GIRLS STATE RESULTS--FRI., 3-6

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'Heads bite MC, 49-38

By The Montana Standard Staff - 03/07/2009

walter hinick / the montana standard Anaconda's Torry Hill drives past Miles City's Kaylee Swope during the first half of their game Friday night at the Class A Girls State High School Basketball Tournament being played at the Butte Civic Center.

The Copperheads are headed back to the state Class A girls' basketball championship game to defend the title the team won last year.

Anaconda's opponent will be Hamilton, a team that will be back to the title game for the first time in 25 years.

The Southwestern A rivals will meet for the fourth time this season when they meet Saturday night at the Butte Civic Center. Anaconda won two of the first three meetings.

Anaconda rallied for a

49-38 win over Miles City, while Hamilton beat upstart Havre in the other semifinal game Friday.

In Saturday loser-out action, Havre takes on Belgrade at 9:30 a.m. and Glendive bumps against Miles City in the 11 a.m. game.

The two morning games are also rematches of divisional championships from last

weekend.

The consolation final will match the morning winners

at 6:30 p.m. and the state championship game is

scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m.

at the Butte Civic Center.

Anaconda 49, Miles City 38

The Anaconda girls were money again.

The Copperheads responded with authority after Miles City took a 34-30 lead with six

minutes left in the fourth

quarter.

The defending state champs went on a 19-4 run to end the game.

Lisa Laslovich hit three

3-pointers early on in the run to spur the Copperheads. After that, Torry Hill put in

7 of 8 free-throw to seal the deal. They weren't the only heroes on Saturday; everyone on the floor in the fourth

quarter contributed in the Anaconda win.

Chelsea Galle came up big with two rebounds. Senior McCall Flynn helped the 'Heads take a 39-36 lead with three minutes left.

The Cowgirls came back a little as Kaylee Swope scored

on a drive on the team's next possession.

Then Laslovich hit her

second 3-pointer, the shot ended up being the straw that broke the Cowgirls' back.

She ended up going

3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

Coach Maury Cook raved about her performance after the game.

"Every time there is a big moment in a big game - she's there," Cook said. "If she isn't All-State then nobody in this state should be."

As usual, Anaconda had its closer, Hill, on the floor to

dribble away the clock and put

See 'HEADS, Page B5

Heads ...

the game away at the charity stripe.

Once again, Hill remained cool as ice at the free-throw line to make sure the Copperheads succeeded. It was a scene all too familiar to

opposing teams.

"Once you get down to two minutes and we have a lead with Torry Hill on the floor, it's over," Anaconda's coach said.

Hill led all scorers with

27 points. Laslovich added nine. Korey Krumm finished with six points and two steals.

Anaconda also had scores from Vanessa Jense, Galle and Flynn. So far, Jense has proved a very valuable sixth-man for Anaconda.

Miles City sophomore Kalli Durham totaled 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor. Post Anna Magnuson put up six points and grabbed six boards.

With a 7-for-7 performance on two-pointers in the second half, Miles City did just about everything it could to try to win the game.

"Our kids just gave it all they had," Miles City coach Cary Veis said. "Anaconda is a very good basketball team and they hit shots when they needed to."

Anaconda's coach Cook had a feeling the game would be a battle from the get go.

"That's a big team," he said of Miles City. "We knew if we could keep the big girls off of the boards and Durham away from the basket, we'd have a chance. Those kids play hard. You can't take anything away from them."

Miles City held a 21-18 advantage on the boards.

Anaconda made up the difference in turnovers with a 23-15 edge.

Now, the 'Heads ready for a second-straight State A title game. It's coach Cook's third title game in five years.

Anaconda holds a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Hamilton so far this season.

The Broncs looked ready to play in their 45-28 win over Havre.

"Hamilton is a great team," Cook said. "We want to make Ashley Albert work hard for points."

The final chapter of Anaconda's quest for a second-straight title game begins tonight at 8 p.m.

