M-ettes Finish 1-2 at State B

The season ended for the Malta M-ettes basketball team last Saturday, March 12, in the State B Tournament consolation semifinals, as the M-ettes fell to rival Glasgow, in Bozeman.

The M-ettes, who entered the state tournament as the Northern B Champions, started their weekend at state with a tough win over the Columbus Cougars on Thursday, March 10. Apparent in the victory, was Malta's struggles with a stomach bug (Gastroenteritis) that has been sweeping through the state of Montana.

"I guess we have got a lot of excuses, but I don't think that we are going to make any," Malta Head Coach Nate Hammond said. "Our heads are up. I told them that tears are okay, but I want their chins up. We definitely had some adversity and fought through it the best that we could and I am just really proud of the kids."

Though coach Hammond did not want to make excuses for his team, who battled through the week, Malta would drop their final games to Jefferson and Glasgow. The score of the loss to Jefferson on Friday, March 11, was 43-33. The score of Malta's loss to Glasgow was 41-32. Jefferson went on to lose the State B Championship to Colstrip 56-43. Glasgow fell to Bigfork in the Consolation Finals, earning them a fourth-place finish.

"They left it all out there," Coach Hammond said of the M-ettes. "So, you couldn't be any more proud of those kids. They just need to be proud of what they have accomplished this year; look back at all of those awesome experiences and accomplishments that they have had."

Prior to the State B Tournament, Malta had defeated every Class B opponent that they faced, boasting a 19-2 record.

In Malta's opening win over Columbus, Malta was led by Maddie Williamson who scored 12 points, five assists, and four steals.

"I feel really good about that game," Malta senior Justine Lamb said. "I am really proud of how the girls played and no matter what, when they kept catching us, we were like, no, we have to win this game. That's what we did. That's what we all wanted."

Addy Anderson had 10 points, six rebounds, and two steals.

Anderson scored Malta's first bucket of the tournament, a three-pointer from the top of the key.

"I was very surprised because, during warmups, I could not make any," Anderson said. "They were hitting the rim and bouncing. So, I was pretty happy that I made that."

Allie Kunze had nine points, five rebounds, and two steals. Lamb had six points and a game-leading 11 rebounds. Lamb also had three assists and two blocked shots.

Brylee French had six points and two steals. Lauren Tuss and Arena Neibur both had two points.

The team would lose Tuss, a starter, to a knee injury halfway through the third quarter of the game.

Still, Malta was tasked with having to slow down Katelyn Hamilton, Hannah Obert, and Molly Hamilton, who attacked the perimeter with 17 three-point attempts. They made seven of those attempts.

"We had to make sure to know where they were at all times," Anderson said. "When they cut through, we had to communicate."

Lamb was asked how the team was able to push through and get the win despite the team's injuries and health issues.

"We just had to keep pushing forward and telling each other that we have got the next one," Lamb said.

In Malta's loss to Jefferson, Malta had an 11-8 lead after the first quarter, but the team ran out of steam and struggled to score, only netting three points, while Jefferson scored 15 points, Jefferson also outscored Malta 10-6 in the third quarter. Malta scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and held Jefferson to 10.

Kunze led Malta with a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double. She also had two steals. Anderson had six points and three steals. French had three points, five rebounds, and two assists. Giona Lamb had three points. J. Lamb, Williamson, and Neibur each had two points. Williamson had three steals and four rebounds. Lamb had six rebounds.

In Malta's loss to Glasgow, the M-ettes were led by French, who had 12 points and two steals. Williamson, who had to leave the game twice due to injuries, competed hard, earning 11 points and seven rebounds. She also had a team-leading four assists. Lamb had six points, six rebounds, three steals, and one block. Kunze had three points, seven rebounds, one steal, and one block.

Glasgow was led by Sabrina Harsh, who had 13 points, 18 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Abrianna Nielson added 11 points to the Lady Scotties' total.

Malta was 9-of-47 (19%) from the field and made 3-of-19 (15%) three-point attempts. The M-ettes were 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Glasgow scored 13 points from their bench, all from Harsh. Malta's bench was held without a point.

Glasgow outscored Malta 12-5 in the first quarter and led by as much as ten points in the second quarter, but thanks in part to a 7-0 run, Malta was able to close the gap before halftime. The score at halftime was 18-17.

Glasgow's largest offensive output was in the third quarter, when they outscored Malta 14-9. The M-ettes tied the game twice in the third quarter but were unable to overcome the hump. The score was 32-26 Glasgow at the end of three quarters. The M-ettes only scored 6 points in the fourth quarter and gave up nine.