Late lead evaporates as Lady Hawks lose
A 15-point lead with 7:00 to play at divisionals had the Lady Hawks thinking one thing: a divisional birth.
That thought would never come to fruition, however, as Troy rocketed back, scoring 29 fourth quarter points, including six 3-pointers, to force overtime. In the extra session, the Trojans edged the Lady Hawks for a 55-54 win during the loser out game on Saturday.
“When that lead started to evaporate you could see it in my players eyes, like ‘what is going on?’ Thompson Falls head coach Jason Reimer said. “That was as painful as a loss as I’ve ever been a part of.”
Jackie Pepiot and Jordan Willliams each scored 15 points to lead Troy in the come form behind win. Troy was able to rebound from an 11-27, halftime deficit to avenge two regular season losses to the Lady Hawks.
“They caught fire when they needed to,” he said. “I’ve never, never seen anything like it.”
Kelsey Fitchett scored 15 points to lead Thompson Falls in the loss. Allison Vaught and Hope Reid each scored 10 points, Kayla Stark four, Leann Lantz three and Shasta Wilson and Angela Padden one in the loss. The Lady Hawks finished the season 6-15.
Despite frustration over the loss, Reimer remains optimistic about the future of his young team. Reimer feels his girls will benefit from this experience and that if they continue to work hard, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.
In their quarterfinal matchup against Eureka on Thursday, the Lady Hawks held off a late surge by the Lions, edging Eureka for a 34-31 victory.
Fitchett scored a game-high 11 points for Thompson Falls. Reid added nine points, Vaught seven, Stark, Mara Hanks and Lantz two apiece and Padden one point in the victory.
Alex Holland had eight points to lead the Lions, who rallied, outscoring Thompson Falls 11-8 in the fourth quarter of their defeat.
On Friday, Bigfork dominated Thompson Falls for the third time. The Vals ran away with a 59-31 win in the semifinal.
Although the Lady Hawks would outscore the Vals 21-20 in the second half, they could not overcome a 39-10, halftime deficit. The loss placed Thompson Falls in a matchup with Troy later that day.
Caitlin Charlebois scored 14 points to help the Vals advance to the championship game.
Fitchett and Vaught again led the Lady Hawks, each with nine points. Reid contributed six, Padden and Hanks three each and Erica Sorlie one point in the loss.