Superior girls burned by first loss at Western C Divisionals
The undefeated Superior Lady Bobcats ran into the fiercest competition they’ve encountered all year on Friday when they faced off against Twin Bridges in the semifinals of the Western C Divisional Tournament in Butte.
Unlike previous games this season, Superior found themselves facing a Lady Falcon squad that had the speed and defensive mindset to not only keep up, but also to play Cinderella.
In the first quarter Twin Bridges started off on a 0-7 run, forcing Coach Jeff Schultz to spend a timeout with only one minute and 25 seconds expired from the clock. After the timeout, the Lady Bobcats started playing their brand of defense – forcing turnovers and getting fast break opportunities.
Slowly but surely Superior began trying to regain momentum in their favor, using lights-out free throw shooting from seniors Cary Chamberlain and Nicole Stroot to scrape back into the game.
Another senior, Malinda Steinebach, came up big with a three-pointer to tie the game at 16 just as the clock hit the one minute mark in the first quarter.
Superior cranked up the defensive pressure even more during the last minute of the first quarter, but Twin Bridges ended up with the lead going into the second, 18-20.
The second quarter found Superior in the bonus early and the Lady Bobcats went to the line often. However, Twin Bridges kept up the offensive pressure which led to fouls being committed by Superior as well.
In what seemed to be a free throw battle between the teams, the second quarter found Superior slowly getting closer to the Lady Falcons – who lost the percentage battle at the free throw line. At halftime the Lady Bobcats were down 35-38.
Twin Bridges came out of the half swinging and never looked back. The ball was not falling in Superior’s favor, and the Lady Bobcats found themselves missing shots that seemed to always drop in games previous.
At the end of the third quarter Superior was outscored 29-10 and down 45-67.
In the fourth quarter, Senior Cary Chamberlain fouled out early and Twin Bridges kept rolling. The Lady Falcons were able to instantly and consistently answer any scores by Superior. The game was quickly locked.
As the clock ticked down on Superior’s undefeated season, Twin Bridges continued to set fire to the game and the Lady Bobcats continued to find shots not dropping. The Lady Bobcats lost 61-83. A harsh burn.
Cary Chamberlain and Nicole Stroot led Superior with 15 points each and Malinda Steinebach had 14. The Lady Bobcats remain in Butte and will play a loser out game against Charlo tomorrow at noon.