HAMILTON — Paeten Gunlock came out of the gates hot, but Jezzy Palmer and Mason Quinn turned it up a notch in the second half and the Frenchtown girls defeated Bigfork 43-34 on Friday evening.  

The semifinal loss left Bigfork facing a loser-out game Saturday morning at the Western A Divisional; Frenchtown advanced to the title game against Dillon. The Beavers beat Whitefish 63-29 in the early semifinal. 

“I was proud of our girls for not giving up and competing through the final buzzer,” Bigfork coach Isaac Martel said. “We just came up short at the end, but it doesn't matter what happened earlier — we’ve got another chance tomorrow.” 

Gunlock knocked down a pair of early 3-pointers and free throws to spark a quick 12-2 advantage for Bigfork. Gunlock finished with a game-high 22 points, 15 of which in the first half. 

Frenchtown started its push in the second quarter. Quinn converted two put-back layups and Palmer swished a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving Frenchtown a 20-18 lead at half. Quinn led the Lady Broncs with 14 points, Palmer followed up with nine on three triples. 

Both teams traded baskets throughout the third as Henley Harris opened the half with a layup for Frenchtown, while Emma Pargan answered with a mid-range jumper for Bigfork. Palmer connected from deep again before the buzzer, giving Frenchtown a 32-29 lead. 

Harris caught fire in the fourth for Frenchtown, knocking down a triple and a contested layup to extend the Lady Broncs lead to 39-29. Gunlock responded with points at the stripe, but it wasn't enough as the Valkyries went ice-cold from the field. 

Frenchtown is set to play Dillon at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Bigfork takes on Browning at 10:30 a.m.; the winner punches its ticket to next week’s State A tournament. 

Frenchtown    4    16    12    11    -    43 

Bigfork        14    4    11    5    -    34

FRENCHTOWN — Mason Quinn 4 6-9 14, Jezzy Palmer 3 0-0 9, Laney Holleran 2 0-0 4, Iris Arlint 1 0-0 2, Blake Hardy 2 2-4 6, Toni Hawkins 0 0-0 0, Addy Hanes 0 0-0 0, Henley Harris 3 1-3 8. Totals 15 6-9 43. 

BIGFORK — Leah Gibb 0 0-0 0, Keegan Campell 1 0-0 3, Payton Despain 1 2-2 4, Eva Heil 0 0-0 0, Savanah Hedges 0 1-2 1, Josie Vick 0 0-0 0, Paeten Gunlock 22, Ione Plummer 0 0-0 0, Desi Dell 0 0-0 0, Emma Pargman 2 0-0 4. Totals 10 11-13 34.  

3-point goals — Frenchtown 4 (Palmer 3, Harris), Bigfork 2 (Gunlock 2, Campbell). Fouls — Frenchtown 10, Bigfork 17. Fouled out — Hardy. 

Dillion 63, Whitefish 29

Landri Hartman led the Beavers with 25 points and Tess Tash added two triples in the first half on the way to 16 points. Dillon held a commanding 37-13 lead at the break. 

Avery Orme had 10 points in the third quarter for the Lady Bulldogs and finished with 14. 

Whitefish resumes play Saturday at 10:30 a.m. against rival Columbia Falls in an elimination game. The teams split the season series 1-1. 

Dillon    23    14    18    8    -    63 

Whitefish    5    8    11    5    -    29

DILLON — Cassie Keller 3 1-4 7, Taytum Tash 2 2-2 2, Shannon Martin 1 0-0 2, Piper Gaasch 1 0-0 2, Landri Hartman 10 0-2 25, Tess Tash 6 2-2 16, Kena Sampson 0 0-0 0, Kaitlyn Konen 2 1-1 5, Baylor Malesich 1 0-0 2, Brynna Gibson 0 0-0 0, Kenndyl Meine 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 6-12 63.  

WHITEFISH — Emy Hansen 0 0-0 0, Reese Hudson 0 0-0 0, Sammie Shors 1 2-2 4, Clair Easterley 1 0-0 2, Blake Ruta 0 0-0 0, Avery Orme 6 2-8 14, Amelia Krezowski 0 0-0 0, Vivian Treweiler-Schmidt 0 0-0 0, Allie Shors 0 4-10 4, Stella Frisbee 0 2-2 2. Totals 9 11-23 29.  

3-point goals — Dillon 7 (Hartman 5, Tess Tash 2) Whitefish none. Fouls — Dillon 15, Whitefish 7.