- By Sean Eamon

of The Montana Standard

MILES CITY (16-7) - Taylor Henderson 0-2 5-6 5, Alexia Mader 0-3 0-0 0, Rae Mader 2-2 0-0 5, Kalli Durham 5-8 6-8 16, Anna Magnuson 3-3 0-0 6, Kaylee Swope 2-4 0-4 5, Jessica Cremer 0-3 1-2 1, Shelbi Dobie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-25 12-20 38.

ANACONDA (18-4) - McCall Flynn 1-1 0-0 2, Torry Hill 8-20 7-9 27, Lisa Laslovich 3-5 0-1 9, Chelsea Galle 1-2 0-0 2, Korey Krumm 3-5 0-0 6, Vanessa Jense 1-5 0-0 3, Cara McNeil 0-1 0-0 0, Teryn Green 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-40 7-10 49.

Miles City 5 10 12 11 - 38

Anaconda 8 7 15 19 - 49

3-point goals - Miles City 2-8 (R. Mader 1-1, Swope 1-3, Henderson 0-2, A. Mader 0-2), Anaconda 8-18 (Hill 4-11, Laslovich 3-4, Jense 1-2, McNeil 0-1). Fouled out - none. Total fouls - Miles City 15, Anaconda 18. Technicals - none. Rebounds - Miles City 21 (Durham 6, Magunson 6, Swope 3), Anaconda 18 (Krumm 5, Galle 4, Laslovich 3). Blocks - Miles City 0, Anaconda 0. Assists - Miles City 7 (Swope 2, Durham 2, A. Mader, R. Mader, Cremer), Anaconda 11 (Flynn 3, Laslovich 3, Hill 2, Krumm 2, Galle). Steals - Miles City 6 (A. Mader 2, Durham 2, Magnuson 2), Anaconda 10 (Hill 3, Jense 3, Krumm 2, Laslovich, Galle). Turnovers - Miles City 23, Anaconda 15.

Hamilton 45, Havre 28

Hamilton will make its first appearance in the Class A Girls' state title basketball game since 1984, as the Broncs slapped a cold-shooting Havre team 45-28 Friday evening at the Butte Civic Center.

Leading the way for Hamilton was 6-foot-1 senior post Ashley Albert, who lit up the scoreboard for 27 points, all while collecting 15 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.

"We've been playing together since the third or fourth grade," Albert said after the game. "We've been dreaming of doing this and hanging up a banner in our gym."

The Hamilton defense played its game as well, holding Havre to 1-of-13 shooting from the floor in the first half. Cali Freier drove the baseline for a layup 18 seconds before halftime to give the Blue Ponies their sole field goal in 16 minutes.

Free-throw shooting accounted for nearly half of Havre's offensive output, as the Ponies made 12-of-18 from the stripe. Havre was led by Hope Hedges with eight and Karly Evans with six.

In addition to Albert's 27, the Broncs got a dozen points and nine boards from Annie Schultz.

"This is the first time the girls have been here since 1984," said Hamilton coach Mark Albert. "The boys were here 15 years ago, and it had been 15 years before that - I know because I was part of that program. So this is special for Hamilton."

- By Pat Ryan

of The Montana Standard

HAMILTON (17-6) - Misha Trotter 0-2 0-0 0, Ali Mildenberger 1-2 0-3 2, Cierra Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Ashley Albert 9-17 8-12 27, Annie Schultz 4-5 2-3 12, Ashley Hayes 0-1 0-0 0, Kaurie Albert 0-1 2-2 2, Averyl Lasalle 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 14-31 14-22 45.

HAVRE (15-7) - Sarah Blessum 0-5 4-4 4, Hope Hedges 3-7 2-3 8, Karly Evans 1-10 4-6 6, Cassi Darrah 1-9 0-1 2, Hayley Donovan 2-5 1-2 5, Madison Ruff 0-1 0-0 0, Cali Freier 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 8-39 12-18 28.

