<a href="http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/slide_show_northwestern_a_divisional_basketball_day_two/16303/" title="Slide Show of images from day two of the Northwestern A Divisional tournament.“>Slide Show of images from day two of the Northwestern A Divisional tournament.
The Columbia Falls Wildkats showed why they are the team to beat at the Northwestern A Divisional tournament on Friday, beating the Whitefish Lady Bulldogs 52-26. The win came in large part from sisters Kayla and Kelsey DeWit of Columbia Falls, who took charge of the game’s offense with 29 combined points.
All but seven of the Wildkat points came from the teams three forwards: senior Shay Grilley with 16, senior Kelsey DeWit with 10 and junior Kayla DeWit with a game-high 19.
The Lady Bulldogs started off with a strong, tight zone defense that largely worked to contain Columbia Falls’ dynamic DeWit duo. The outsized Bulldogs double-teamed the DeWit sisters, forcing many shots from the perimeter.
Columbia Falls also played stifling zone and man-to-man defense, but Whitefish senior Jessica Slaybaugh answered with two three-pointers in the first quarter. Junior Olivia Nagler hit a quarter-ending free throw to bring the game within one at the beginning of the second quarter, 10-9 in Columbia Falls’ favor.
The Wildkats controlled the paint on defense, out-rebounding the Lady Bulldogs and keeping the Whitefish forwards out of the offensive. But the Lady Bulldogs didn’t give up any easy, close-range points to Columbia Falls, playing scrappy defense down low.
However, the Wildkats took advantage of six Whitefish turnovers and fruitless offensive attempts to build a 22-9 lead at halftime, leaving the Lady Bulldogs scoreless.
Slaybaugh ended the Whitefish 12-minute drought, draining a three-pointer and providing an defensive spark for the for the Lady Bulldogs. She ended up as high scorer for her team with nine points.
By the end of the end of the third quarter, the Wildkats had built a dominant 41-12 lead. The fourth quarter brought a quick and aggressive Whitefish offense with 14 points, but it was too little too late for the Lady Bulldogs, who fell to a 2-18 record overall.
The Columbia Falls Wildkats move on to the championship game on Saturday, improving their overall record to 13-6. The Whitefish Lady Bulldogs head to the loser-out game against Ronan on Saturday morning.
<a href="http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/game_center_2010_northwestern_a_divisionals/16246/" title="For more Northwestern A Divisional tournament coverage, visit the Game Center: 2010.“>For more Northwestern A Divisional tournament coverage, visit the Game Center: 2010.