PABLO — Florence and Loyola set up what looks to be a battle of gladiators on Saturday after winning their semifinal matchups by huge margins at the Western B girls basketball divisional tournament on Friday.
Florence doubled up St. Ignatius in the first game, and Missoula Loyola rolled past Thompson Falls in the second.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS:
Florence 67, St. Ignatius 32
In what looked to be an even matchup going in, it turned out to be the opposite with Florence charging past St. Ignatius 67-32.
The Falcons’ smothering defense was too much for the Bulldogs’ offense, which never got going for St. Ignatius.
Florence's Ali Meinhold led the way on offense, scoring 17 points on the day and getting help from the rest of her team in the blowout.
Not far behind Meinhold was Maggie Schneiter, who had 12 points and knocked down three 3-pointers.
Missoula Loyola 61, Thompson Falls 34
After starting cold from the field, the Breakers found their footing against the Blue Hawks, advancing to the championship round with a 61-34 win.
Thompson Falls senior Gabi Hannum took advantage of Loyola’s cold shooting to start the game by helping her team stay in this one through the first quarter.
Hannum ended her night with a team-high 10 points.
A slow start for Breakers superstar Spencer Laird turned into an opportunity for her younger sister Emme to step up, which she did, leading the offense with 22 points on the night.
But Spencer Laird could not be contained forever, scoring 13 points on a night where she had to fight for every basket.
Loyola will play Florence in the championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
