Youthful Whitefish girls team sets sights on winning season

The Whitefish girls basketball team enters the season with clear goals, growing numbers and a roster heavy on youth, but head coach Bob Bolam believes the pieces are in place for a successful winter.
“Expectations are to finish with a winning record at the top half of our league and make it into the divisional playoffs,” Bolam said. “With a very young team this will be a great accomplishment for our season.”
That youth movement is backed by strong participation numbers. According to Bolam, the program is as deep as it has ever been.
“Our turnout this year is as high as it has ever been,” he said. “We have 27 girls in the program with one senior, three juniors, eight sophomores, and 15 Freshman.”
Despite the lack of upperclassmen, Whitefish will rely on experience gained early. Sophomore captains Allie Shors and Reese Hudson return after logging significant varsity minutes as freshmen.
“We will be led by Sophomore captains Allie Shors and Reese Hudson, both of which started a lot of games last year as Freshman and had outstanding summers preparing for this year,” Bolam said.
Bolam also pointed to an immediate impact from the freshman class, particularly Avery Orme.
“Joining them will be Freshman Avery Orme who has already shown her versatility and skill in our first two games this year,” he said.
On the floor, Whitefish plans to lean into its athleticism and pace.
“Our team strengths will be our pressure defense and the ability to rebound and get out and run the floor,” Bolam said.
The Northwest A conference figures to be competitive again, with Bolam noting early balance across the league.
“Our league seems to have shown a lot of parity early in the season, so on any given night games will be very exciting,” he said. “I think the teams to beat are still Bigfork and Columbia Falls this season.”
Whitefish opened the year on a high note at the Tip-Off Tournament in Frenchtown, coming away with two convincing wins.
“It has been a good start to our season as we went down to the Tip Off tournament this past weekend in Frenchtown and went 2-0 beating both Corvallis and Stevensville by 20 points,” Bolam said.
Orme and Hudson led the Bulldogs offensively, while Shors filled up the stat sheet.
“We were led in scoring by Avery Orme and Reese Hudson with Allie Shors having two well-rounded games scoring, rebounding. steals and assists,” Bolam said.
Bolam was also encouraged by the varsity debuts of younger players.
“It was also good to see Freshman Sammie Shors and Blake Ruta come out and have strong games in their first varsity action,” he said. “Overall it was an exciting weekend of basketball for us!”

Whitefish girls weekend sweep at Frenchtown tip-off:
Whitefish set the tone early Friday, using pressure defense and balanced scoring to build a commanding lead and cruise past Corvallis, 51–31.
Freshman Avery Orme led all scorers with 20 points, including 15 in the first three quarters as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 34–11 advantage. Whitefish held Corvallis to just four points in the first quarter and three in the second, putting the game firmly in hand by halftime.
Reese Hudson added eight points, while Sammie Shors scored five and Allie Shors chipped in four. Blake Ruta and Emy Hanson scored three points apiece, with Grace Inabnit, Clair Easterley, Vivian Trieweiler and Stella Frisbee rounding out the scoring.
Corvallis made a push in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome. Briella Epeimy led Corvallis with eight points, while Lauryn Holmberg scored six.
Whitefish followed up its opening-night win with another convincing performance Saturday, defeating Stevensville 53–32.
The Bulldogs showcased their scoring ability, picking up the 21-point win.

    Junior Clair Easterley at the Frenchtown tournament. (Seth Anderson Photography)