To say the Lady Hawks’ shooting in Saturday’s 41-31 loss to the Blackhawks in Seeley Lake Saturday was bad is a dry understatement.

“We couldn’t hit water from the boat in that game, nothing was going down,” Thompson Falls coach Mike Tessier said. “We still had our chances, the kids played hard, the ball just was not falling for us that night.”

On a night somewhat better for their field goal percentage futures, the Hawks clocked the visiting Anaconda Copperheads 45-20 in the friendly confines of TFHS gym Friday night. Sporting a current record of 1-3 in some very tough non-conference action, the non-con play only gets tougher when the Hawks return to the court in 2026 as Thompson Falls will host the unbeaten Loyola Breakers Jan. 2 before beginning District 7B conference play at Mission Jan. 6.

Tessier is looking forward to Jan. 12 more than those dates as that is the day that junior Aubrey Baxter is believed to be ready to be cleared by her doctor. It has been roughly 10 months since the versatile Baxter last played, injuring her knee in the district tournament championship game in Mission last winter. Her return will bring back another dimension to the TFalls attack, Tessier believes.

“We need our full arsenal to realize our potential and Aubrey is definitely part of that,” Tessier said. “Getting her back will be great, for us as a team and for her. She has worked really hard at her physical therapy.”

Having already returned but suffering a setback when she injured an ankle the first week of play, the return of junior Addy Traver will also help solidify the Hawk lineup.

Against Anaconda Friday, Addy Deal led the Hawks to the win with 15 points, 16 rebounds, seven steals and three assists, while Solveig Nygaard was also good for 15 points, adding three boards, two steals and five assists.

Freshman phenom Audrey Fairbank had six points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist, Gabi Hannum, four points, nine rebounds, two steals and three assists, Annalise

Fairbank three points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists and Hailey Roofner two points.

Jade Moses scored eight points for Anaconda and Jasmine Johnson six.

At Seeley Lake, Annalise Fairbank scored 12 points, including a couple of 3-pointers at key junctures, grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists, and Nygaard also scored 12 points, with a couple 3-pointers, secured two rebounds and passed off four assists.

Hannum scored five points and speared five rebounds, Deal corralled a team-high 10 rebounds and five steals and passed out five assists.

Seeley-Swan scoring was not available.

    MOVING OUT – Thompson Falls senior Solveig Nygaard dribbles past the defense of Anaconda’s Jade Moses at TFHS Friday. (John Hamilton)