State Basketball Preview: Bigfork, Columbia Falls Girls to Represent Flathead Valley

As the Montana high school basketball postseason begins its final leg on Thursday, two Flathead Valley teams remain alive, with both set to compete for a shot at the championship in the Class A state girls basketball tournament in Billings.

Both the Bigfork Valkyries girls basketball team, and the Columbia Falls Wildkats girls basketball team advanced out of the Western A divisional tournament last weekend with third and fourth place finishes. The two teams met in the consolation game of the Western A divisional, which ended in a 52-32 Bigfork win over Columbia Falls.

For Bigfork’s seniors, a class that has gone 98-7 and has never lost a game at home, this will be fourth time in a row they’ve made it to the state tournament, but the first time they’ve arrived as anything other than a No. 1 seed. Tournament play kicks off Thursday morning, and games will continue through Saturday.

Head coach Cortnee Gunlock said she thinks that her team not having to worry about the pressure of being the top seed out of the West may actually be to their benefit, especially for a team that has relied on younger players to step up this season. Even as they spent the early part of the week continuing to recover from the physical demands of last week’s tournament, Gunlock thinks her players are in a positive place mentally, and that they’re happy to be headed back to the state tournament.

“I think they’re in a good place with their confidence,” she said. According to Gunlock, the long bus ride to Billings, a journey the team started Wednesday, could get a little rowdy as the team’s leaders bring out their loudspeaker, turn up the music, and start trying to drum up some excitement for the team.

“One of the biggest things that we always say before the game is ‘Play to win, not to lose.’ So we always say that, and I really mean that. Don’t play hesitant, play with confidence, whatever the outcome is. So you know, I think they take that to heart,” Gunlock said.

The Valkyries are 19-3 on the year and of their handful of losses, two have come at the hands of Dillon, including a 39-37 loss in the first week of the season, and a 57-49 loss in the second round of the divisional tournament. Dillon is the No. 1 seed from the West.

Last year, the Valkyries went 22-2 and narrowly lost in the championship game 41-38 to Billings Central, who enters this year’s tournament as the undefeated No. 1 seed out of the East. It was the first year for Bigfork athletics in Class A, and the Valkyries were fresh off an undefeated 2022-2023 season which culminated in a Class B state championship.

Bigfork’s first opponent in the state tournament are the Havre Blue Ponies, a team that has gone 18-3, with two losses to Billings Central and one to Lockwood. The two teams will play each other Thursday morning at 9 a.m. The Blue Ponies are the No. 2 team out of the Eastern A, and Gunlock thinks that her team can match up well with Havre, but she’s conscious of the fact that Havre brings a little more experience to the table, and has emerged from a tough Eastern division.

“Conference-wise, it’s a stronger conference, so they have harder games throughout the season, so they get pushed a little bit more,” Gunlock said.

The Valkyries have relied on the same starting five for most of the season, which includes Gunlock’s two daughters, Braeden and Paeten, who both play guard. Braeden, a senior and Brigham Young University commit, has scored 1,802 points in her high school career, and is averaging a double-double on 19.7 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. She’s the team leader in scoring and rebounding and is also averaging 3.2 assists per game and 4.9 steals per game.

Paeten Gunlock, a junior guard, is averaging 16.9 points, 4 rebounds, 4.45 assists and 5 steals. Heading into the state tournament, Paeten is at 982 career points, making her just 18 points shy of 1,000 career points. She’s the team leader in steals and assists.

Joining the Gunlock sisters are fellow senior guards and team captains Keni Wade and Ava Davey, and junior guard Chloe Norred. Davey, a two-time All-Conference player, is viewed by the coaching staff as a player who brings leadership and versatility, while Wade and Norred are relied on for their defensive abilities. Rotating in are sophomore forward Somer Campos, who is third on the team in rebounds, and freshman guard Payton DeSpain.

The family dynamics on this Valkyries team and Braeden Gunlock’s status as a senior means that this trip to the state tournament has an added emotional component for the Gunlocks. The head coach said that she and her daughters are aware of how many lasts this tournament appearance represents for them, and even longtime teammates like Keni Wade, who has been playing with the Gunlock sisters since about fifth grade.

