Valkyries' ride ends with loss to Havre
Mar. 16—BILLINGS — The rematch with Havre didn't go any better, but the Bigfork Valkyries still had quite a ride.
Getting 13 points from Ariana Gary, the Havre Blue Ponies beat Bigfork 48-31 for the third-place trophy at the State A girls basketball tournament at First Interstate Arena Saturday.
Bigfork, which ended up 21-5, fell behind 15-4 early and trailed 21-8 at halftime. After subduing Lockwood 55-52 in a morning loser-out game, there didn't seem to be much gas left in the tank.
Senior Braeden Gunlock had 11 points and nine rebounds in her final high school game before she plays at BYU, but the Vals went over 11 minutes without scoring in the first half shot just 19 percent (8 of 42) from the floor.
Still, the Vals proved they belonged in Class A: After placing third in Class B in 2022, they were unbeaten B champs in 2023 and then last season lost narrowly to Billings Central in the State A championship.
They made it to Saturday night at State again in 2025. Havre, which beat Bigfork 49-37 in the first round on Thursday, also finished 21-5.
"Proud and sad at the same time," an emotional Bigfork coach Courtnee Gunlock said. "It's been a good ride. Three special seniors that are leaving, and they really changed Bigfork girls basketball when they came in as freshmen, you know?"
Braeden Gunlock, Ava Davey — Davey hit the game-winning shot against Miles City in last year's State A semifinals — and Keni Wade leave the program better than they found it.
Junior Paeten Gunlock, who went over 1,000 career points on Friday, will lead a pretty inexperienced cast next season.
"My other daughter's coming back but we need to get some other players to step up and produce," Courtnee Gunlock said.
Braeden Gunlock had a personal 8-0 run to bring Bigfork to 30-21 going into the final period, but once there the Vals again struggled. They didn't score again until Paeten Gunlock's three at the 2:53 mark. Havre still led 41-24.
Paeten Gunlock scored 13 points. Davey, coming back from offseason knee surgery, logged 18 minutes and missed both her shots. Three more reserves combined for 16 minutes.
"I would say our starting five played more than most of the fives out here," Courtnee Gunlock said. "I would say they're putting in a lot more miles, because they don't sub out."
Bigfork 5 3 13 10 — 31
Havre 15 6 9 18 — 48
BIGFORK — Braeden Gunlock 4-10 1-2 11, Paeten Gunlock 3-19 5-6 13, Somer Campos 0-1 2-2 2, Chloe Norred 0-0 0-0 0, Keni Wade 1-8 3-4 5, Ava Davey 0-2 0-0 0, Keegan Campbell 0-0 0-0 0, Leah Gibb 0-0 0-0 0, Payton DeSpain 0-0 0-0 0.
HAVRE — Ariana Gary 5-8 1-2 13, Ela Harber 1-6 3-4 5, Tierra Parker 4-4 1-1 9, Amaya Jarvis 5-15 1-1 12, Bree Hansen 1-2 0-0 2, Tahlyn Olson 2-6 1-2 5, Olivia Keller 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-42 7-11 48.
3-point goals — Bigfork 4-21 (B. Gunlock 2-5, P. Gunlock 2-9, Davey 0-1, Campbell 0-2, Wade 0-4), Havre 5-12 (Gary 2-3, Olson 1-2, Parker 1-1, Jarvis 1-6). Rebounds — Bigfork 28 (B. Gunlock 9), Havre 31 (Parker 5, Harber 5). Fouls — Bigfork 12, Havre 15. Fouled out — P. Gunlock, Harber. Turnovers — Bigfork 12, Havre 10.
Bigfork 55, Lockwood 52
Keni Wade's 3-pointer with 1:23 left in the game put Lockwood in a 52-44 hole, and seemed to seal the deal for Bigfork.
Then the Valkyries missed five out of six free throws and the Lions kept scoring. With 16 seconds left Lockwood's Tailey Harris was fouled on a 3-point attempt and the score 53-50.
