WHITEFISH — A second quarter shutout lifted the Columbia Falls Wildkats to a 52-30 victory over the Whitefish Bulldogs in a Western A girls basketball game Thursday.

Taryn Borgen paved the way offensively for the Wildkats with 15 points.

The teams entered the second quarter tied at seven points each. That's when Columbia Falls utilized a full-court press on defense to string together multiple steals and create fast break opportunities, fueling a 19-0 run and taking a 26-7 lead into halftime.

Columbia Falls found success throughout the night on the offensive glass to create second-chance scoring opportunities.

Hope McAtee was a major contributor for Columbia Falls as well by knocking down two 3-pointers on her way to 14 total points.

Despite the lofty halftime margin Whitefish continued to battle, highlighted by multiple players diving for loose balls and showing max effort on defense. The Lady Bulldogs were led offensively by Brooke Roberts and Bailey Smith who scored 6 points each.

Columbia Falls 7 19 11 15 - 52

Whitefish 7 0 13 10 - 30

COLUMBIA FALLS — Taryn Borgen 15, Hope McAtee 14, Lexi Oberholtzer 7, Emalee Alton 4, Addy Bowler 3, Kya West 2, Demye Rensel 2

WHITEFISH — Brooke Roberts 6, Bailey Smith 6, Hailey Ells 5, Ainsley Scott 4, Yoli Krastev 3, Madi Gordon 2, Jude Perry 2.