BELGRADE — The Columbia Falls girls didn’t have quite enough.

The Wildkats stayed within a few possessions, but couldn’t quite overtake Butte Central, which led for all but five minutes in the Class A state basketball championship game on its way to a 55-48 win and the fourth state title in school history.

Columbia Falls (21-3) kept it close all game, twice holding the ball with a chance to take the lead in the second half, but Butte Central (24-0) was there to answer every time.

When the Wildkats tied it at 38-38 with two minutes to play in the third quarter, junior Emily St. John nailed a 3-pointer and the Maroons retook the lead.

Columbia Falls narrowed a five-point deficit to just one with 4:01 left to play and the Maroons answered again, this time when junior Mollie Peoples drove through the teeth of the Wildkats defense to lay in a tough bucket and extend the lead back to three.

Columbia Falls junior Kiara Burlage cut the lead to 48-50 with buckets on back-to-back possessions, but St. John drove again to return the advantage to four and end the Wildkats’ rally.

“We just thought if we could get that lead in the third or fourth quarter, we could control things a little bit,” Wildkats coach Cary Finberg said.

“We knew if they had the lead late in the game, it was going to be tough for us. They have good guards. They shoot free throws well.”

Columbia Falls fell apart at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, making just 1 of 6 attempts, including a pair that would’ve cut the lead to one possession in the final minute. In contrast, the Maroons made 3 of 4 in the final minute.

“We just let some plays slip away there. I can think of a couple stretches where it cost us there,” Finberg said.

Columbia Falls began the game fast, pulling out to an 8-4 score by dominating the glass. The Maroons defense stepped up late in the opening quarter, however, blanking the Wildkats for nearly three minutes to close the period on a 10-2 run. Butte Central never trailed again after that.

Sierra Pica led the Maroons with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Peoples had 12 points and St. John 11 points. Sophomore Kloie Thatcher had nine points, all in the first half, including a 3-pointer that she bounced just before the break, just releasing it off an inbounds pass with 0.7 seconds left in the half.

Burlage had a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds for the Wildkats and Peyton Kehr had 10 points.

“We took third the last two years,” Finberg said.

“Third feels a lot better than second. Unfortunately it works that way. Second’s a better season, but third feels a lot better. They’ll reflect on this years later, months later, and it’s still going to hurt, but they’ll be able to appreciate a little more what they’ve accomplished and what type of season we’ve had.”

Championship

Butte Central 55, Columbia Falls 48

Butte Central 14 13 16 12 - 55

Columbia Falls 10 11 20 7 - 48

BUTTE CENTRAL (24-0) – Kloie Thatcher 3 0-0 9, Mollie Peoples 4 3-3 12, Sierra Pica 9 1-3 19, Kailee Murphy 2 0-0 4, Emily St. John 3 4-7 11, Taylor Wahl 0 0-0 0, Megan Michelotti 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 8-13 55.

COLUMBIA FALLS (21-3) – Sydney Grilley 0 0-0 0, Cydney Finberg 2 2-2 7, Ellie Johnson 0 0-0 0, Peyton Kehr 4 0-0 10, Miranda Livingston 0 0-0 0, Kiara Burlage 5 6-13 17, Allyson Gimbel 2 4-5 8, Sydney Hovde 3 0-0 6. Totals: 16 12-20 48.

3-point goals: BC 5 (Thatcher 3, Peoples 1, St. John 1), CF 4 (Kehr 2, Finberg 1, Burlage 1). Fouls: BC 14, CF 12. Fouled out: none. Technicals: none.

Third Place

Browning 55, Dillon 37

Browning 15 15 10 15 - 55

Dillon 7 6 8 16 - 37

BROWNING (20-5) – Melisa Flamand 0 2-2 2, Talesia CrowSpreadsHisWings 1 0-0 2, Treyace Yellow Owl 1 0-0 2, Tana Day Rider 0 0-0 0, Erika Mad Plume 0 0-0 0, Olivia Hall 3 0-1 8, Jacelyn Croff 0 0-0 0, Taylor Calf Boss Ribs 2 4-5 8, Ronnal Jordan 3 2-4 8, Taylor Jordan 0 0-0 0, Audrey White Grass 0 0-0 0, Tiara Gilham 10 0-0 25. Totals: 20 8-12 55.

DILLON (16-9) – Paige Rouse 0 0-0 0, Alex Rouse 2 0-0 5, Kylie Christiansen 0 0-0 0, Kyndall Petersen 0 2-2 2, Kelsey Trulman 0 0-0 0, Rachael Nye 5 0-0 13, Bailey Berriochoa 1 3-5 5, Brynley Fitzgerald 2 6-6 10, Kathleen Tatarka.1 0-0 2 Totals: 11 11-13 37.

3-point goals: Bro 7 (Gilham 5, Hall 2), Dil 4 (Nye 3, Alex Rouse 1). Fouls: Bro 15, Dil 10. Fouled out: none. Technicals: none.