GREAT FALLS — Kiki Lonebear scored 28 points to help fifth-seeded Billings Skyview defeat No. 4-seeded Great Falls CMR 42-33 in a Class AA girls basketball play-in game on Thursday.
It took both teams more than four minutes to get warmed up before the Falcons broke the scoreless tie on a Lonebear 3-pointer. Skyview led 7-2 after the first quarter.
Action picked up in the second and third quarters — the Falcons led 17-12 at halftime and 31-29 after three periods — but CMR again went cold in the fourth quarter, and Skyview pulled away down the stretch.
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Lonebear added 15 rebounds for a double-double. Brooklynn Ladson (7 points), Rylee Malcher (4), Tenley Leffler (2) and Kenna Pfeifle (1) rounded out Skyview's scoring.
For CMR, Carinna Kaluza scored 12 points and Kieva Mapes had 10. The Rustlers end their season at 11-9 overall.
Skyview, also 11-9 overall, will next head to the state tournament March 12-14 at Billings. The Falcons are the Eastern AA's fourth seed and will face Western AA No. 1 Missoula Big Sky in the first round next Thursday.
