The Bigfork Valkyries used a shifty and relentless full-court defense to overwhelm the sixth-seeded Ronan Maidens on Thursday night in the Northwestern A girls divisional basketball tournament.
The Vals forced 25 turnovers en route to a 58-32 victory. The defensive onslaught was led by senior Roxy Thurman, who had four steals, all coming in the first half. During the regular season, Thurman led the conference in steals at 3.9 per game. Caitlin Charlebois chipped in with five steals.
Bigfork led 14-2 after the first quarter and 25-11 at halftime.
Kailey Fierro, a 6-foot-1 junior, anchored both the offense and defense down low, scoring nine points and pulling down seven rebounds. All of her points came in the second half.
Thurman and sophomore Mallery Knoll led the Vals in scoring with 14 points apiece. For the Maidens, 5-foot-11 freshman Morgan Belgarde led the way with 17 points.
The loss brought Ronan’s season record to 0-19. The Vals improved to 13-6. With the win, Bigfork moves on to face No. 2 Libby on Friday night at 8 p.m. at Glacier High School. The Maidens will play a loser-out game on Saturday morning.