The Bigfork Valkyries used an early lead to defeat their 7B rivals, the Eureka Lady Lions, 59-41 Friday night on the road.

"The girls did a nice job in the first half," said Mark Hansen, Bigfork High School head girls basketball coach. "We started a little slow, but were able to start getting some turnovers."

In the first period Bigfork (9-2, 6-0) scored 18 points and held Eureka to just four points.

In the following period, the Vals outscored their opponent 12-8.

Bigfork let up defensively in the third quarter and Eureka put up 14 points, but the Vals topped that number by six.

"We shot the ball better than we have been," Hansen said.

However, the Vals' 24-point lead at the start of the final period turned into an 18-point victory when the Lady Lions came out on top in the fourth quarter with 15 points to Bigfork's nine.

"We just went through the motions in the fourth quarter," Hansen said. "That's something that we have to work on. We have to keep in mind that every minute on the floor counts."

Junior Mallery Knoll led the charge for the Vals.

"She had a great night shooting," Hansen said.

Knoll was 8-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line, which accumulated to a game-high 20 points.

Sophomore Taylor Peck had 13 points, including a 3-pointer, and she had three assists. Junior Quinci Paine led the Vals in rebounding with eight boards and she contributed 11 points, 10 of which she made from the field. Sophomore Melissa VanDerveer grabbed six rebounds. Junior Caitlin Charlebois had six assists and six points.

"I thought the key to the night was Lila Cenis," Hansen said. "She did a great job defensively. I think Eureka thought they'd be able to take advantage of us on the inside, but she showed them that that wasn't going to be the case. She had a great game offensively and defensively. I'm really happy with her contributions in the post position for us. She has really stepped up and done a great job."

Cenis took on a larger role at the beginning of the month when fellow senior Kailey Fierro was suspended from the team due to a school-related disciplinary action. Fierro has since returned to practicing with the team and will be eligible to participate in their games next week.

Bigfork had 21 turnovers during the game, which led to some of their problems in the second and fourth quarters.

"A lot of those were over-passing," Hansen said. "We had such a good lead that we wanted everyone to touch the ball. But we had some trouble with our passing. We got a little careless and gave the ball away too many times."

The Valkyries will join the Vikings for two double-headers this week. Bigfork hosts St. Ignatius tomorrow, Jan. 29, and they travel to Thompson Falls on Saturday.

Check the Eagle's Web site, www.bigforkeagle.com, for updates following the games, as well as the print edition next Thursday.