T-Falls tops Plains in county showdown
Plains senior forward Carlie Wagoner (black jersey) dribbles by Thompson Falls' Lakko Blakely for a layup during their game Friday night in Thompson Falls. (Tracy Scott, Valley Press)
Plains guard Peyton Wasson goes up for a jump shot against Thompson Falls during the Lady Hawks win over the Trotters Friday night in T Falls. (Tracy Scott, Valley Press)
Thompson Falls forward Bryson LeCoure (33) goes high to block a shot by Plains guard Wyatt Butcher during the Blue Hawks win over the Horsemen Friday night in T-Falls. (Tracy Scott, Valley Press)
Plains point guard Eduardo Perianez drives past Thompson Falls sophomore Bryson LeCoure (3) on his way to a lay up during their game Friday night in T-Falls. (Tracy Scott, Valley Press)
In the latest version of the battle for Sanders County, the Blue Hawks ruled the roost.
In a pair of games played Friday night in Thompson Falls, the Lady Hawks triumphed 68-30 over the Plains Trotters, while the T Falls boys outgunned the Horsemen 69-45.
The wins kept both Thompson Falls teams unbeaten on the year, as the Blue Hawks and Lady Hawks improved to 4-0.
The T Falls boys found themselves in a tight battle with the rapidly improving, young Plains team, squeezing out a 14-13 lead after one quarter of play, then adding to that slightly for a 30-27 halftime advantage.
Led by Bryson LeCoure, who wound up scoring a game high 20 points for the home team, the Blue Hawks began to pull away in the waning moments of the third quarter, before rolling past the Horsemen in the final eight minutes of play.
The Hawks held a 44-37 lead heading into the fourth quarter, then outscored Plains 25-8 to secure their fourth win of the 2022 season.
In addition to LeCoure’s 20, Thompson Falls got 16 points from Braxton Dorscher, 13 from senior forward Jesse Claridge and 10 from Breck Ferris.
Plains, meanwhile, got 18 points from guard Eduardo Perianez and 14 from Jayden Weeks. The loss dropped the Horsemen to 2-2 on the year.
The Lady Hawks had an easier time with the Trotters as they carved out a 12-8 first quarter lead, then outscored Plains 20-9 in the second quarter to build a 32-17 lead at the intermission.
As was the case in the boys’ game, the Lady Hawks had multiple players score in double figures, paced by the game-best 27 points put up by senior forward Avery Burgess.
The home standing Thompson Falls girls kept up the pressure, defensively and offensively in the third quarter where they used a 22-10 run to build a 54-27 lead with one quarter to play.
They outscored the Trotters 14-3 in the final eight minutes to secure their fourth win of the year against no losses. Plains fell to 1-3 with the loss.
In addition to Burgess’ 27, T Falls got 14 points from Gabi Hannum and 10 from guard Chesney Lowe.
The Trotters travel to Mission in St. Ignatius this Thursday for a pair of games, while Thompson Falls boys head to Libby Tuesday and the Lady Hawks stay home to host Libby.
