By The No. 11 Carroll College Women’s Basketball team earned the outright Frontier Conference Title on Saturday, defeating No. 22 Rocky Mountain College 56-52 on Saturday afternoon in Helena.
The Fighting Saints (22-5, 13-1) won the season series over No. 22 Rocky Mountain College (18-8, 10-4), winning a thriller in the Capital City on Saturday afternoon.
All eyes were on Helena and the Carroll College PE Center for a Frontier Conference showdown with a conference title on the line on Saturday. Two of the conference’s three ranked teams playing for bragging rights on the season and for Carroll, a shot at the title.
A hyper-exciting game for fans of each team entertained throughout.
The Saints held a one-point lead after one-quarter of play. Carroll’s Jamie Pickens (Helena, Mont. / SR) and Rocky’s Ky Buell had a battle in the opening period, each scoring eight points for their respective teams.
The second quarter was not an offensive showcase, both teams struggled to put points on the board. Carroll outscored the Battlin’ Bears, albeit slightly, by one point to carry a two-point lead into the halftime break. Again, Pickens was the focal point of the Saints’ attack, scoring five of the Saints’ ten points. Carroll led at the break, 26-24.
Rocky’s Gracee Lekvold was the star of the show in the third quarter. Lekvold scored 12 third-quarter points to lead the Bears, but Carroll matched their 17 points to maintain their two-point lead heading into the final quarter of play.
A back-and-forth affair eventually broke in the Saints’ favor. Jamie Pickens got free down low and scored to give the Saints a five-point advantage with just one minute remaining. Rock’s Ky Buell made a desperation three-pointer to bring the game within two points, but Pickens was able to respond with another huge bucket to seal the four-point win for the Saints.
Carroll clinched its fourth outright regular season championship in the last six seasons, and it’s third in the last four seasons.
Pickens led all scorers with 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds on the afternoon.
Ky Buell led the Battlin’ Bears with 17 points in the loss.
Carroll, Frontier Conference champions, will now host Providence in a senior day matchup next Saturday in Helena.