Hamilton 9 9 16 11 - 45

Havre 6 4 11 7 - 28

3-point goals - Hamilton 3-11 (A. Albert, Schultz 2), Havre 0-14. Rebounds - Hamilton 32 (A. Albert 15, Schultz 9), Havre 25 (Donovan 6, Hedges 6). Fouls - Hamilton 14, Havre 17. Fouled out - none. Technical fouls - none. Assists - Hamilton 6 (Trotter 2, A. Albert 2), Havre 0. Turnovers - Hamilton 11, Havre 8. Blocks - Hamilton 1 (A. Albert), Havre 0. Steals - Hamilton 1 (A. Albert), Havre 2.

Loser out

Belgrade 49, Bigfork 47

With the score tied 47-47, the Belgrade Panthers rebounded three of the team's own missed free throws to secure a 49-47 victory.

Corie Smith was the hero for Belgrade grabbing two of the offensive rebounds off of the last two free-throw attempts. One of those was her own.

Nycole Devers nabbed the first offensive board, in the series of three, off of her free-throw miss.

Bigfork grabbed a rebound with less than a second on the clock and didn't get a final shot attempt.

The Panthers were led in scoring by Jamie Greany with 15 points. She scored six consecutive points early in the fourth quarter to give the Panthers a 41-40 lead.

Sierra Monger totaled 10 and Brittany Larson added 11 in the winning effort.

Bigfork's Roxy Thurman ended up with 18 points. Mallery Knoll and Caitlin Charlebois both had eight points.

Kailey Fierro had 12 of Bigfork's 48 rebounds in the game.

Turnovers were a big part of the Vals' demise, as Belgrade held a 31-18 advantage in miscues.

- By Sean Eamon

of The Montana Standard

BIGFORK (15-9) - Adriana Shults 0-1 0-0 0, Roxy Thurman 6-12 4-6 18, Kailey Fierro 1-6 0-2 2, Mallery Knoll 4-12 0-0 8, Caitlin Charlebois 2-7 3-4 8, Quinci Pane 2-2 0-3 4, Quindee Averill 0-1 1-2 1, Lila Cenis 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor peck 1-4 0-0 2, Signa McLeod 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 18-48 8-17 47.

BELGRADE (15-7) - Sierra Monger 4-11 2-2 10, Jamie Greany 5-13 4-5 15, Lindsey Halgren 1-9 2-4 4, Corie Smith 2-10 4-6 8, Brittany Larson 5-15 1-4 11, Nycole Devers 0-1 0-1 0, Amanda Hayden 0-0 0-0 0, Megan ?Bell 0-0 1-2 1, Justine Taylor 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-60 14-24 49.

Bigfork 12 7 17 11 - 47

Belgrade 11 9 15 14 - 49

3-point goals - Bigfork 3-6 (Thurman 2-3, Carlebois 1-3), Belgrade 1-18 (Greany 1-4, Monger 0-6, Larson 0-4, Halgren 0-3, Devers 0-1). Fouled out - Greany. Total fouls - Bigfork 19, Belgrade 17. Technicals - none. Rebounds - Bigfork 48 (Fierro 12, Knoll 9, Thurman 8, Pane 8), Belgrade 35 (Smith 13, Monger 5, Halgren 5). Blocks - Bigfork 5 (Fierro 4, Thurman), Belgrade 1 (Greany). Assists - Bigfork 10 (Knoll 4), Belgrade 5 (Greany 2). Steals - Bigfork 7 (Thurman 2, Pane 2, Fierro, Knoll, Charlebois), Belgrade 10 (Monger 3, Greany 3, Larson 2, Halgren, Smith). Turnovers - Bigfork 31, Belgrade 18.

