A little visualization can lead to big success.

Just ask Patty Hughes and the Glacier girls basketball team.

On a senior day that Helena High tried spoiling, Hughes knocked down four free throws in the final 30 seconds to give the Wolfpack a 50-47 come-from-behind win over the Lady Bengals on Saturday afternoon.

"I just stepped up and I closed my eyes a little and just visualized those going in," said Hughes, a senior who missed her first two free throws early in the game before shooting 4-for-4 under pressure. "I knew that senior day isn't my last game at home but close, and why not go out with a bang. So I just visualized them going in and did what I practice."

Glacier (9-9 overall, 3-7 in Western AA) trailed by nine points early in the fourth quarter when freshman Cassidy Hashley sparked the comeback, scoring six of her game-high 17 points. A pair of sharp-shooting seniors kept it rolling as Cami Mathison and Paige Latimer drained a pair of momentous 3-pointers. Mathison's basket gave the Wolfpack its first lead of the game, 46-43, with 2:58 left. Glacier ended the Western AA contest on a 16-4 run and dealt Helena (9-9, 4-6) its fifth-straight conference loss.

"That was very close and very exciting," said Mathison, who finished with 10 points. "We tend to dig holes but we never give up. We always battle and never let one go without trying our best."

"It feels good to get a memorable moment for senior day," said Latimer, another senior who scored 10 points. "We worked hard this week to be one of these teams that gets a home playoff game."

These Glacier girls have done a lot of visualizing lately, with one big goal in mind. During the introductions of the seven seniors and their parents, and before the girls sang the national anthem together, a theme resounded over the loudspeaker.

Be the first girls team to make it to the state tournament.

"At halftime (with Glacier trailing by 10 points), I said if you want to be a team to play at state, you have to play like one," head coach Kris Salonen said. "I said hey, you have got to believe in this. This is your deal. If you want this to happen, you have got to go back out and finish this game. And you know what, they held Helena to 13 points in the second half."

She added, "I give all the credit to the girls. They just did it."

Senior Ashlee Waggener had five points, Baylee Quay scored three and Nicole Heavirland had one for Glacier, which has two regular-season games left starting next Thursday at Missoula Hellgate and then on Friday against Flathead at home at 6 p.m.

"Give them credit, they hit free throws down the stretch and did a good job of getting back into it," Helena coach Jason Murgel said.

As part of the first class to go all four years through Glacier, the seniors honored before Saturday's game were Hughes, Mathison, Latimer, Waggener, Quay, Rachel Cutler and Halle Wilson.

Helena 17 17 6 7 - 47

Glacier 11 13 8 18 - 50

HELENA - Tatum Teegarden 2 1-2 5, Kaitlin Oliver 1 2-3 4, Taylor Kanthack 2 2-2 6, Callie Kanthack 1 2-4 4, Monica Grimsrud 4 4-6 14, Jenny Waddell 4 0-2 9, Mykaylee Verworn 1 3-4 5. Totals 14 14-23 47.

GLACIER - Nicole Heavirland 0 1-2 1, Paige Latimer 2 4-5 10, Cami Mathison 3 1-2 10, Cassidy Hashley 8 1-4 17, Baylee Quay 1 1-2 3, Patty Hughes 0 4-6 4, Ashlee Waggener 2 1-2 5. Totals 16 13-23 50.

3-pointers - Helena 3 (Grimsrud 2, Waddell), Glacier 5 (Mathison 3, Latimer 2); Rebounds - Helena 33 (Grimsrud 11, T. Kanthack 6, Sydney Carpenter 4), Glacier 34 (Hughes 5, Mathison 4, Hashley 4, Quay 3, Latimer 3); Turnovers - Helena 18, Glacier 17; Steals - Helena 11 (T. Kanthack 5, Grimsrud 3), Glacier 7 (Mathison 2); Fouls - Helena 19, Glacier 19; Fouled out - T. Kanthack, Sydne Simanton.