The Darby Tigers did just what they wanted to do this past weekend, take down the top two teams in the conference, Seeley Swan and Clark Fork. Although the wins didn’t change the standings any – Darby is still in third place – it did wonders for their mental outlook.
Darby played Seeley-Swan on Friday for senior night. The Tigers opened up an early lead and never looked back in the 13C matchup. By the end of the first quarter, Darby was ahead by four and by the end of the half, they were up by 13 points and had only allowed three points by the Blackhawks.
Seeley did crawl back into the game in the third quarter when Dakota Wood hit a three pointer. The margin was six points, and that was the closest the Blackhawks got to the Tigers. Although the game was close the rest of the game, Darby continued their dominance of the offensive and defensive boards as well as controlling the tempo of the game.
“They were determined to win this time,” said coach Crystal Smith. “After our last game at Seeley, the boys really wanted this and especially for the last time they play on this court.”
Darby struggled at the free throw line and only hit eight of 19 shots. Smith said they would be at the charity line practicing this week. Nelson Smith, Smith’s son, led all scorers with 23 points.
Darby 51, Seeley-Swan 41
Seeley-Swan -.Dakota Wood 13, Walker McDonald 10, Chase Holmes 2, Caleb Maughn 4, Brayden Rodriguez 12.
Darby -Nelson Smith 23; Preston Smith 11; Jordan Anderson 8; Gabe Smith 5; Christian Humphrey 2; Tyler Davis 2.
Saturday night, Darby traveled to Superior to play the Clark Fork Mountain Cats. The Tigers again jumped out to an early lead and went on to win, 58-37. Nelson Smith had 30 points in the game. With the win, the Tigers secured a three-way tie with Seeley-Swan and Clark Fork but because of earlier losses, they are seeded in third place.
Darby 58, Clark Fork 37
Darby – Nelson Smith 30; Preston Smith 10; Gabe Smith 9; Jordan Anderson 5; Christian Humphrey 2; Tyler Davis 2.
The Lady Tigers of Darby lost to the undefeated Seeley-Swan Blackhawks, 56-31. Seeley’s tough defense allowed only seven points in the first half. Amber Anderson found some room in the second half and finished with eight points. Coach Caroline Ehmann said her team struggled but she was proud of the way they came back in the second half.
Seeley-Swan 56, Darby 31
Seeley-Swan – Klaire Kovatch 19; Emily Maughan 9; Terra Bertsch 7; Kara Good 6; Aspen Conley 4; Danielle Sexton 2; Trista Wendell 2; Hannah Ayers 2; Taylor Dillree 2; Rose Mercer 2; Bethany Hoag 1; Kyla Conley 0.
Darby – Amber Anderson 8; Gracie Lang 5; Annie Rennaker 5; Madison Conner 4; Makena Hawkinson 4; Kimber Schlapman 3; K. Goodwin 2.
On Saturday, the Lady Tigers lost to Clark Fork, 53-22. The Mountain Kats had a well rounded defense that limited Darby’s shots. Anderson again had the hot hand, finishing with nine points.
Clark Fork 53, Darby 22
Darby – Amber Anderson 9, Kimber Schlapman 4, Madison Conner 3, Annie Rennaker 2, Makena Hawkinson 2, K. Goodwin 2.
Clark Fork – Sorren Reese 17, Emma Baughman 8, Isabella Pereira 8, Darby Haskins 8, Payton Milender 6, Zoe Kelsey 3, D. Vanderploeg 2, Taylor Haskins.
The Victor Pirates fell to Philipsburg in a close game, 42-35. Victor took a one point lead into the locker room at the half. But, they couldn’t contain the Prospectors in the third quarter. Victor was led by Carson Varner’s 14 points.
Philipsburg 42, Victor 35
Philipsburg – Brian Ward 12, Kade Cutler 11, Daniel Brabender 10, Bryce Parret 4, Andrew Tallon 3, Avery Metesh 2.
Victor – Carson Varner 14, Caleb Rockwood 7, Skylar Webberson 5, Canyon Parks 4, Braden Bowen 3, Jordan Friede-McClain 2.
The Lady Pirates fell to Philipsburg, 61-it’s 21. Virginia Brown led the Pirates scoring with seven points.
Philipsburg 61, Victor 21
Philipsburg – Ashe Comings 15, Amelia Hill 11, Reece Pitcher 10, Rachel Ward 8, Shelby Struna 6, Serenity O’Donnell 5, Gretchen Hill 4, Lucia Lee 2.
Victor – Virginia Brown 7, Emma Day 5, Ashley Buchanan 5, Jayden Scheffer 3, Maddie Bahr 1.
Both the Victor boys and the Victor girls lost to Seeley-Swan on Saturday night.