Loyola started the game on a 17-3 run and finished strong by sinking 16-of-18 free throws in the fourth quarter as they took a 67-55 win and the third place Class B trophy home for the second straight year.

It wasn’t the award his team came for, but Scott Anderson and his Rams were in good spirits none the less.

“We’ll make some T-shirts up that say bronze or three-peat,” Anderson laughed. “We’re proud of it, but our goal was first place. We’re going to shoot for that again next year.”

The Rams’ success from the charity stripe was a sight for Anderson’s sore eyes, considering Loyola missed 31 free throws in its previous two contests.

“Missing free throws was really costing us,” Anderson said. “We made a joke tonight, saying, ‘Let’s see if we can miss 30.’ The kids relaxed and I think that made a difference.”

It couldn’t have been much more frustrating for Big Timber, which did a good job of defending the beefier Rams when the clock was ticking, holding them to 40 percent shooting.

But as well as the Herders defended, “you can’t contest shots from the free throw line,” said Big Timber coach Kent Morgan. “That’s where they had the advantage tonight.”

And while they watched helplessly as Loyola shored up its free throw shooting, the Herders struggled to knocked down shots, finishing 30 percent from the field.

A packed-in 2-3 zone, usually vulnerable to good shooting teams like the Herders, frustrated Big Timber more than expected.

“The way they play that zone takes away our penetration,” said senior point guard Mitch Buerkle, who finished 6-of-15 on the way to 15 points. “Then we don’t get as good of looks. We didn’t rise to the challenge tonight.”

Despite never tasting the lead, Big Timber battled within a point several times.

Four points from senior Levi Evjene and a 3-pointer from fellow senior Josh Graham, who led the Herders with 22, capped an 11-2 run and brought the score to 25-24 in favor of the Rams with 2:30 to play until the half.

Then back-to-back 3-pointers from Graham and Buerkle cut the Ram lead to 53-51 with 4:12 to play in the fourth. Both came after carry calls on Loyola’s Peter Shaughnessey.

And with 3:30 to play, senior Cole Broadus sank one of two free throws to cut the lead to one once again.

But a foul with the Rams in the bonus allowed Carter Bermingham to sink two free throws to make it 55-52 Loyola with three minutes to play.

The Herders would not inch closer after that. But it would hardly deter from a season that saw Big Timber take its first district title in more than a decade and finished with the Herders playing on a Saturday night at the state tournament for the first time since early 1980s.

“We’ve had a great, great year. Our kids left it all out on the floor and they have nothing to hang their heads about,” Morgan said. “They’ll remember this for the rest of their lives.”

“It’s been a heck of a ride,” Buerkle said. “I really hope this has laid a foundation. We’ve got great coaches and great kids underneath us.”.

Loyola 67, Big Timber 55

Big Timber 10 16 12 17 n 55

Loyola 19 8 17 23 n 67

Big Timber n Levi Evjene 3-13 0-0 6, Mitch Buerkle 6-15 0-2 15, Josh Graham 8-16 1-1 22, Cole Broadus 1-10 1-2 3, Brandon Arlian 2-8 1-2 5, Michael Lehman 0-0 0-0 0, Brian Brost 0-0 0-0 0, Chase Stevens 0-2 0-0 0, Brian Hogemark 0-0 0-0 0, Charlie Mack 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 21-68 5-9 55.

Loyola n Carter Bermingham 0-1 3-4 3, Peter Shaughnessey 3-8 4-4 10, Caleb DeGroot 4-6 3-5 11, Everett Johnston 5-11 10-10 21, Zach Balcom 3-10 9-10 16, Pat Jensen 0-0 0-0 0, Billy Chilton 0-2 0-0 0, Mike Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Mike Breza 1-2 0-0 2, Cade Cross 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 18-45 29-33 67.

3-point goals n Big Timber 8-26 (Graham 5-11), Loyola 2-10 (Johnston 1-2, Balcom 1-5). Total fouls n Big Timber 23, Loyola 12. Fouled out n Evjene, Broadus. Rebounds n Big Timber 27 (Buerkle 9), Loyola 30 (Balcom 12). Turnovers n Big Timber 15, Loyola 15.

But the rematch of last year’s state title game to decide this year’s champion – the 10th time the two teams have met in the past two years – might have been decided by a shirt.

NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE Fairfield High School’s Miles Steinbach raises his team’s trophy after claiming the Class B State Championship at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Saturday night. Steinbach was the high scorer in the game with 21 points.

Seconds after relinquishing the lead for only the second time all evening when five straight points from Fairfield’s Brandon Sterling put the Eagles up three, Shelby’s Corbin Christiaens was whistled for a blocking foul with 1:16 left to play.

When he pulled his shirt untucked in frustration, he was whistled for a technical foul. It set the building off, but Fairfield senior Miles Steinbach went to the line and calmly knocked down the two technical free throws and the two for the personal foul.

They were four of 12 free throws the Fairfield senior knock downed in the fourth quarter. As a team the Eagles went 20-for-20 in the final four minutes of the game to seal their Class B state championship, 64-60.

“I’ve been the guy to shoot free throws at the end of the game most of the time,” said Steinbach, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “I’m confident as a free throw shooter. We’re all pretty confident free throw shooters.”

Considering the Eagles finished the first half 0-for-6 from the free throw line, Fairfield coach Travis Schenk said his team’s performance down the stretch said something about their nerves.

“It was test of their will and the strength of their minds,” he said.

Shelby’s Chase Ballantyne started as hot as Fairfield finished. The sophomore was 4-for-4 from the 3-point line in the first quarter as the Eagles sprinted out to a 16-10 lead.

Jake Robison kept the roll going in the second quarter for Shelby with four points. His last was a turnaround at the halftime buzzer to give the Eagles a six-point lead heading into the break.

“I’m so proud of our kids. They played well early and they left it all on the floor late,” said Shelby coach Tom Reynolds, who had no starters returning from his Coyote team that crushed Fairfield 47-30 in the state title a season ago.

Toward the end of the third quarter, the Eagles started to make their run. Senior Jacob Workman sank six straight points for Fairfield, and after yet another three from Ballantyne pushed the Shelby lead back to four, a 3-pointer from Derek Lear as the buzzer sounded on the third quarter made the score 36-35 Shelby heading into the final eight minutes.

It was a shot in the pants for Lear.

Shelby held Class B’s leading scorer to just 11 points on the night, but he began the fourth quarter by driving and dishing to Workman, who finished an easy bucket to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.

“They’re a great team,” Schenk said of Shelby. “Our success against them earlier this year is neither here nor there. There’s not a lot of secrets between the teams. They know what we like to do and they came out with a great game plan. Our kids had to scrap their way back into it.”

After that bucket, the Eagles would go on to score 27 points in the quarter, just seven less than their output in the other three quarters.

Steinbach tied the game at 43 with a great move past the Coyote defense for a bucket and the Eagles took the lead on the Sterling three.

Aided by the infamous technical, Fairfield held on.

“That was a backbreaker,” Reynolds said of the technical. “It’s too bad it came down to that. But give Fairfield credit. They’re a great team and they shot well down the stretch.”

Fairfield 64, Shelby 60

Shelby 16 10 10 24 – 60

Fairfield 10 10 15 29 – 64

Shelby — Chase Ballantyne 6-10 0-0 17, Chase White 3-12 2-2 10, Matt Flesch 2-3 0-1 4, Casey Nickol 4-8 2-3 10, Corbin Christiaens 0-3 0-0 0, JakeRobison 8-17 2-3 19, Zachary Haynes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-53 6-9 60

Fairfield — Miles Steinbach 4-10 13-14 21, Derek Lear 4-12 2-3 11, Taylor Ratliff 3-9 1-5 7, Brandon Sterling 1-3 2-2 5, Marshall Murray 1-4 2-3 4, Mickey Miller 4-7 0-0 8, Jacob Workman 3-5 2-2 8. Totals 20-50 22-29 64

3-point goals: Shelby 8-20 (Ballantyne 5-8, White 2-9, Robison 1-2, Christians 0-1); Fairfield 2-12 (Lear 1-6, Sterling 1-2, Steinbach 0-1, Ratliff 0-1, Murray 0-2). Rebounds: Shelby 38 (Robison 7); Fairfield 30 (Steinbach 6). Assist: Shelby 16 (White 4); Fairfield 10 (Steinbach 3, Murray 3). Steals: Shelby 3 (Nickol 2); Fairfield 10 (Lear 2, Ratliff 2, Murray 2, Workman 2 ). Blocks: Shelby 1 (Robison); Fairfield 2 (Ratliff, Miller). Turnovers: Shelby 17, Fairfield 9. Total fouls: Shelby 21, Fairfield 14. Fouled out: Haynes.