Glendive 53, Columbia Falls 40

Glendive bounced back from its first-round loss, its only one through 22 games this season, fast. The Red Devils' inside tandem of Carley Selvig and Blair Milne effectively shut down Columbia Falls sisters Kayla and Kelsey DeWit long enough to build a commanding lead.

Glendive led wire-to-wire, going ahead 4-0 on a short jumper by Selvig and a coast-to-coast drive with a rebound by Kyla Johnson. Kayla DeWit put the WildKats on the scoreboard with two free throws. Two 3-point baskets by Hannah McPherson then powered the Red Devils to a 15-6 first-quarter edge and it was a 33-16 game by halftime.

The 6-foot-1 Selvig finished with 14 points, and the 6-0 Milne had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Johnson tossed in 11 points as top-ranked Glendive advance in consolation play after falling to Havre Thursday.

Kayla DeWit had 14 points and five rebounds for Columbia Falls, the Northwestern A Division champion that finished with a 13-9 record. Kelsey DeWit had 10 points and four rebounds. Glendive dished the Kats a 33-22 beating on the boards.

Glendive's biggest lead was 22 points, 40-18, on a Milne free throw with 1 minute, 28 seconds left in the third quarter. Columbia Falls had a good fourth quarter, scoring 20 points as the Red Devils substituted freely.

The DeWits scored half of their combined 24 points in the fourth quarter. Both will be back to gird Columbia Falls next season as Kelsey DeWit is a 6-1 junior and Kayla a 6-0 sophomore.

- By Bruce Sayler

of The Montana Standard

GLENDIVE (21-1) - Abbey Dufner 1-5 0-0 3, Carly Selvig 7-13 0-0 14, Kyla Johnson 3-6 3-4 11, Hannah McPherson 2-12 2-4 8, Blair Milne 4-7 4-6 12, Lillian Temple 0-0 0-0 0, Kallie Madler 0-0 1-2 1, Sadie Sampson 0-0 2-2 2, Katie Turner 0-0 1-2 1, Jessica Zander 0-0 0-0 0, Devyn Asche 0-0 1-2 1, Ashley Skillestad 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-43 14-24 53.

COLUMBIA FALLS (13-9) - McKenzie Reeve 0-2 0-0 0, Dani Gilley 0-0 2-2 2, Kayla DeWit 4-7 6-8 14, Alyssa Ladenburg 1-7 1-2 3, Kelsey DeWit 5-9 0-0 10, Brook Cady 1-3 0-0 2, Ashli Fairbank 0-1 1-2 1, Shay Grilley 3-5 0-0 8, Shiloh Knudsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-38 10-14 40.

Glendive 15 18 8 12 - 53

Columbia Falls 6 10 4 20 - 40

3-point goals - Glendive 5-14 (Dufner 1-3, Johnson 2-4, McPherson 2-7), Columbia Falls 2-4 (Grilley 2-3). Fouled out - none. Total fouls - Glendive 13, Columbia Falls 19. Technical - none. Rebounds - Glendive 33 (Milne 15), Columbia Falls 22 (Kayla DeWit 5). Blocks - Glendive 3 (Selvig 3), Columbia Falls 2 (Kelsey DeWit 1, Kayla DeWit 1). Assists - Glendive 11 (McPherson 5), Columbia Falls 9 (Ladenburg 5). Steals - Glendive 9 (Selvig 3), Columbia Falls 7 (Ladenburg 2). Turnovers - Glendive 14, Columbia Falls 17.

State A Girls

at the Butte Civic Center

Friday

Glendive 53, Columbia Falls 40

Belgrade 49, Bigfork 47

Hamilton 45, Havre 28

Anaconda 49, Miles City 38

Saturday

9:30 a.m. - Havre, 15-7 vs. Belgrade, 15-7, lo

11 a.m. - Glendive, 21-1 vs. Miles City, 16-7, lo

6:30 p.m. - morning winners, third place

8 p.m. - Anaconda, 18-4 vs. Hamilton 17-6,