BIGFORK — The No. 1-ranked Bigfork Valkyries hosted No. 7 Thompson Falls on Thursday for a District 7B clash. The Valkyries went into the game with a perfect 17-0 record while the Blue Hawks sat not far behind in the standings with an 11-2 record.
The Valkyries relied on their offensive powerhouse for a huge lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 72-41 win to secure a perfect 18-0 record to cap off their regular season.
After a slow start to the game for both teams Thompson Falls Senior forward Avery Burgess scored the first bucket of the night to go up 2-0.
But from there Bigfork went on a 17-point unanswered run to close out the first quarter and built a huge 15 point lead early on thanks to explosive breakaway plays early on.
The Valkyries defense was on lock down and they executed well in transition with plays like a steal and first quarter buzzer-beating jumper from senior forward Madison Chappuis.
Bigfork was also hitting shots from behind the arc mainly from the Gunlock sisters Braeden and Paeten who hit two through the game.
Thompson Falls managed to find some rhythm in the third quarter with back to back threes from Avery Burgess but it was too little too late for the Blue Hawks who were unable to overcome the juggernaut of an offense the Valkyries have had this season.
Bigfork's star sophomore Braeden Gunlock accounted for 28 total points on the night with next closest player from either team posting less than half her total.
The leading scorer for Thompson Falls was senior guard Ellie Baxter who finished the game with 12.
Bigfork went onto lead by over 30 points throughout most of the fourth quarter and ultimately closed out the game with a 72-41 win to finish their regular season with a perfect 18-0 record. Thompson Falls dropped to 11-3 but still has two games to play until closing out their regular season, both at home Friday,February 10th against Mission, and Saturday, February 11th against Seeley-Swan.