“In many instances some of the smaller community’s bring half to three-quarters of the whole town,” said a tournament organizer, Melanie Stocks, who is also the Montana State University sports facilities director.

And all those people in Bozeman for this weekend’s basketball tournament at MSU will spend about $200,000 on hotels, food and gas by Sunday afternoon, said David Smith, president of the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce.

By the time that money gets recycled, spent again by waitresses, retail clerks and gas station owners, Bozeman will benefit to the tune of about $500,000, Smith said.

The Bozeman chamber estimates each tournament player brings an additional 1.5 people along to cheer them on and each of those groups spends about $125 per day on meals, gas and lodging.

Columbus Cougars coach Paul Barta is here with his wife and four kids. The six of them are staying at the Holiday Inn for two nights. And the family will spend some cash while here, Barta said.

“I mean, you have to feed your kids,” he said.

His wife will probably do some shopping, too.

“Oh, yeah, all women like the mall,” Barta said. “They’ve got to have something to do. They can’t just sit.”

Gallatin County snags, on average, two state tournaments a year. Last weekend, Belgrade hosted the girls’ Class C state championships.

The Belgrade Special Events Center, which opened in 1997 and seats 5,000, was built with basketball tournaments in mind, said Debra Youngberg, executive director of the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce.

And Class C fans, from small communities like Big Sandy, Belt and Highwood, tend to gravitate toward home-grown restaurants and retailers, she said.

“They stay more local,” she said.

While the hefty cash infusion during what would normally be a slow time of year helps local businesses keep humming along, it’s also satisfying to watch young athletes who have worked so hard make it to the championships, Youngberg said.

This was Belgrade’s second year in a row hosting the girls’ Class C tournament. Relationships formed with bus drivers, coaches and parents during these events linger throughout the year, Youngberg said.

Now, as teams from Highwood and Hinsdale hit the road traveling throughout the season, they come back to Belgrade to say “hi,” eat lunch and gas up on their way to competitions elsewhere, Youngberg said.

At the Country Kitchen in Belgrade, business increases by about 30 percent during state tournaments. Restaurant manager Craig Claus said he has to double his staff for a couple of days while teams are in town.

“It drives real good crowds, real good people,” Claus said. “The impact is very noticeable.”

And schools benefit, too. Money raised from a tournament admission goes back to Montana high schools, said Kevin Black, chair of the Gallatin Valley Tournament Committee.

Bozeman and Belgrade are not guaranteed hosts for state tournaments, Black said. But, after bidding among venues from across the state, the Gallatin Valley Tournament Committee will know which championships the area will host in 2010-2011 by the end of next month.

“It’s an effort every year that we have to go out and re-bid,” Black said. “There’s a lot of time and effort put into this.”

And, as hoards of teens show up at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse this weekend, recruiters get to woo the next generation of college students. So, MSU benefits, too, Stocks said.

“MSU views this as a great recruiting opportunity,” Stocks said. “We like having them here.”

Carpenter finished the season averaging 22.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor, 43.1 percent from 3-point range and 88.3 percent from the line. She led the GNAC in scoring and three-pointers made per game (3.00) and was third in free throw percentage. Carpenter is currently ranked among the top 25 in NCAA Division II in four categories: scoring (8th), three-pointers made per game, free throw percentage (17th) and three-point percentage (21st).

Ryan averaged 11.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and blocked 1.03 shots a game while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor. She led the league in field goal percentage and was eighth in blocked shots. Ryan’s field goal percentage ranks among the top 10 in MSUB single-season history.

George Fox’s second-leading scorer is Park High graduate Sage Indendi, who averages 12.2 points per game.

George Fox (28-0), ranked No. 2 in the USA Today/ESPN/ Women’s

Basketball Coaches Association poll and No. 3 in the D3hoops.com poll, is one of two remaining undefeated teams in D3 women’s hoops (No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan at 29-0 is the other).

Both Montana State and Weber State have put together such a performance, and both games happened to come against the other.

