Lady Tigers, Clark Fork Boys, take third in Districts

The St. Regis Lady Tigers entered District tournament play with a 9-9 regular season and managed to make their way up the brackets to finish third place in Pablo. During a Thursday, Feb. 15, game against Noxon the Tigers won 36-27.

Head Coach Brooks Sanford said despite a slow start, they managed a nine-point win with eight 3-pointers as a result of great ball movement. On Friday, they faced number one seed, Plains in the semifinal with an upset win of 44-36.

“We found some mismatches in the third quarter to build a 10-point lead and knocked down some late throws to seal the victory,” said Sanford. “Back to back upsets at the district tournament is a tremendous feat for these young ladies and it is a testament to their grit and desire to improve as individual players and as a team.”

On Saturday, they played Charlo in the championship game. “Unfortunately we just couldn’t string three wins together,” he said. “Charlo is a very good basketball team. They were physical on the offensive boards and shot a high percentage. We just couldn’t match their intensity and when we got open looks they just didn’t fall.”

On Monday, Feb. 19, the Tigers faced Arlee in a challenge game for second place but lost, 51-43, ending their season play. Sanford said he has a great team and that every player can shoot and handle the ball.

“Great things are possible, even when you only have seven players. As long as those players are committed to each other, committed to improvement, and constantly set high expectations and that’s who the Lady Tigers are,” Sanford said.

In other District news, the Clark Fork Mountain Cat boys team played in a challenge game on Monday, Feb. 19, for second place in 13C. However, they lost to the Darby Tigers, 76-66 ending their bid for Divisionals.