GREAT FALLS — Great Falls CMR defeated crosstown rival Great Falls High 50-40 on Friday despite the Bison nearly erasing a 17-point deficit.
The Bison controlled the pace for most of the first quarter. They got out to a 7-2 lead before CMR responded and closed the gap. Great Falls High matched their five point lead later in the quarter when Izzy Saunders put in a three pointer to make it 12-7.
Within the final minute of the opening quarter, the Rustlers came up with back-to-back steals and fast break finishes to tie the game at 12.
The Rustlers started the second quarter on a 11-0 run, capped off by a three pointer by Dylan Simonson to go ahead 23-12. After a Bison timeout, Kyesha Farmer scored a basket to stop the run but it didn’t stop the bleeding.
Presley Sowers scored back-to-back buckets, then Rhema Pace followed up with an and-one and pushed the lead to 30-14. Their lead was 32-16 at the break.
Great Falls utilized the first four minutes of the second half to cut the lead down to 33-22 and force CMR into a timeout to talk things over. Out of the timeout, Simonson rained in another triple to get things back on track for CMR.
Late in the third quarter, ShyRae Yellow Owl splashed a triple, then Kieva Mapes finished a layup through the contact and extended the lead to 41-24.
Early in the final quarter, Ashley Little scored a 3 and Isis Haslem scored on a fast break to bring their deficit down to 41-32. Rustlers responded on the next two possessions with a layup from Macie Wheeler and another triple from Simonson.
With two and a half minutes remaining in the game, Little scored inside the lane and brought the Bison back within ten. Carrying over that momentum, Haslem then scored another for the Bison and made it 46-38.
The Rustlers were able to hold on for the win after making free throws and a drawn charge by Pace.
