Young Lady Bulldogs to Make First State Tournament Appearance in Five Years

Music blasted from the speakers at Whitefish High School’s gym as its girls basketball players exchanged wide smiles and contagious laughs while the team worked its way through a drill at Monday night’s practice.

If there’s any nerves among the underclassmen-heavy Lady Bulldog team as they prepare for the team’s first trip to the state tournament in five years, the players sure aren’t keen on showing them. 

“I think we’re just pumped to have another week together, to have fun and just experience the state tournament,” sophomore captain Allie Shors said. “I think we’re going in there with so much excitement to play and energy and just excitement to be with the team.”

“All that experience will be good for us for next year and the year after when we make it to state; just building blocks,” sophomore captain Reese Hudson added. 

After finishing the 2024-2025 season with a 5-14 record, Head Coach Bob Bolam set three goals for his Bulldog squad, whose roster sports 11 underclassmen, this season: a winning record, a top-half finish in the league and a divisional tournament berth. 

With a 16-6 record, a second-place finish in Northwest A during the regular season and a third-place finish in the Western divisional tournament last weekend, the Bulldogs have exceeded both Bolam’s and his players’ expectations. 

The Bulldogs’ catapult to the top of the Northwest standings may have been a surprise for others, but it wasn’t for Bolam.

“We knew who was coming in from the summer,” Bolam said. “We played well in the summer with the same group. We also knew that in the league … a lot of kids left, so we matched up better with some of the teams.”

When Bolam’s squad started January with three straight wins against conference foes — Libby, Browning and Ronan — after playing the first month of the season on the road, he knew his young team could have some staying power. The Lady Dawgs kept that momentum rolling, closing out the regular season with wins over conference powerhouses Columbia Falls and Bigfork. 

“Things are changing a little bit, and the girls can feel that,” Bolam said. “So, it’s inspiring to think that we can compete with these guys now. It just sets us up for the future to know that it doesn’t matter who it is, it doesn’t mean you can’t not play and not show up, but that you have that chance.”

A core group of sophomores and freshmen have paced the Bulldogs throughout the season. Freshman Avery Orme has led point production, averaging 17 points, eight rebounds, and three steals per game, as well as being a key defender setting the tone for the Lady Dawgs. The young captains — Shors, 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Hudson, 9 points and 3 assists — have rounded out the Whitefish team’s scoring.

“We named them captains just because of who they are, the work they put in, and … for who they are on and off the court,” Bolam said. “They’ve had to take that on as sophomores to be the captains, and they’ve done a good job. I think they’ve been respected by the few upperclassmen, plus all their peers.”

Freshman Sammie Shors and Sophomore Stella Frisbee round out the Bulldogs’ tournament starting five, with Shors and Frisbee adding a consistent paint presence for Whitefish. Bolam said he has relied on the entirety of the young group, starting close to nine different players throughout the season. 

With only one senior on the roster, the Lady Dawgs have leaned on their rock-solid team chemistry, which Shors and Hudson said built up very quickly, throughout the season.

“It really helped us trust each other,” Hudson said. “That’s the main thing a team needs that not a lot of teams have.”

When asked how the Bulldogs approach being such a young team, Shors said their youthfulness affords them the opportunity to play free.

“It’s obviously a little bit intimidating, but it also gives you a lot of freedom, because you don’t have that expectation to win,” Shoes said. “I love playing where you kind of have that freedom to just be the underdog and go out and just play.”

Playing with that freedom helped lift the Bulldogs over Columbia Falls last weekend in a tight 48-45 affair to secure their spot in the state tournament. Whitefish capped off the divisional tournament by defeating Bigfork by a two-point margin to lock in the No. 3-seed from the West.

“We couldn’t ask for better hard workers, talented and nice kids,” Bolam said. “They’re easy to work with, and they work hard themselves. They push themselves. You don’t have to be the pusher. So, it’s been fun. Just a good group on and off the court.”

As the Bulldogs head into the state tournament this weekend, Bolam and his team are looking forward to the experience playing against Montana’s top teams, hoping to build on the first of many state tournaments for the young group.

“It’s gonna be hard, but I think for us, it’s a good learning experience to see where we need to get to if we want to be at that level of winning the state title,” Bolam said. “It’s going to take some work, so I think that’s really something we’ll take from it. If we can sneak a win in, that’s just another experience that we can do.”

The Bulldogs will open their state tournament play at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 against Havre at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. 

The Bigfork Valkyries enter the Class A state girls basketball tournament as the No. 4-seed from the West. The Valkyries, who will be making a fifth-straight appearance at the state tournament, will open up play at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 against Billings Central.

The Class A girls basketball state tournament will run from March 12-14 at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. Follow along with 406MTSports’ coverage of the state basketball tournament here.

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