'One big family': Twin Bridges girls basketball and its chase at history (2024)

TWIN BRIDGES – Whenever the clock hits zero for the final time for the No. 2 Twin Bridges girls basketball team this season, it will be the end of an era.

The senior group has been on quite the ride the past few seasons, winning a pair of Western C titles and making deep runs in the state tournament (second place in 2023, fourth in 2022).

And the seniors have played a vital role through every step of the way, with most of them starting since their sophom*ore year. So, this final ride as a group has been a special one.

It’s their last shot at the elusive state title, but also their last ride as teammates.

“We’re trying to not put any pressure on returning to state, we’re just trying to enjoy every step of the way and have a lot of fun. Because as exciting as it is, it’s super bittersweet to see that class graduate,” Twin Bridges head coach Hannah Konen, a former Falcon herself, said.

The class of seniors grew before the season when Abby Smith moved to town, making it a group of six. The other five seniors – Allie Dale, Ayla Janzen, Ellie Meek, Emma Konen and Kyle Pancost – have been playing basketball and other sports together since grade school.

“We’ve done almost everything together. Same classes, same sports, so we’ve just gotten closer over the years,” Dale said.

And Hannah Konen has been coaching the group in some capacity since the early years. Hannah, the older sister of Emma, attended Montana Tech and would drive back to Twin Bridges to help out with the team when needed.

“For most of their lives I’ve been Hannah, the big sister. You don’t hear them call me coach too often, but it’s not disrespectful, that’s just who I am to them. It’s a super special bond,” Hannah Konen said.

The tight-knit Falcons squad cares about each other deeply, and it has shown on the court.

After all, they have lost just four games since the start of the 2022-23 season. That doesn’t happen by coincidence, and the team's unselfish attitude and team-first culture has played a major role.

“We’re all just one big family. We’re each other’s best friends and biggest supporters,” Emma Konen said.

“We don’t have any drama, we’re just excited for each other’s success. I think that’s what really helps us, we’re just happy to be playing together. It doesn’t matter who’s contributing more stats, as long as we’re winning and doing it together.”

But in terms of the success, it hasn’t always been this way. Many of the Falcons can remember the days when wins were tougher to come by.

Plenty of work has gone in behind the scenes to get to this point. Whether it’s lifting weights in the offseason or getting up shots in the morning during volleyball season (a sport they've also made the last two state tournaments in), the Falcons have dedicated the time to become Class C contenders.

“I think we went from second grade to fifth grade without winning a single game, so we learned how to lose pretty early,” Dale chuckled.

“But after middle school we started realizing we were kind of good. From there, we just kept working. And even outside of practice, we put in a lot of work and a lot of hours in the gym.”

During those hours of hard work, there is typically one common goal on the players’ minds. That is to become the first girls’ basketball team from Twin Bridges to win a state title.

The Falcons have appeared in three state championship games, (1982, 2012 and 2023) but have come up short of hoisting the first-place trophy each time. Hannah was a member of the 2012 squad. That squad also featured Gatorade Player of the Year, and later Montana State standout,Peyton Ferris.

With another year under their belt, the team feels more prepared to play under the bright lights.

“I think we definitely have learned from that this year, how to be more mentally tough and more composed in those moments,” Emma Konen said.

The Falcons are without Janzen, their three-year starting point guard, for the time being as she recovers from a leg injury. The hope is that Janzen can return in the postseason to help guide the team.

It’s the home stretch for a group of seniors that has been through it all together. They have the chance to make history, and they're ready for the moment.

“I think it’s just time to let loose. We feel like we’re pretty unleashed and ready to go into tournaments,” senior Ellie Meek said.

If Twin Bridges was to reach its ultimate goal of a state title, it would be a dream realized for not only the team, but a community that has supported the program with enthusiasm.

It’s been quite the journey for the Falcons’ senior group, and now there is just one thing left to do.

Make history in Twin Bridges.

“That gives me chills just thinking about it,” Hannah Konen said of a potential state title. “It would make history, they’d be legends. I couldn’t think of a more deserving group.”

“They would be the closest thing that Twin Bridges has to a celebrity. We would be riding that high for a long time.”