COLUMBIA FALLS — Libby’s captain filled her role nicely.
Senior Kim Tangen led the Lady Loggers to a 37-14 victory over Whitefish in the opener of the Northwestern A Divisional girls basketball tournament in Columbia Falls on Thursday night.
Tangen, standing tall in the key all night at 5-feet-7, scored all 10 of her points in the first half and highlighted Libby’s strong rebounding advantage. With rebounding and a balanced scoring attack behind Tangen, the Lady Loggers kept a firm grasp on the lead from start to finish.
The offensive woes that have followed Whitefish all season continued into the postseason. The Lady Bulldogs struggled to finish shots all night as Libby built on a 19-7 lead at half.
Four girls scored three points apiece for Whitefish – Taylor Havens, Ashley Millard, Ashlee Brewer and Simona Craft. Ashley O’Dell chipped in two points for the Lady Bulldogs.
Libby freshman Hannah England scored eight points, Taylor Quinn added six and Libby advanced to Friday’s second round game against top-seeded Frenchtown. The two teams play at 2 p.m. Friday. The Lady Bulldogs drop to loser-out action Saturday morning at 9 a.m. against the loser of Friday’s matchup between Columbia Falls and Polson.
Libby’s Hailey Craig added four points, Shyla Stevenson had three and Jenny Johnson, Becca Kyriss and Devon Gallagher each had two points apiece.
The divisional tournament kicks off for the boys Thursday night at 8 p.m. with a matchup between Polson and Libby.