It was a heartbreaking week in Lake County Class B hoops as all three divisional participants ended their seasons without trips to the state tournament. Despite that, some fun games ensued, with some major milestones following them. 

Let’s see who did best in the closing week for these three squads.

Thompson Falls Girls 47, Mission Girls 44 (OT)

The Mission girls suffered a tough loss on March 7 as they fell to Thompson Falls in the Western B title game.

It was a game defined by massive runs. Thompson Falls started off, leaving no doubt by shutting out the Lady Bulldogs 17-0.

Another low-scoring quarter, this time by both teams, helped kick off what looked like a dominant win for the Lady Blue Hawks.

Despite that, Mission junior Kieran Incashola lit up Thompson Falls in the second half. Strong scoring in the third quarter helped keep Mission in this one.

A 15-10 fourth quarter helped tie the game and send it to overtime.

Despite crawling all the way back, Mission only managed one point in extra time, falling behind to the Lady Blue Hawks 47-44.

Incashola led the game with 18 points.

Mission finished their regular season with a 19-3 overall record and an 8-0 district record in the regular season.

Mission Girls 65, Eureka Girls 42

Mission needed one game to get to the third-place match and that came against Eureka on March 7.

It was a strong showing for Mission as they looked to rebound after a loss. The Lady Bulldogs led off with a 24-13 scoring run, helping put Eureka behind early.

Mission cooled down on the scoring as Eureka tried to put themselves back in it.

However, the Lady Bulldogs were just too much for a Lady Lions team that they had handled in the regular season.

Mission cruised to the win, outscoring Eureka 37-20 in the second half.

The Lady Bulldogs secured their spot in the third-place game with the 65-42 win.

Incashola led the team in scoring with 19 points. She also passed the 900-point mark for varsity career scoring.

Florence Girls 67, Mission Girls 32

In a rematch from earlier in the season, Mission took on Florence on March 6 for a chance at the divisional championship game.

From the beginning, it looked like the Lady Falcons were going to take this one. The Lady Bulldogs struggled to keep up as Florence outscored them 20-10 in the first quarter.

A 24-9 second quarter for Florence all but sealed Mission’s fate as they trailed 44-19 heading into halftime.

The Lady Bulldogs never rallied in the second half, struggling to find ways to score around a stout Florence defense.

Mission lost 67-32, heading to the consolation bracket for a chance at third place and ultimately denying them a state tournament trip.

Senior Shaedon Kain led the team with eight points.

Mission Girls 67, Darby Girls 11

The best game of the divisional tournament for Mission was their first one on March 5, when they took down Darby.

Not only was it a blowout but it led to Mission senior Cora Matt’s 1,000th career point.

Mission showed their most dominant performances against Darby. They went on a 40-0 run in the first half. It took Darby almost 14 full minutes of basketball before they were able to manage points.

The Lady Bulldogs had essentially won going into the second half. With a running clock and benchwarmers out, it felt like the story of this game was over.

However, with just over three minutes left in the game, the starters came back in. Matt was set up for a running floater and, as the ball sank through the net, her teammates erupted. A timeout was called as she hugged and cheered with her fellow Lady Bulldogs.

For the casual fan in attendance, it looked like another game for the senior. For her team and the Mission fans, it was a milestone that few have ever reached. She just notched 1,000 points in her career.

The Lady Bulldogs capped off a historic day with the 67-11 victory.

“ I think with the points that we had by, it was just nice to have everybody contribute to that and know that everybody can be able to play their part, especially in the bigger games,” Matt said.

Matt led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds on that day.

Powell County Boys 43, Mission Boys 36

The Bulldogs wrapped up their season against Powell County on March 6 in a closer loss.

It was always going to be a tough game but the Mission boys held on against a team that needed to fight to stay in this tournament.

Two teams looking to prove everything battled in a defensive match-up. With shots not falling, it felt like each scoring chance could be the last. For Mission, they were just short of capitalizing on the scoring chances late.

