CMR girls hold on for crosstown win over Bison
Few in attendance at C.M. Russell High Fieldhouse Tuesday likely thought the contest would come down to a final shot.
Yet, after trailing by as many as 14 late in the third quarter, the Great Falls High girls’ basketball team found itself with a chance to tie the game in regulation with less than a second left.
With 0.7 seconds to play following a 5-second violation by CMR, the Bison inbounded the ball to junior guard Ashlyn Jones, who managed to get off a contested shot at the buzzer. However, the late heave hit off the side of the iron, preserving a 44-41 Rustler victory in the Eastern AA play.
“’Hang on’ is the right (phrase),” CMR girls’ head coach Brian Crosby said. “I think our defensive intensity kind of lacked in the fourth quarter, and that’s a credit to the Bison. They started attacking us and we kind of got on our heels…our kids maintained their composure and they found a way (to win). I’m really, really proud of them.”
In a reversal, the Bison (2-3 Eastern AA, 2-7 overall) held CMR (4-1, 5-4) to just two field goals in the fourth quarter, both coming early in the stanza as the Rustlers maintained a double-digit lead at 40-27 on a Kacey Christensen 3-pointer and Alex Madsen layup through the press.
Senger spearheaded a 12-0 Bison run with all eight of her points coming in the final period, including a 3-ball and bucket off a steal on back-to-back possessions at around the 4:30 mark.
“Well I saw something that we haven’t seen this year,” GFH head coach Jerry Schmitz said. “When we got down before (in previous games), we really haven’t been able to chip into it. Earlier, I think we would’ve held our heads. But we talked about it, it’s a long game – it was 40-30 (CMR) when we talked about that – it’s improvement, it’s incremental improvement for our kids. I thought they did a good job, they didn’t give up all the way down to 0.7.”
Jones cut it to a one-point affair with just under two minutes left, finishing a 3-point play after drawing contact on a drive into the Rustler defense.
CMR’s leading scorer Lauren Lindseth, who was held without a field goal in the contest, forced a jump ball while fighting for a rebound after the Rustlers missed the backend of a 1-and-1. The Bison were forced to foul on the ensuing inbound as CMR maintained possession, and Gardipee hit a pair at the line to push the CMR lead up to 44-39.
“Lauren not getting a field goal is a crazy stat,” Crosby said. “But credit to (GFH) for taking that away and also credit to our kids for stepping up and making plays…A lot of times the best player isn’t the kid that’s going to dive for loose balls and things like that. But (Lindseth) extends possessions, she gets rebounds, she gets deflections, she gets steals and she really sets the tempo for us. The Bison did a great job of taking her away, but she did a good job of being patient and letting things come to her. It was a team effort.”
Gardipee paced the balanced Rustler effort with 11 points while Madsen chipped in nine and Lindseth, Kendal Stoll and Natalie Bosley adding six apiece.
“I think we were a little disjointed at times, but all-in-all it was pretty good,” Crosby said. “We can win a close game and it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. Being able to finish games, make free throws, get defensive stops, that’s what you learn in a game like that and it will benefit us in the long run hopefully.”
Jones led all scorers with 14 points for the Bison, while Jamie Reed added 10 and Senger eight.
Schmitz said he was proud of his squad’s efforts in closing the gap, overcoming long scoring droughts in the second and third periods.
“We’re in there (in the Eastern AA),” Schmitz said. “It’s a long season and we’ve got some conference games left to make progress. What we need to do is take this and see ‘Hey, we can do this,’ and be even better. That’s what we’re preaching to the kids.”
The game was a makeup for Jan. 14’s postponement as there was a COVID-19 spike throughout Great Falls Public Schools, and was the first of two regular season meetings between the clubs.
Both teams are at home on Friday and Saturday for conference games, with CMR and GFH welcoming in Billings West and Billings Senior.
The Rustlers take on West Friday while the Bison face off with Senior at Swarthout Fieldhouse, both tipping at 7 p.m. The teams switch opponents for Saturday home contests at 2 p.m. Saturday.
GFH 11 4 6 20 – 41
CMR 10 12 13 9 – 44
GFH – Rylee Schei 2, Ashlyn Jones 14, Emma Tolan 4, Hayleigh Watson 3, Dani Senger 8, Jamie Reed 10. Totals 15 8-21 41.
CMR – Lauren Lindseth 6, Kendal Stoll 6, Shania Gardipee 11, Kylie Henderson 2, Lexi Thornton 4, Kacey Christensen 3, Alex Madsen 9, Natalie Bosley 6. Totals 14 10-22 44.
3-pointers – Jones, Senger, Reed; Stoll 2, Gardipee 2, Christensen, Madsen. Total fouls – GFH 17, CMR 16.
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: CMR girls basketball team holds off Great Falls High, January 25
