 8, Klein 5

Bulldogs: Tooke 7, Heather Labree 8, Hannah Labree 7

Falcons defeat Wildcats by 2 for a chance at the consolation game

Taking charge in the first quarter, the Lady Falcons fought for a two-point finish over the Plentywood Wildcats on March 10. The Falcons came out on top, 45-43, and found themselves headed to the consolation game later that day.

Scoring

Falcons: Oliverson 22, Bendon 9, Guinnane 6

Wildcats: Stevens 9, Russel 9, Oska 8, Fawcett 8

Mustangs lose-out to Froid-Medicine Lake

The Mustangs found themselves just short of the consolation game against Twin Bridges, after losing to Froid-Medicine Lake, 33-37. The hard-fought match took a turn in the third quarter after the Mustangs fell behind by five.

Scoring

Mustangs: Hokanson 11, Martin 7, Klein 7, McKitrick 6, Anderson 2

Redhawks: Mason 10, Dethman 9, Labatte 5

Lady Falcons finish fourth at state

The Lady Falcons fought their way to a fourth-place finish at the state class C basketball tournament at the Butte Civic Center on March 10. Taking on the Froid-Medicine Lake Redhawks, the Falcons battled to the very end but fell to the Redhawks, 34-41.

Scoring

Falcons: Oliverson 19, Bendon 11, Phillips 3

Redhawks: Dethman, S. 13, Mason 10, Dethman, M. 10