WHITEFISH — In the first meeting of the year between heated rivals, it was Columbia Falls that played spoiler in Whitefish with a boys and girls basketball sweep Friday night.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS:
Columbia Falls girls 60, Whitefish 31
In the girls' matchup, there was not much offense to speak of early in the game, but it was clear the Wildkats had control over the Bulldogs from the jump on the way to a 60-31 win.
Peyton Ross was the first to get things going as one of three players to score double digits on the night with 11 points.
The Wildkats began to pull away when Rylee Sweeney could not be stopped in the paint, scoring ten points inside and blocking a few shots to go with them.
But the real hero of the day was Alexa Friske, who seemed to be open on every possession in the second half, scoring 14 points in the half to bring her total on the night to 21.
Columbia Falls will next play at Polson while Whitefish will travel to Libby. Both games are on Tuesday.
Columbia Falls boys 59, Whitefish 44
The boys' game was a closer battle, but Columbia Falls was still the more impressive team in a 59-44 victory.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, it seemed neither team would find any separation until the game’s leading scorer, Jory Hill, scored 10 of his 19 points in the second quarter to help get the Wildkats to a four-point lead at halftime.
In the second half, Columbia Falls knocked down three 3-pointers to help catapult the Wildcats to a double-digit lead for most of the third quarter.
Reyd Hobart tried his best to get Whitefish back in the game, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter and cutting the deficit to eight at one point. But Easton Brooks helped put the game away with three late buckets to extend the lead once again.
The teams are next back in action on Tuesday, with Columbia Falls at Polson and Whitefish at Libby.
