Bravettes gun down Bison, 58-46
Flathead's hot 3-point shooting keys victory
Another day, another breakout performance. Heck, it's almost becoming routine for Flathead.
On Tuesday, Chaeney Latimer's 15 points helped key an easy win over Libby. On Thursday, Chelsea Vaudt exploded for a career-high 20 points in a win over Missoula Hellgate.
Lindsay Ingram decided it was her turn in Saturday's nonconference match-up with Great Falls. The junior scored seven of her game-high 17 points in the first quarter, as the Bravettes ran up a 14-4 lead. The Bison never got closer than seven points the rest of the way, as Flathead won 58-46.
"Everything started falling for me; it felt really good," said Ingram, who shot 5-for-9 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from free-throw line. "I guess it was my night."
Not only did Ingram get the Bravettes off to a solid start on the scoreboard, she also helped ignite the Bravettes' 3-point barrage with 2:56 left in the opening quarter. Just more than a minute later, sophomore Meghan O'Connell (13 points, 6 assists) connected on the first of her three treys, giving Flathead an 8-0 run.
"We've been working really hard on our shooting lately, and the practice has been paying off," Ingram said.
After almost four years, it should come as no surprise when senior Holli Hashley scores in double figures.
But with almost all her field goals coming in the paint, it was a bit of a shock when Hashley got into the long-distance act. Her 3 with 6:52 left in the first half was just her second of the season, and put Flathead up 17-7. Class AA's top scorer finished with 13 points.
"It's random," Hashley said of her 3-point shooting. "I'f I'm open, I'm supposed to shoot, I just don't do it that often. But I am glad when they go in."
If this keeps up, she may be asked to hoist up a few more long shots. She's 2-for-2 on 3-pointers this season.
"Not many people know that Holli will take that shot," Flathead coach Dennis Latimer said. "I'm just tickled when she makes them."
Chaeney Latimer also hit a 3, as Flathead made six of them on the night.
With the Bison trying to make a late run, the Bravettes made six consecutive free throws in the final 1:17. They hit 12 of 13 foul shots (92 percent) in the contest.
The win was the Bravettes' fifth straight, as the team improved to 12-4 overall. After three straight losses in early January, Flathead had seemingly no shot of a top-2 spot in Western AA. Now it sits just one game back of Missoula Big Sky for an automatic state tournament berth.
"Things are really starting to jell for us," coach Latimer said. "We have to finish by going into some hostile gyms (Missoula Sentinel, Helena Capital and Butte), but I feel good with how we're playing right now."
Flathead's next game is at Western AA-leading Sentinel on Thursday.
BRAVETTES 58, BISON 46
Great Falls 4 13 13 16 - 46
Flathead 14 15 14 15 - 58
Great Falls - Gina Schermele 4 2-4 13, Sam Schermele 4 0-0 8, Megan Stubbs 1 1-2 3, Kirilynn Winkler 4 1-1 9, Marrisa Francis 4 0-2 8, Sara Hocker 2 1-1 5. Totals: 19 5-10 46.
Flathead - Christina Zorn 1 0-0 2, Chaeney Latimer 1 2-2 5, Kendal Habel 1 0-0 2, Lindsay Ingram 5 6-6 17, Holli Hashley 5 2-2 13, Meghan O'Connell 4 2-2 13, Chelsea Vaudt 3 0-0 6, Leslie Quay 0 0-1 0. Totals: 20 12-13 58.
3-point goals: G. Schermele 4, Latimer, Ingram, Hashley, O'Connell 3. Total fouls: Great Falls 15, Flathead 13. Fouled out: S. Schermele.