by Scott Sacry
The Hamilton girls ended a successful season at the Class A State Tournament in Missoula. The Lady Broncs didn’t have the result at state they hoped for, but the girls fought hard until the end. The future looks bright for the Lady Broncs, as every player that played in the state tournament will return for next season.
The Lady Broncs played Hardin in the first round on Wednesday, March 9th, and fell, 48-62, to a Hardin team that would eventually finish third. The game was tied 16-16 after the first quarter, but in the second quarter Hardin shot 64% from the field to grab a 10-point halftime lead. From that point, Hamilton just couldn’t make enough shots to make up the difference. Taryn Searle led with 18 points and Mya Winkler added seven. In a well rounded effort, Layne Kearns had eight points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.
This sent them to the loser out game on Friday, where they met the Miles City Cowgirls and fell, 43-52. This game came down to making shots. In the first half it seemed like Miles City couldn’t miss a shot and Hamilton couldn’t make one. Shots that the Lady Broncs generally make weren’t going in and they only shot 29% from the field for the game, as opposed to the Cowgirls’ 53%. Layne Kearns led the way with 17 points and four assists, Taryn Searle had 11 points, and Mya Winkler added eight points and five rebounds.