by Scott Sacry
The Florence girls basketball team were the #1 ranked Class B team in the February 11, 406mtsports.com poll, but will likely fall in the rankings after losing to then #7 Missoula Loyola 56-64 in Missoula on Saturday, February 15.
Florence won the first matchup against Loyola, 68-62 in overtime, in Florence on January 25. The two teams will likely meet up again in the postseason tournaments.
The game was evenly matched throughout, but Florence trailed most of the game and was down by 10 points with three minutes left to play. The Falcons made a push and closed the gap, but fell short. Florence’s strong defense had trouble containing Loyola’s Spencer Laird, who scored 37 points for the Breakers.
Florence’s Maggie Schneiter had 21 points against Missoula Loyola on Saturday, February 15. Florence lost 56-64 after defeating Loyola in their first matchup of January 25. Photo by Stephanie K Geiser Photography.
For Florence, Maggie Schneiter had a big game with 21 points, Kenzy Pickering, Jaden Fisher and Kendyl Meinhold each scored 8, Emory Ralston had 7, Taylor Pyette and Madigan Hurlbert each added 2.
Earlier in the week, the Florence girls hosted Flathead Christian on Wednesday, February 12, and won easily 72-31. For Florence, Kenzy Pickering led the scoring with 13 points. Emory Ralston and Kendyl Meinhold each had 11, Jaden Fisher had 10, Ali Meinhold had 9, Maggie Schneiter had 8, Taylor Pyette and Madigan Hurlbert each had 4, and Alyx Monaco added 2.
The Florence girls hosted Darby on Thursday, Feb. 13. The Falcons jumped out to a 35-3 first quarter lead and cruised to a 76-22 victory. For Florence, Emory Ralston led the scoring with 17 points. Maggie Schneiter had 16, Kenzy Pickering had 15, Ali Meinhold had 8, Madigan Hurlbert and Taylor Pyette each had 6, Kendyl Meinhold had 4, and Shelby Crocker and Jaden Fisher each added 2.
Florence Boys
The Florence boys, the 10th ranked Class B team in the February 11, 406mtsports.com poll, also played at Missoula Loyola on Saturday, February, 15. The Falcons lost 31-72. The #1 ranked Loyola boys are going to be tough for any Class B team to beat this year and likely won’t get challenged until the state tournament. Despite the score, Florence played a solid game; the ball just wasn’t falling for them.
The Florence boys hosted Darby on Thursday, February 13. Florence jumped out to an early 34-11 halftime lead and didn’t look back, winning 69-35. For Florence, Brody Duchien was the scoring leader with 17 points. Jake Schneiter had 15, Bridger Alexander and Schoenfeld Grant each had 6, Caleb Katen had 5, Mason Arlington and Levi Winters each had 3, and Carson Alexander added 2.