COLUMBIA FALLS — 1,810 days.  

That’s how long it had been since the Whitefish girls’ basketball team last defeated the Wildkats. On Tuesday night, that streak finally ended, 48-38. 

“That was a high intensity game, tonight we got a good jump on the game, we were able to get in control of that lead and hold it,” Whitefish coach Bob Bolam said.  

The last time the Whitefish girls beat the Kats was March 5, 2021 at the Class A State tournament. Whitefish won that one 46-38. 

Unofficially, the last regular season win for the Bulldogs was 50-41 on Feb 9, 2008. Whitefish swept the Wildcats that season and made the State A tournament. 

On the boys side, Jory Hill knocked down two triples and scored a game-high 17 points and the Wildcats used a strong first half to down Whitefish 63-47.  

Whitefish girls 48, Columbia Falls 38 

Whitefish (12-5 overall, 8-3 in Northwest A games) took control in the first half. Allie Shors was lethal from beyond the arc, hitting multiple 3-pointers, while Avery Orme dominated the paint, turning offensive rebounds into points and giving the Bulldogs second-chance opportunities.  

Reese Hudson added timely midrange jumpers, helping Whitefish build a 29-18 lead at halftime. Orme led Whitefish with 19 points and Shors added 18. 

Columbia Falls (9-9, 7-4) fought back in the second half. Lawrence scored from the free throw line, midrange, and behind the arc to keep the Wildkats within striking distance. Lawrence finished with 18, including two triples. 

Whitefish answered every Columbia Falls rally. Hudson hit a crucial 3-pointer and Shors added another to extend the lead to 38-28.  

By the fourth quarter the Bulldogs were on their way to a memorable victory into the Cat-Dog rivalry. 

Whitefish    20    9    9    10    -    48 

C-Falls    8    10    10    10    -    38  

WHITEFISH — Reese Hudson 4 0-0 10, Avery Orme 8 2-4 19, Allie Shors 7 1-4 18, Sammie Shors 0 0-0 0, Stella Frisbee 0 0-1 1, Vivian Trieweiler Schmidt 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-10 48. 

COLUMBIA FALLS — Alexa Friske 2 0-0 6, Riley Byrd 0 0-0 0, Onnikka Lawrence 6 4-7 16, Peyton Ross 2 1-2 8, Alanis Peterson 0 0-0 0, Rylee Sweeney 2 2-3 6, Lana Byers 0 0-0 0, Ava Scholz 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 7-12 38. 

3-Pointers — Whitefish 6 (A. Shors 3, Hudson 2, Orme), C Falls 5 (Friske 2, Lawrence 2, Ross). Fouls — Whitefish 9, C Falls 14.  

Columbia Falls boys 63, Whitefish 47 

Hill, a Junior, took over on his Wildcats teammates Senior Night with back-to-back 3-pointers to put Columbia Falls (13-4, 9-2) on top 29-13 in the second period. 

Jett Pitts added another triple, and Bjorn Pedersen made a reverse-layup to cap-off a 13-0 run before the break. Pedersen contributed 11 and Pitts added six. 

In the second half, Easton Brooks started with three straight layups to push the lead to 40-19.  

The Bulldogs cut the lead to 59-47 in the fourth behind eight points from Leo Bungener and a Reyd Hobart 3-pointer, but got no closer. 

C-Falls    18    16    14    16    -    63 

Whitefish    11    8    12    16    -    47 

COLUMBIA FALLS — Easton Brooks 4 0-0 8, Jett Pitts 3 0-0 6, Jory Hill 6 2-3 17, Bjorn Pedersen 5 0-0 11, Rhett Lindskoog 2 0-0 6, Billy Joe West 2 1-2 5 , Nico Young 3 0-0 5, Caleb Mee 2 0-0 4.  Totals 26 3-7 63. 

WHITEFISH — Will Sisson 0 3-4 3, Aiden Rickels 1 1-1 3, Jayke Thew 2 2-3 6, Reyd Hobart 1 0-0 3, Finn Ryan 1 3-5 5, Cooper Dudley 2 1-2 7, Drew Queen 2 0-1 4, Leo Bungener 8 0-0 16. Totals 17 10-16 47. 

3-Pointers — C Falls 8 (Hill 3, Lindskoog 2, Petersen, Young, Pitts), Whitefish 3 (Dudley 2, Hobart). Fouls — C Falls 12, Whitefish 14.