Call them the fighting Blue Hawks.

The combative-to-the-end Thompson Falls Blue Hawks showed no lack of spunk in working their way through two tough District 7B games last week, stealing away a 47-43 victory from the Horsemen in Plains Thursday, and then battling to the end before dropping an exciting 54-51 decision to the visiting Eureka Lions Saturday.

Now a battle-tested 1-2 in 7B play and 2-7 overall, coach Jake Mickelson and the Hawks host Noxon in a non-conference game Tuesday before visiting Troy for another 7B stress test Thursday.

Mickelson was encouraged by what he saw from his feisty young Hawks last week. Especially positive feelings were fostered in the win over Plains. The Hawks trailed by 12 points at the start of the fourth quarter, but turned the game upside down with an intense rally, winning the quarter 22-6 and the game 47-43.

Against Eureka, Thompson Falls had its chances to put the game away late but the Lions hit a couple big shots down the stretch and were able to hold off the Hawks in the end.

Both games were intense, fast-paced affairs indicative of what life in District 7B is like right now.

“Just a couple more 7B dogfights,” Mickelson said referring to last week’s action. “This conference is pretty wide open this season, you can expect wild games like this the rest of the way, it should be a fun 7B race from here on out.”

The game with Plains turned at the beginning of the fourth quarter, which the Horsemen galloped into with a 37-25 lead. Behind their court leaders Ethan Burgess and Kellen LeCoure, who combined for 20 points in the final eight minutes, the Hawks rallied.

With just over three minutes left, LeCoure hit a 3-pointer to draw the Hawks within three at 40-37 before Burgess, the mayhem man for Thompson Falls on defense, grabbed a steal and scored it to pare Plains’ lead down to one.

With about a minute and a half left, Burgess dropped a dime on Brylon VanElswyk for a two-point bucket that put the Hawks ahead 42-41, and on the next sequence, Burgess grabbed yet another steal and went coast to coast to finish for a 44-41 Falls lead.

Plains had a chance to tie or win the game in the closing seconds, but the Hawk defense stiffened and thwarted a Horsemen possession after a Plains timeout with 11.2 seconds left and the score 45-43.

Scoring all 11 of his points, including two crucial treys in the frantic fourth quarter, LeCoure closed it out by calmly canning two free throws after that.

Burgess turned in a monster night in leading the Hawks to the win, scoring 18 points, pulling down an amazing 18 rebounds and grabbing an equally amazing total of eight steals, just missing a rare triple double. Mayhem was also good for three assists and a blocked shot.

LeCoure, returning from a badly sprained ankle, finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Jacob Howell jumped in with six points, a rebound, an assist and two steals, VanElswyk five points, seven boards and a steal, Landin Baird four points, six rebounds and a steal, and Alex Newman three points and a rebound.

See other story for Plains scoring.

Against Eureka, Saturday night was indeed all right for fighting and the Lions and Hawks exchanged body blows all night. In their second frantic fourth quarter fight in three days, the Hawks did everything they could but went down to the equally scrappy Lions after Eureka won the final eight minutes 14-8.

The Hawks led most of the second half, building a lead of 11 at one time in the third quarter, before settling for a 43-40 advantage heading into the fourth.

“I’m not happy to say we lost but I am happy with how our guys competed, with our intensity in that game,” Mickelson said. “It was a gutsy performance, one of our better efforts of the season.”

Double double trouble for the opposition most every time out this season, Burgess did it again against the Lions, battling his way to 24 points and 10 rebounds, in addition to grabbing six steals, blocking a shot and passing out three assists.

LeCoure collected six rebounds, dished out three assists and grabbed two steals, Howell added four points and a blocked shot and Baird two points and six rebounds.

Randy Chapman scored 21 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with about two and a half minutes left, to lead Eureka, Rowan Burrow added 16 points and Colter White nine for the Lions.