Hawks soar on the road

It was a good week to be a Blue Hawk or Lady Hawk.

Both Thompson Falls basketball teams picked up a pair of crucial victories this past week with wins over Plains and Eureka, both on the road. 

The T Falls boys continued their winning ways this past Thursday with a hard-won 54-46 win over the Horsemen in Plains, then followed that up with a second of the week Western 7B conference win over Eureka, 47-40 

The Lady Hawks, meanwhile, knocked off the Trotters in Plains 60-29, then journeyed to Eureka and took down the Lady Lions, 45-34. 

The Blue Hawks made it eight straight with their two wins this past week, keeping their 7B leading record unblemished at 8-0.  They are 13-3 overall. 

T Falls began the week with a game against Sanders County rival Plains, which jumped out to a 17-10 lead after one quarter of play. 

Thompson Falls erased that lead in the second quarter, outscoring Plains 16-8 to take a 26-25 lead into the halftime break. 

In what was a back-and-forth battle for 32 minutes, T Falls added two points to its halftime lead during the third quarter, giving them a 38-35 edge with one quarter to play. 

They managed to slowly pull away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Horsemen 16-11 to secure the eight-point win. 

Owen Doyle led the Blue Hawks in scoring with 17 points, one more than senior teammate Bryson LeCoure, who had 16.  LeCoure also tied for the team lead in rebounds with five, the same number as Ethan Burgess. 

Doyle’s scoring total included four three-pointers. 

Darren Standeford, who missed a few games last week with an injury, tied for the team lead in scoring for the Horsemen with 11 points.  Wyatt Butcher also had 11 for Plains. 

Saturday night in Eureka, T Falls found themselves in a tight battle with the Lions, who came into the game with a 3-4 league mark.  After one quarter of play, Eureka was ahead 10-9.  The Blue Hawks cranked up their defense and held Eureka to six points in the second quarter while scoring 12 of their own enroute to a 21-16 halftime lead. 

Eureka outscored T Falls 12-7 in the third quarter, squaring the game at 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter. 

T Falls took control in the final eight minutes of play, outscoring the home team Lions 19-12 as they pulled away for the victory. 

LeCoure led a trio of Blue Hawks who scored in double figures, racking up 17 on the night.  Doyle added 12 to the T Falls cause and guard Kaiden Robins chipped in 11 for the winners. 

Rowan Burow paced Eureka with 16 points. 

The T Falls girls erupted for 21 points in the first quarter of their game versus Plains, while holding the Trotters to six.  They then outscored Plains 16-8 in the second quarter to establish a 37-14 lead at the half. 

The Lady Hawks outscored Plains 23-15 in the second half to lock up the conference win over their Sanders County rival, giving them a sweep of the two-game regular season series. 

Addy Deal led T Falls with 14 points and was joined in double-figure scoring by Gabi Hannum and Aubrey Baxter, both of whom had 11 points for the Hawks. 

Mila Rivinius and Ava Lawyer scored eight points each for Plains. 

Saturday evening in Eureka, the Lady Hawks found themselves locked in a tight battle with the Lady Lions.  After the first quarter of play, T Falls held a 12-9 lead.  They added three points to their lead in the second quarter, giving them a 20-14 halftime lead. 

T Falls amped up their offense in the third quarter, outscoring Eureka 18-9, giving the Hawks a 38-23 lead with one quarter to go. 

Eureka outscored T Falls 11-7 in the last eight minutes of play but could not overtake the Lady Hawks as the visitors won their seventh game in their last eight.  The win over Eureka lifted Thompson Falls to 7-1 in Western 7B play, a half game ahead of 6-1 St. Ignatius.  The Lady Hawks are 10-6 overall this season. 

Plains dropped to 2-6 in the conference and 7-8 overall. 

Next up for T Falls boys and girls are games at Troy this Thursday (Feb 13), then home games versus Superior this Saturday (Feb 15) to close out the regular season. 

    Plains senior forward Wyatt Butcher puts up a shot during the Horsemen's game versus T Falls this past week in Plains.  (Tracy Scott, Valley Press)
  

    Thompson Falls guard Addy Deal goes up for two during the Lady Hawks game against Plains this past week in Plains. (Tracy Scott, Valley Press)
  

    Thompson Falls junior forward Gabi Hannum puts up a shot over the outstretched arms of Trotters forward Taryn Meredith this past Thursday in Plains.  (Tracy Scott, Valley Press)