Rahe said Montana State’s 75-70 win over his Wildcats n WSU’s only conference loss of the season n on Jan. 15 was without fault. Huse called the Weber’s 84-64 drubbing of the Bobcats, the Wildcats’ most recent game, flawless.

Both know how hard that excellence was to come by.

“It’s hard to play perfect,” Rahe said. “And it’s pretty dang hard to play perfect in a conference tournament.”

MSU found that out Saturday.

Coming off a five-game losing streak, the Bobcats’ third meeting against Montana this season in the Big Sky tournament’s first round wasn’t always a thing of beauty.

Even so n or perhaps because of it n Huse called the Bobcats’ 56-54 win over the Grizzlies the team’s “best performance of the season.”

“This game can be humbling at times,” Huse said. “You can get caught in schnides like we were in; it happens to good teams all around the country. Credit our guys for really focusing (against Montana) and putting the last few games of the regular season behind them.

“As a coach you preach to your guys that if you work hard and stay focused you’ll be rewarded. I think our guys were rewarded (with the Montana win).”

Despite finding a way to win, for the fifth time in six games MSU failed to cure its shooting woes, connecting on less than 40 percent of attempts.

But Huse isn’t sweating it.

“A lot of our misses were around the basket,” he said. “We had some good attempts and I was pleased with our shot selection. … I just thought we were really aggressive going to the rim and sometimes so aggressive that we weren’t able to finish the tip or the dunk.

“We played like a team who thought they were going to win the basketball game. We know we’ll have Weber State’s attention.”

Indeed they do.

“Something’s got to give,” Rahe said. “We feel like we’re playing well, and after that Montana game, Brad has to be feeling like they’re playing well again. It’s going to be a heck of a college basketball game.”

When asked if he had a chance to watch any tape of Montana State’s first tournament win over Montana in over a decade, Rahe chuckled.

“Everybody’s seen that game,” he said. “And if they haven’t, they need to.”

Rahe’s good humor ceased, however, when he recalled the stats n namely the 18 offensive rebounds the Bobcats collected.

“It scares the heck out of me,” Rahe said. “It almost got to the point where Montana didn’t really want any part of it. They played like that down here, too. They send four guys to the glass and they just go. That’s going to be a big, big key to our game, trying to keep them off the glass. You have to get a body on them or they’ll embarrass you.”

Montana State knows a little bit about getting humiliated at the hands of their upcoming opponent, too. In Bozeman, Big Sky MVP Kellen McCoy got the Wildcats out to a 17-point first half lead by scoring 10 of WSU’s first 15 points on the way to a 20-point night.

To start the second 20 minutes, Damian Lillard assured Weber’s coast to the finish, scoring the Wildcat’s first 12 points out of the locker room to extend his team’s lead to 21. The Big Sky’s freshman of the year finished with a career-high 27 and WSU won by 20.

“It’s not hard to go back and dissect that game,” Huse said, referencing the Wildcat’s 62 percent shooting percentage. “They made us look like we were in sand a lot of the night. We didn’t give our best effort. But at the same time, I don’t know if it would have mattered.”

Like a win after five straight losses, Huse said he believes a fast first five minutes might be around the corner for the Bobcats, as well.

“Eventually we’re going to get out to a good start,” said Huse, whose Bobcats started down 9-2 in Missoula on Saturday. “We can’t let their crowd be a factor. We have to control the tempo.”

But as good a team as they are about to face tonight, the biggest challenge the Bobcats have faced over the last three days has had nothing to do with the Wildcats.

“I’m forcing myself,” Huse said when asked if he was off Cloud 9 after his first win as a Bobcat coach in his home town. “I’m trying to get our guys off Cloud 9 as well. It was certainly a great win for us. … You can’t let the emotion of that effect the game Tuesday, though. There will be a day to talk about (The Montana win) but it’s not today.

“We’re not ready to rest; we’re ready to move on to the next game.”

Kristie Baker led the Trojans’ offense, scoring 16 points while going 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

But single digit scoring in the second and fourth quarters kept Whitehall from catching Malta after trailing 18-10 at the end for the first quarter.

Malta had four players scoring in double figures, led by Kylee Denham’s 15 points.

Whitehall will play Big Timber today in a loser-out battle at 9:30 a.m.

