Lady Hawks avenge the Trotters for victory
<p>Senior Lady Hawk Kelsey Fitchett tries to dribble and pass the ball past Senior Trotter Jessica Hansen during the heated rivalry game on Thursday night before the District Tournament in Ronan.</p>
THOMPSON FALLS – The Lady Hawks and Trotters once again faced off, and the third time was a charm.
This time the charm was for Thompson Falls, who came out on top, 58-51 over the Trotters on Feb. 14 to advance into the district tourney on Saturday. Both teams had it out for the other, and the playing wasn’t too pretty.
Seniors were the stronghold for the Lady Hawks, as Kelsey Fitchett and Allison Vaught posted points that kept the Lady Hawk campaign strong, as well as with the efforts and points of sophomore Logan Beckman. The last time the two teams faced off, the Trotters had come out on top, and according to the T-Falls coach, for good reason.
“We were missing our lead scorer in the last game, Logan Beckman,” Coach Jason Reimer said. “Overall the team was a lot more aggressive. We put together a complete game instead of just a partial game. Both teams played a really good game. It was a very competitive, intense game.”
The Trotters kept their own momentum strong, and both teams struggled for control of the game in the first half.
Freshman Leah Thompson led the Trotters in scoring with 19 points, followed by teammate sophomore Hailey Phillips with 16.
On Saturday, the Lady Hawks faced off against Eureka, and lost, 53-59.
“It was a close game. We were down by two points with a minute and a half left,” Coach Reimer said. “It came down to the wire and we battled hard but missed two shots that could have put us over the edge.”
Beckman posted 20 points to the game, while teammate Allison Vaught put in 13 points.
As for the Trotters on Saturday, they played Bigfork on Saturday, and lost, 33-41. Senior Jessica Hansen put in 10 points to the game.
Up next for the two teams in the Western B Divisional Tournament are games today, Wednesday, in Kailspell. The Trotters will play Deer Lodge at 1:00 p.m. and the Lady Hawks will play Florence at 2:45 p.m.
“It’s a tough game for us,” Coach Reimer said of Florence. “As long as we don’t turn the ball over, we’ll have a chance to win. We’ll have to take care of the basketball.”
There is a possibility that the two rival teams, Plains and Thompson Falls, may face off again for the semi-final if they both advance from today’s games.