The first game of the evening between Charlo and Hot Springs girls’ teams was a classic nail-biter decided by two points, with the visiting Lady Vikings edging the Lady heat 50-48 in Hot Springs Saturday night.

The boys’ game was just the opposite as the Hot Springs boys powered to a much-needed 75-48 win over the Charlo boys. 

The girls’ game was close all the way, with Charlo emerging from a back-and-forth first quarter with a 12-10 lead. 

The Lady Vikings added two points to their lead in the second quarter, giving them a 21-17 lead at the half. 

The Lady Heat, who got double-figure scoring from three players during the game, topped by Kara Christensen’s 15, battled back in the third quarter, erasing the Charlo lead and taking a 34-31 lead heading into the final quarter. 

But Charlo had a rally of their own in mind as they outscored the Lady Heat 19-14 in the fourth quarter to overtake Hot Springs and hang on for the two-point win before a big crowd in Hot Springs. 

In addition to Christensen’s 15 points, the Lady Heat got 13 from junior forward Lilia Sapanel, and 11 from guard Callie Cano. 

The victory boosted Charlo to 9-2 on the year and 5-1 in Western 13C play, while the loss dropped Hot Springs to 9-4 overall and 5-2 in conference games. 

The outcome of the boys’ game, on the other hand, was never in doubt as the Savage Heat roared out to a 23-8 lead after the first eight minutes of play, then expanded their advantage to 37-20 at halftime. 

Sharpshooters Chase Depoe and Weston Slonaker had seven and six points respectively in the first quarter to lead the Hot Springs offensive attack. 

Depoe added five more points to his total in the third quarter, including his second three-pointer of the game, as the Heat grew their lead by five points, giving them a 59-37 lead with one quarter to play. 

Senior post Nick McAllister added 10 of his 14 points in the third quarter to help the home boys widen their lead. 

Hot Springs added five points to their lead in the fourth quarter as they rolled to the big conference win. 

Karson Cox had a big night for Charlo, pouring in a game-high 31 points for the Vikings.  In addition to McAllister’s 14, the Heat got a team-best 16 points from Depoe, while Slonaker contributed 14 for the winners. 

The boys’ win boosted their overall record to 5-8 after losing four of their five previous games. Hot Springs is 4-3 in conference play.  Charlo slid to 3-9 overall and 1-6 in conference play. 

Next up for Hot Springs boys and girls is a home game this Tuesday (Jan 28) versus Flathead Valley Home School, followed by a road trip to Victor for a pair of games this Saturday (Feb 1). 

    Hot Springs forward Erica Cannon looks to pass while being defended by several Charlo players during their game Saturday night in Hot Springs. (Photo by Ginger Zempel)