“There’s been a few tears, a few moments of, ‘Well, this is really coming to an end here.’ But we’re still trying to stay focused on what we still want to try and accomplish this year,” Gunlock said.  “They know how much they’ve been blessed with the success they’ve had these last four years, and they’re going to have some great memories.”

For Columbia Falls, this is the first time the girls team has made the state tournament since 2022 and it’s also their first season being led by head coach Jeremy Grilley. The Wildkats went 11-10 on the season, and their coach says that there have been growing pains as they’ve adapted to his system, but that he believes that going into the divisional tournament, the team was hitting its stride.

Starting off the state tournament against Billings Central Thursday at 5 p.m. is undoubtedly a tough draw, and Grilley said the Rams are a disciplined, balanced team with three players scoring in double figures and a fourth averaging about 9 points a game.

“We’re just gonna go in there and play aggressive, play our style, and just hopefully create some turnovers, loose balls. The good thing is there’s no pressure on us,” Grilley said. “We’re going to go out there and compete, and it’s gonna be a tough one, but you know, if anyone’s gonna do any upsets, it might as well be us.”

The team’s starting lineup includes senior guard Taryn Borgen, sophomore Onnikka Lawrence, senior Emalee Alton, sophomore Rylee Sweeney, and sophomore Alexa Friskey.

The Wildkats are led on offense by Borgen, an All-Conference player who is averaging 11.8 points per game this season and leads the team in steals. Her coach said she’s someone “that we could just rely on if we needed a bucket,” and said she’s created a lot of opportunities for the team on offense and defense.

The team’s second leading scorer is Lawrence, a sophomore who is averaging 8.7 points per game, and leads the team in assists. Grilley said that Lawrence is probably the most skilled, athletic player on the team, and plays well on both sides of the ball. She has the second most steals on the team, and Grilley credited her ability to create off the dribble, and her anticipation and timing on defense.

The team’s third leading scorer is senior Kierra Kemppainen, who is averaging 5.2 points per game. Kemppainen has been in and out of the starting lineup for the Wildkats, but Grilley credited her as the ultimate teammate who has done whatever is best for the team. Kemppainen’s shined during the divisional tournament, according to Grilley, who said she was the team’s second-leading scorer. The team’s leading rebounder is junior Maddy Barker, who is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game and has also rotated in and out of the starting lineup. Leading the team in blocks is 6-foot sophomore Sweeney, who has 34 blocks on the season, while also averaging 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds. As Grilley described her, she’s able to block or alter shots when defending in the key, and has continued to gain confidence as the season has progressed.

Grilley said the team’s best on-ball defender is Friskey, who joined the team’s starting lineup about halfway through the season. Friskey is what Grilley called a true point guard, and said that she changed the makeup of the team on both sides, and that her mindset trickled down to the rest of the team.

A key point in the season was the Wildkat’s second game against Ronan. The first game ended with a 58-55 win for the Maidens, which was further marred by 34 turnovers for Columbia Falls. The second time the two teams met, Grilley said that the offense for Columbia Falls started to click, with the players finally beginning to understand their reads and spacing, and how to react. They also took care of the ball significantly better, and stayed focused on defense. The result was a 50-40 win for the Wildkats.

From there, Grilley pointed to the team’s second matchup against Browning. The first time the two teams met, Browning secured a 71-54 win. The second time, Columbia Falls walked away with a 60-45 win. At the time, Browning was second in the conference and Columbia Falls was fourth. That win was the game in which Grilley said his team truly started to believe in their potential.

“It’s been a fun year, a good group of girls, competitive. I’ve really enjoyed it,” Grilley said. “I think the team is ready to go down and, you know, accept the challenge of playing the top team, and we’re going going to give it our all.”

The Bigfork Valkyries and Columbia Falls Wildkats girls team are the only Flathead Valley basketball teams to make the state tournament this year. For a full preview of the Class A girls tournament, other tournament previews and up-to-date scores, check out 406MTSports.com.

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