Lady Bulldogs fall short to Bigfork

Whitefish girls basketball came up just short Saturday night, falling 51–48 in overtime to Bigfork in a tightly-contested Northwest A matchup.
Whitefish (7-3 overall, 3-1 Northwest A) appeared poised to secure the win late in regulation, holding a 45–42 lead with possession and under two minutes remaining. Bigfork’s Paeten Gunlock, however, sparked a late rally with a steal and layup, then followed with another steal and a free throw to tie the game at 45 with 1:17 left.
After Sammie Shors gave Whitefish a brief lead, Gunlock drove the lane, drew a foul and converted both free throws with 19.7 seconds remaining to force overtime. Whitefish was unable to convert a last-second attempt in regulation.
The Bulldogs struggled to find offense in the extra period, scoring just one free throw, while Gunlock accounted for all four of Bigfork’s overtime points. Her basket with 2:37 remaining put the Valkyries ahead for good, sealing the comeback victory.
Avery Orme led Whitefish with 19 points before fouling out late in regulation, while Allie Shors added 15 points. Reese Hudson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, and Sammie Shors contributed four points in the loss.
Gunlock finished with 39 points for Bigfork, including 29 after halftime, lifting the Valkyries to 7-4 overall and 4-1 in league play.

At Whitefish
VALKYRIES 51, LADY BULLDOGS 48
Bigfork - 10 - 3 - 16 - 18 - 4 - 51
Whitefish - 6 - 18 - 10 - 13 - 1 - 48

Whitefish Scoring: Avery Orme 19, Allie Shors 15, Reese Hudson 6, Sammie Shors 4, Stella Frisbee 2, Blake Ruta 2

    Bulldog Blake Ruta surges past two Bigfork Vikings at the home game on Saturday, Jan. 24. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Clair Easterly makes a shot at the game against Bigfork Saturday, Jan. 24. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Bulldog Sammie Shors makes a shot at the game against Bigfork Saturday, Jan. 24. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)