Lady Vikings secure bid for Divisional Tournament
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RONAN – The third time wasn’t a charm for the Charlo Lady Vikings, as the undefeated top-seeded Superior Lady Bobcats downed Charlo in the 14-C District Championship game Saturday in Ronan. Superior edged Charlo 52-40, and both teams advanced to the Western C Divisional Tournament in Butte, beginning Feb. 22. All three of Charlo’s losses this season have come from the well-disciplined Lady Bobcats, making the championship loss that much harder for the 17-3 Lady Vikings.
“I thought we battled hard in the first quarter,” Charlo head coach Bret Thompson said. “We were wound up too tight and forgot to put the basketball in the hoop.”
Thompson says the season has gone well for his team, except for the three meetings with Superior. Despite finishing second, Thompson says he’s glad the season isn’t over yet.
“We live for another weekend,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time until we put four solid quarters together on offense and defense. We’ve got as good of a chance as anyone.”
Superior set the tone early in the game, taking an early 10-point lead after the first frame, ahead 18-8.
Charlo showed a brief flash of life in the second quarter as Deondra Brown got the ball rolling with a 3-pointer just 30 seconds into the frame. Charlo then went on an 8-2 run to close out the half down 29-21.
Superior bounced back in the third, going on a 13-6 run that gave the Lady Bobcats enough momentum to close out the game with a 52-40 win.
Pope led Charlo with 14 points, while Rachel Hoyt added 11. Brown tacked on another seven, while Dawn Blevins contributed four.
For Superior, Ashley Blaylock led her team with 12, while Cary Chamberlain knocked in 10. Malinda Steineback contributed nine. The win improved the Lady Bobcats’ record to 20-0.
As the No. 2 seed in the district, Charlo received a first-round bye before taking on Arlee Feb. 17.
Against Arlee, Charlo shot out to a 17-3 lead in the first quarter and held the Scarlets to nine in the second frame to lead 28-12 at halftime.
Arlee attempted to catch up with the Lady Vikings in the third, matching points at 8-8, but Charlo remained focused in the fourth to pull out a convincing 49-25 win.
Brown paced Charlo with 16 points, while Hoyt and Pope added nine apiece.
For Arlee, Alexis Shick and Mahalia Hendren led the Scarlets with seven points.
SUMMARY
Semifinal
Charlo 45, Arlee 25
Arlee 3 9 8 5 - 25
Charlo 17 11 8 13 - 45
ARLEE - Alexis Shick 7, Mahalia Hendren 7, Violet Pablo 5, Whitney Malatare 3, Tiffany O'Neill 3.
CHARLO - Deondra Brown 16, Rachel Hoyt 9, Kinley Pope 9, Sienna Brown 5, Dawn Blevins 4, Jordan Ludeman 2, Aspen Runkel 2, Alyssa Doty 2.
Championship
Superior 52, Charlo 40
Charlo 8 13 6 13 - 40 Superior 18 11 13 10 - 52 CHARLO - Kinley Pope 14, Rachel Hoyt 11, Deondra Brown 7, Dawn Blevins 4, Jordan Ludeman 2, Aspen Runkel 2.
SUPERIOR - Ashley Blaylock 12, Cary Chamberlain 10, Malinda Steinebach 9, Nicole Stroot 9, Kaitlynn Koke 5, Kelsey Stenberg 5, Kinzie Cooper 2.
