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Hawk-bit in the Snake-pit!

Scoring their biggest win of the season on one of the biggest stages in Western B basketball Saturday, the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks bit down hard on the Anaconda Copperheads, registering a convincing 68-52 victory over the previously No. 5 ranked Class B team in Montana.

Now the No. 6 B team in the state according to the latest 406mtsports.com poll with an 8-2 record, the Lady Hawks will be in the thick of it with two more games against ranked teams this week hosting No. 4 Loyola Friday and visiting No. 5 Eureka Saturday.

Previously No. 3, 9-2 Loyola will be coming off a 54-37 loss to unranked Bigfork last week. Sitting at 8-3, Eureka's three losses have all come to Class A teams, and the Lions own a road win over Thompson Falls from earlier this season.

Anaconda tumbled down the rankings into the No. 9 slot after suffering the homecourt loss to the Hawks.

Eagerly looking forward to this week's games, Thompson Falls coach Chadd Laws was still relishing the lights-out effort the Hawks turned in after beating the Copperheads on their fabled home floor affectionately nicknamed the Snake-pit.

"We needed to play a game like this, to show what kind of team we can be," he said. "Each and every kid did their part, played their role. We got our transition game going and defended very well."

Jody Detlaff, Ellie Baxter and Megan Baxter came up huge in the big win for the Hawks. Detlaff counted a season-high 23 points and cleared 11 rebounds, Ellie Baxter scored 16 points and speared 11 boards and Megan Baxter added 12 points and nine rebounds.

Reliable Riley Wilson and Faith Frields threw in eight points apiece, and Danni Jo VanHuss one. Catie Alexander also played important minutes in Thompson Falls' biggest win yet of the season. Although she did not score, Elli Pardee passed out five assists, and grabbed two rebounds and two steals.

"Like I say, everyone contributed," Laws said. "We got in a little bit of early foul trouble and needed Catie and Danni Jo to step up early, and they did great."

Scoring for Anaconda was not available.

Laws and the Lady Hawks are really looking forward to playing Loyola and Eureka this week.

"These are very important games and we are excited to get out and play," he said. "Loyola is one of the top programs in the state and we respect Eureka a lot – we expect two very good games."

The defending State B co-champions (along with Forsyth) Loyola was reportedly without one of their starters in Bigfork Saturday due to concussion protocols, but that starter will likely be back this week.

The Hawks will be aiming to avenge a 49-42 loss to Eureka suffered in Thompson Falls early in January.

In other action last week, the Lady Hawks clobbered Troy 81-11 in Thompson Falls Friday as Megan Baxter went over 1,000 points scored during her career.

Megan finished with 24 points to lead the Hawks, Pardee added 11, Alexander 10, Ellie Baxter nine, Detlaff seven, Wilson and Chesney Lowe five each, VanHuss and Frields four apiece, and Cheyla Irvine two as every Falls roster member scored.

Megan Baxter had a team-high 14 rebounds and five assists as well and Pardee added seven rebounds. The Baxter sisters each came up with five steals and Detlaff four.