Given a chance to tie it up, Harris hit the first two free throws but missed the third — and the rebound was out of bounds to Bigfork.
Braeden Gunlock hit two free throws to make it 55-52 with 13 seconds left, and Lockwood (21-4) didn't get a clear shot at the end.
Paeten Gunlock had 22 points to lead the Vals and Braeden had 20.
Harris hit four 3-pointers — three in the fourth quarter — and finished with 20 as well.
Bigfork 18 14 13 10 — 55
Lockwood 16 6 9 21 — 52
BIGFORK — Braeden Gunlock 6-13 8-13 20, Paeten Gunlock 8-16 5-8 22, Somer Campos 0-2 2-2 2, Chloe Norred 1-3 0-2 2, Keni Wade 2-11 0-0 6, Ava Davey 1-7 0-0 3, Payton DeSpain 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 18-52 15-25 52.
LOCKWOOD — Dani Jordan 4-15 2-2 12, Taysha Little Light 2-5 2-2 6, Dakota Takes Enemy 2-6 1-2 5, Tailey Harris 5-8 6-7 20, Kylie Edwards 2-4 2-3 6, Dagny Olson 0-0 0-0 0, Kannah Franco 0-1 0-0 0, Lanee Casterline 0-1 0-0 0, Lahna Good Luck 1-6 0-0 3. Totals 16-46 13-16 52.
3-point goals — 4-20 (Wade 2-7, P. Gunlock 1-4, Davey 1-5, B. Gunlock 0-2, Norred 0-2), Lockwood 7-16 (Harris 4-6, Jordan 2-3, Good Luck 1-4, Little Light 0-1, Takes Enemy 0-1, Franco 0-1). Rebounds — Bigfork 33 (B. Gunlock 17), Lockwood 35 (Jordan 7). Fouls — Bigfork 16, Lockwood 22. Turnovers — Bigfork 7, Lockwood 18.
Havre 51, Frenchtown 39
At Lockwood, Amaya Jarvis hit four 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Blue Ponies.
Jarvis had 16 of Havre's 21 points in the first half; in the second half Ela Harber (seven points), Teirra Parker (two 3-pointers) and Kate Tilleman (five points) helped the Ponies pull away.
Mason Quinn had 17 points and Heather Haskins 10 for Frenchtown, which ended up 18-6.
Bigfork's Paeten Gunlock (23) shoots in the second quarter against Havre in the consolation game at the Class A State Basketball Tournament at the MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings on Saturday, March 15. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork's Braeden Gunlock (21) drives into the lane guarded by Havre's Ariana Gary (11) in the third quarter of the consolation game the Class A State Basketball Tournament at the MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings on Saturday, March 15. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork's Paeten Gunlock (23) drives to the basket in the first quarter against Havre in the consolation game at the Class A State Basketball Tournament at the MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings on Saturday, March 15. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Bigfork's Keni Wade (12) shoots in the first quarter against Havre in the consolation game at the Class A State Basketball Tournament at the MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings on Saturday, March 15. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Topics
-
Blue Ponies slow Bigfork girls offense at State A
Mar. 14—BILLINGS — The Bigfork Valkyries' hunt for a fourth straight trophy got a little tougher Thursday, thanks to another perennial power: The Havre Blue Ponies. Guard Amaya Jarvis scored 19 ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Vals stay alive; C-Falls' Kemppainen sets record
Mar. 14—BILLINGS — The Bigfork Valkyries weren't ready to go home, especially Braeden Gunlock. Gunlock scored 30 points, including two tie-breaking free throws with 2 seconds left, and grabbed 14 ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Substitutes Fofana and Mikautadze score to help Lyon rally past Le Havre in French league
Substitutes Malick Fofana and Georges Mikautadze played key roles in helping Lyon to rally past Le Havre 4-2 in the French league on Sunday. Mikautadze, who joined Lyon from Metz last year, scored ...Yahoo Sports - 4h -
PLAYER RATINGS | Lyon 4-2 Le Havre: OL’s substitutes inspire a late comeback
Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Round 26, 16/03/25Finding themselves behind with 15 minutes to go, two goals from second-half substitutes Georges Mikautadze and Malick Fofana and a third from Thiago Almada ...Yahoo Sports - 5h -
Harden, Leonard each score 25 points as Clippers ride lopsided 3rd quarter to 121-97 win over Hawks