The Wardens pulled ahead as Mission lost out 43-36 to close the season out.

Mission finished the year with a 6-12 overall record and a 4-4 district record.

Loyola Boys 68, Mission Boys 28

It was a tough start for Mission on March 5 when they took on the second-best team in 6B in Missoula Loyola.

It was always going to be tough taking on the reigning state champions but a loss early in the game signaled a defeat much sooner.

Mission got down early but they kept it close heading into the second quarter. Trailing just 18-15 felt like a good sign for the Bulldogs, who had struggled against top opponents all year.

Instead, it was a disaster as Mission’s top scorer and senior Lex LaFrombois crumpled to the ground after sustaining an injury. He was helped off the court as the Bulldogs were left to pick up what they could.

It was no good as the Bulldogs were outscored 23-4 in the second quarter. A devastating loss to their senior captain was matched by an equally defeating loss at the hands of one of the state’s top teams.

Mission never found a rhythm and ultimately lost 68-28.

Powell Boys 48, Arlee Boys 35

The heartbreak of defeat carried over on March 7 as Arlee ended their season against Powell County.

It was a deflating game against the Wardens. After a loss in the waning seconds against Anaconda, this team struggled to put up points from the start.

Powell County stayed steady throughout, making tough shots and putting Arlee in foul trouble as the game went on.

It was miss after miss for an Arlee team just seconds away from the championship. Nothing looked right with a team that had come into the tournament with major momentum.

Despite that, the Warriors couldn’t keep up with a Powell County team looking for redemption and a third-place finish. 

As senior Josh Horn consoled fellow senior teammate Aiden Swab, a successful run for the Warriors came to an end. Arlee fell 48-35 to end their season.

“ Emotional roller coaster has probably been our season,” Arlee head coach Jason Maki said. “We've also had many sicknesses, injuries and we had people have to leave for funerals. So we've just had kind of a roller coaster ourselves."

"You know, we had just amazing wins against Loyola, Florence and almost last night, then, just some crushing losses," Maki added. "I think that's why people love sports, right? The highs and the lows. Right now we had one of the lows.”

They end the year 13-7 overall and 4-5 in their district.

Anaconda Boys 56, Arlee Boys 55

In a must-win game for Arlee, the boys lost in devastating fashion on March 6 to Anaconda.

Arlee had struggled to beat Anaconda all year but, for the first time this season, they looked poised to knock off the Copperheads.

Despite falling behind 13-12 in the first quarter, the Warriors started to find a rhythm in the second quarter. Even with an early deficit, Arlee was ready to match the challenge.

Arlee still trailed after the third quarter, but the Warriors flipped it around in the fourth quarter. Shots kept dropping as each Warrior found a way to push ahead.

It was 54-51 in closing, with the divisional championship awaiting them. However, fouls late in the game put Anaconda’s Kyson Patrick on the line. He hit all four of his free throws that night, pushing the Copperheads ahead of Arlee 56-55.

Kade DuPuis-Pablo led the team with 23 points.

Arlee Boys 86, Troy Boys 65

Arlee needed a statement win to start the divisional and it did that on March 5 when it took on Troy.

The Warriors' tenacious offense was all they needed in a matchup against a strong Trojan team. Arlee was lights out in the first half, outscoring Troy 39-29 in the first half.

However, the second half was even more potent as Arlee scored 47 to close the game out. The dynamic offense that made Arlee’s team so strong showed up big in their first divisional game.

Troy was outmatched and, even with a 22-point second quarter, they still couldn’t keep up with the offensive output that Arlee had amassed. The Warriors won 86-65.

    Arlee senior Aiden Swab dribbles the ball up the court against Troy on March 5 at Salish Kootenai College. (Christa Umphrey Photo)
  

    Mission freshman Mary Lamere takes a jumpshot against Darby on March 5 at Salish Kootenai College. (Christa Umphrey Photo)