Thompson Falls sweeps county rival Plains

Thompson Falls boys and girls made it a clean, double sweep of regular season basketball games between the two Sanders County rivals this Thursday in Thompson Falls when the boys beat Plains’ Horsemen 26-28 after the T-Falls girls knocked off Plains’ Trotters 51-25 in the first game of a double-header.

Thompson Falls won both games last month in Plains, with the boys winning 55-46 and the Lady Hawks taking a 47-35 win.

The Blue Hawks got things going early in their win over the Horsemen, grabbing an 11-6 lead by the end of the first quarter, then expanding the lead to 25-13 at the halftime intermission.

Thompson Falls employed a choking defense and tenacious rebounding as they set the tempo and tone for the game early on before a full house of fans from both towns.

The home team kept up the pressure in the third quarter, holding the Horsemen to nine points while scoring 16 of their own. Heading into the final quarter of regulation play, Thompson Falls held a 41-22 lead over their Western 7B conference rivals.

Plains managed to slice one point off the lead in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to overcome the Blue Hawks’ lead.

Senior guards Braxton Dorscher scored 16 points to lead all scorers, while teammate and fellow senior Nick Tessier added 10 for the Blue Hawks. Junior forward Bryson LeCoure, who last week had 36 points in a game, added nine points for T Falls.

The Blue Hawks out-rebounded Plains 45-33. Dorscher had 13 boards, while LeCoure grabbed 10.

Aden West led the Horsemen in scoring with 9 points.

The Thompson Falls win kept the Blue Hawks within one game of Eureka, whom they played Saturday night in Thompson Falls, in the 7B regular season standings. Eureka came into Saturday night’s game with a 7-0 conference mark, while the win over Plains boosted T Falls to 6-1 in league play. Plains fell to 6-4 in league games.

In the girls game, T Falls came out strong in the first quarter, outscoring the home standing Trotters 12-3. The teams traded baskets in the second quarter, leaving the Lady Hawks with a 20-10 lead at the half.

The Hawks defense continued to stymie Plains in the third quarter, holding them to seven points while scoring 13 on their way to a 33-17 lead with one quarter to go. The visitors cranked it up offensively in the fourth quarter, outscoring Plains 18-8 and coasting to a 26-point win.

Sophomore guard Solveig Nygaard led the victors with 12 points, while teammates Addie Pardee and Addy Deal chipped in 10 apiece. Ava Lawyer led the Trotters with 12.

T Falls boys and girls play at Troy this Thursday evening, then return home for their regular season final, Saturday (Feb 10) against Superior.

Plains’ two teams close out the regular season with a pair of home games, hosting Eureka Friday night and Mission Saturday.

District 7B tournament play is Feb. 16-17 at Mission High School in St. Ignatius.

There is also a conference play-in game for the fourth and fifth seeds, with the higher of the two seeds hosting those games Tuesday, Feb. 13.

    Plains' Tristan Larson (30) sends a pass to teammate Katelyn Subatch (24) during their game against Thompson Falls Thursday night in Thompson Falls. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
  

    Thompson Falls guard Solveig Nygaard dribbles past Plains defenders on her way to the hoop during Thursday's game in Thompson Falls. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)