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard each scored 25 points, with Harden scoring 13 in a dominant third quarter for Los Angeles, and the Clippers beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-98 on Friday night. Leonard ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Class A State Basketball Tournament in Billings
Mar. 14—Action from Northwest A teams at the Class A State Basketball Tournament in Billings March 13-15. Bigfork's Braeden Gunlock (21) drives to the basket in the first half against Lewistown at ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Harden, Leonard each score 25 points as Clippers ride lopsided 3rd quarter to 121-97 win over Hawks
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard each scored 25 points, with Harden scoring 13 in a dominant third quarter for Los Angeles, and the Clippers beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-98ABC News - 1d -
Former Ride-Share Driver Sentenced to 290 Years in Assaults of a Dozen Women
John Pastor-Mendoza, a Lyft driver, falsely posed as the ride that the women had requested and targeted victims who appeared intoxicated, the Denver district attorney said.The New York Times - Mar. 8 -
Sarr scores 19 points, makes big plays on both ends late as Wizards beat Pistons 129-125
Alex Sarr made the go-ahead basket with 53 seconds left, followed with a blocked shot and finished with 19 points to lead the Washington Wizards to a 129-125 victory over the Detroit Pistons on ...Yahoo Sports - 2d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Here's your printable bracket for March Madness predictions, picks in 2025 NCAA Tournament
Your printable 2025 March Madness bracket is here. Here's how to print your bracket and .pdf for the 68-team men's NCAA Tournament.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Leverkusen rediscovers its late-goal magic in a 4-3 comeback win over Stuttgart in Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen rediscovered some of the late-goal magic from its title-winning season as Patrik Schick's added-time header sealed a 4-3 comeback win over Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday. ...Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Eddie Howe is the best English manager since Sir Bobby Robson
This was a cup win that not only confirmed Eddie Howe is the greatest Newcastle United manager of the modern era, it suggests he is the best English one too.Yahoo Sports - 13m -
Teenager Andreeva 'runs like rabbit' to stun Sabalenka
Teenager Mirra Andreeva underlines her growing reputation as the hottest emerging talent on the WTA Tour by shocking Aryna Sabalenka to win the Indian Wells title.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Top remaining NFL free agents: Amari Cooper, Cam Robinson lead best names
The first week of NFL free agency is over. After teams spent hundreds of millions of dollars, here are the top 15 remaining players on the market.Yahoo Sports - 16m
More in Sports
-
Hanshin Tigers sweep Cubs, Dodgers in shutouts
The Hanshin Tigers capped a two-game sweep over MLB clubs with a 3-0 win over the Dodgers, following a matching victory over the Cubs the day before.ESPN - 10m -
Royce Lewis injury: Twins third baseman suffers hamstring strain, putting Opening Day in question
The oft-injured Lewis has never played more than 82 games in a single seasonCBS Sports - 11m -
Here's your printable bracket for March Madness predictions, picks in 2025 NCAA Tournament
Your printable 2025 March Madness bracket is here. Here's how to print your bracket and .pdf for the 68-team men's NCAA Tournament.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
Leverkusen rediscovers its late-goal magic in a 4-3 comeback win over Stuttgart in Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen rediscovered some of the late-goal magic from its title-winning season as Patrik Schick's added-time header sealed a 4-3 comeback win over Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday. ...Yahoo Sports - 12m -
2025 Players Championship purse, prize money: Payouts for golfers, winner's share out of $25 million pool
The biggest prize fund of the PGA Tour's season is up for grabs this week during its signature event at TPC SawgrassCBS Sports - 13m