It wasn’t pretty, but a shorthanded Missoula Hellgate girls squad got the job done against Flathead Thursday evening in a 45-33 victory over the Bravettes in a Western AA matchup at Flathead High School.

Lucy Hutchins poured in a game-high 14 points for the Knights (10-3 overall, 7-2 in Western AA games), who were down a pair of starters in Ryan Meservy and Gianna Passuccio. Paisley Johnson added nine points, while freshman Texas Gilman had seven. 

“I think our girls this week just showed a lot of resiliency,” Hellgate coach Maddie Keast said. “This week was a great test for the rest of the kids and everyone contributed in some way or another in a game this week for us, which I think is going to help with some of our depth and development as we go on with the season.” 

Lexi Herion led the Bravettes (2-11, 1-7 in conference) with 10 points, while Reese Rosenberg tallied eight. 

Neither side found much footing offensively in the first half, but Hellgate’s defense shined late as a few Flathead turnovers allowed the Knights to take a 22-17 advantage into the break. 

“We struggled with turnovers and had some undisciplined possessions defensively down the stretch,” Bravettes coach Kaylee Fox said. “I was proud of them for battling and trying to keep themselves in the game.” 

A 10-0 that spanned the halftime break gave Hellgate the separation it needed; Cady Schneider capped the run a minute into the third frame with a lay up that made it 28-17 and forced a Flathead timeout. 

Fox’s Bravettes didn’t roll over as Brynn Kossman pulled Flathead to 35-29, thanks to a post-to-post assist from Grace Gall. 

The Bravettes defense forced plenty of turnovers as well, including a steal from Rosenberg that helped Flathead close the deficit to 38-33 with three minutes remaining. 

“We did a good job of communicating defensively when we were trying to switch things up between possessions,” Fox said. “We are really long and tall, I think that’s an advantage against a lot of teams where we can make them have to pass over the top. The big thing is making sure we clean up on the rebounding side of things.” 

The Knights closed strong though, scoring the final seven to sweep Flathead on the season. 

The Bravettes now head on the road to Butte for a matchup with the Bulldogs Saturday at 3 p.m. 

Hellgate    11    11    11    12    -    45 

Flathead    7    10    5    11    -    33

MISSOULA HELLGATE — Paisley Johnson 4 1-1 9, Ava Harrington 0 0-0 0, Elly Reed 2 1-2 5, Alex Miller 0 0-0 0, Texas Gilman 3 0-0 7, Cady Schneider 3 0-0 6, Lucy Hutchins 6 2-5 14, Bayley Walker 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 4-8 45. 

FLATHEAD — Reese Rosenberg 3 2-2 8, Teagen Flint 0 0-0 0, Gracie Mae Kilmer 0 0-0 0, Tayler Green 0 1-2 1, Caitlin Converse 1 4-5 6, Brynn Kossman 2 2-2 6, Grace Gall 1 0-0 2, Lexi Herion 4 2-2 10. Totals 11 11-13 33. 

3-point goals — Missoula Hellgate 1 (Gilman), Flathead 0. Fouls — Missoula Hellgate 10, Flathead 11.