The Flathead Bravettes faded in the second half as No. 2 Helena Capital earned a 57-43 win in a Western AA basketball game at Flathead High School Saturday afternoon.

Tired from the previous night’s win over Helena High, which wrapped up 17 and a half hours prior to tipoff, Flathead (9-8 overall, 4-6 Western AA) shot 18 percent from the field in the second half as Capital (17-1, 9-1) extended a four-point halftime lead to 17 in the fourth quarter.

“I think that we just played really tired,” Flathead junior Emma Andrews said. “We have to make sure to use our legs and remember to give energy when we’re playing offense.”

Andrews played all 32 

minutes on Saturday after playing 29 on Friday and Flathead point guard Dani Davis played all 64 minutes over the weekend.

Capital was also in action Friday, beating Glacier 53-45, but a deeper bench kept the Bruins noticeably fresher as the game wore on.

Six-foot-3 center Julia Anderson scored six of Capital’s first eight points before going to the bench after picking up her second foul. Then forward Kaye Bignell and guard Sadie Pilgeram picked up the slack as Bignell scored 10 points in the first half, mostly from the low post, and Pilgergam drained three 3-pointers.

The Bruins unveiled another offensive weapon in the second half as point guard McKenzie Johnston scored 14 of her game-high 17 points after the break. Pilgeram finished with 15 points while Bignell had 13.

Flathead was 4 of 5 from three-point range in the first half and Andrews hit a three at the buzzer to cut Capital’s lead to 32-28. Forward Emily Russell knocked down a pair of free throws to open the second half, cutting the deficit to two, but Flathead didn’t get any closer. Capital outscored the Bravettes 12-5 the rest of the third quarter.

The Bruins opened the fourth quarter with a 14-3 run, extending their lead to 17 points, before Andrews hit a three and Russell scored inside to stop the bleeding with less than a minute remaining.

Russell led Flathead with 11 points. Andrews scored nine and Davis and Jenessa Heine each scored seven.

The final score would have been closer if not for a stark contrast at the free-throw line. Flathead made 14 of 23 foul shots (61 percent) while Capital was 18 of 22 (82 percent).

Despite the loss, Flathead remains fourth in Western AA with two games remaining. The top four teams host playoff games.

“I definitely think that we were tired and that was a factor in us not making baskets,” Flathead coach Karly Tait said. “When you don’t make baskets you get frustrated. I think we got frustrated and started not quite playing as a team like we did last night, but we’ve got to keep plugging away. We’re still in a good position. These Saturday afternoon games are tough, it’s a quick turnaround from last night’s game.” 

Flathead hosts Missoula Hellgate on Tuesday before finishing the regular season at Glacier on Thursday.

Capital16161213—57

Flathead101878—43

HELENA CAPITAL — McKenzie Johnston 5-10 5-5 17, Sadie Pilgeram 4-8 4-6 15, Kaye Bignell 4-7 5-7 13, Julia Anderson 3-5 0-0 6, Alexa Welch 0-3 2-2 2, Michaela Dowdy 1-2 0-0 2, Drue Copps 0-1 2-2 2, Quinci Robertson 0-3 0-0 0, Sierra Bignell 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-40 18-22 57.

FLATHEAD — Emily Russell 3-9 4-5 11, Emma Andrews 3-15 1-3 9, Dani Davis 1-8 4-4 7, Jenessa Heine 2-8 3-3 7, Tana Fountain 2-6 0-0 5, Jessika Abbrescia 1-3 2-8 4. Totals 12-49 14-23 43.

3-point goals - Capital 5-14 (Pilgeram 3, Johnston 2), Flathead 5-9 (Andrews 2, Davis, Russell, Fountain). Rebounds - Capital 36 (Pilgeram 8, Anderson 7), Flathead 31 (Fountain 7, Andrews 6). Assists - Capital 6 (Pilgeram 3), Flathead 6 (Andrews 2, Davis 2, Russell 2). Blocks - Capital 3 (Anderson 2, Pilgeram), Flathead 1 (Davis). Steals - Capital 5 (Johnston 2, Bignell 2), Flathead 5 (Abbrescia 2). Fouls - Capital 21, Flathead 16. Technical fouls - none. Fouled out - Abbrescia, Anderson.