FAIRFIELD 63 HUNTLEY PROJECT 32: After holding a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter Huntley Project fell beneath 13 points from Fairfields’ Chelsea Banis and Cortney Kinna.

Huntley Project also got into foul trouble committing 22 fouls to Fairfields’ 12.

With the win Fairfield earned a shot at the state title, facing Northern B rival Malta tonight at 8.

Loser out

BIG TIMBER 68, LOYOLA SACRED HEART 57: McKenzie Foster made seven 3-pointers on her way to 37 points to lead the Herders past the Western B champion Breakers.

Haleigh Crnkovich added 21 points for the Herders, making 14 of 16 free throws.

Abby Mansch led Loyola with 19 points and six rebounds. She was 11-for-13 from the line.

Big Timber plays District 5B foe Whitehall in a loser-out game today at 9:30 a.m.

BROADUS 53, FLORENCE 42:Katie Riley scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help lift Broadus over Western B runner-up Florence in a loser-out game.

The Hawks led by just two, 33-31, entering the fourth quarter, when they outscored the Falcons 20-11 to seal the deal.

Dani Franklin added 11 points for Broadus.

Odessa Conley turned in a huge game for the Falcons, scoring 17 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Rose O’Brien added 10 points for Florence, which finished its season at 14-11.

State C

Semifinals

HIGHWOOD 55, SACO 44: At Belgrade, Highwood started strong, holding the Panthers to single digits in the first quarter, taking a 12-5 lead. Saco rallied though, holding Highwood to five points in the second quarter for an 18-17 lead at halftime. Highwood’s 23-point third quarter would seal the win for the Mountaineers.

Rachel Semansky shot 13-for-19 for Highwood en route to finishing with 28 points and nine rebounds.

Saco’s Justinn Marshall score 14 points.

Highwood will play Belt today for the championship.

BELT 58, HINSDALE 38: Belt continued their tournament winning streak following Mariah Gondeiro’s 14 points. Clancy Fertterer scored nine points and led the Lady Huskies with eight rebounds.

Sacarra Molina scored 13 points for Hinsdale to lead the team’s offense.

Belt will play Highwood tonight at 8 for the state title.

Loser out

HOT SPRINGS 46, BIG SANDY 43: MacKenzie Wood was the only player in double figures, totaling 21 points for the Savage Heat. Randi Arnold pulled down 11 rebounds for Hot Springs and Hannah Williams had a game-high 13 boards for Big Sandy.

TWIN BRIDGES 59, BROADVIEW-LAVINA 54: Kelcy Lott’s 22 points n on 10-for-14 free throw shooting n helped the Falcons past the Pirates. Peyton Ferris added 17 points.

Emily Erickson had 14 points to lead Broadview-Lavina.

HOT SPRINGS 62, TERRY 45: MacKenzie Wood’s 21 points led the Hot Spring offense keeping their tournament hopes alive in their second loser-out game of the day. Wood’s total was followed closely by 20 points from Matca DePoe. Randi Arnold’s 13 points rounded out Hot Spring players scoring in double figures.

State A

HAMILTON 45, HAVRE 28: At Butte, Hamilton will make its first appearance in the Class A girls’ state title basketball game since 1984, as the Broncs topped a cold-shooting Havre team 45-28 Friday evening at the Butte Civic Center.

Leading the way for Hamilton was 6-foot-1 senior post Ashley Albert, who lit up the scoreboard for 27 points while collecting 15 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.

The Hamilton defense showed up as well, holding Havre to 1-of-13 shooting from the floor in the first half. Cali Freier drove the baseline for a layup 18 seconds before halftime to give the Blue Ponies their sole field goal in 16 minutes.

Free-throw shooting accounted for nearly half of Havre’s offensive output, as the Ponies made 12-of-18 from the stripe. Havre was led by Hope Hedges with eight and Karly Evans with six.

ANACONDA 49, MILES CITY 38: In a rematch of last week’s divisional championship, Anaconda will play Hamilton for top honors in Class A.

With six minutes left to play Miles City took a 34-30 lead, but the Copperheads didn’t hesitate. The defending state champs went on a 19-4 run to end the game.

Lisa Laslovich hit three 3-pointers early on in the run to spur the Copperheads. After that, Torry Hill put in 7-of-8 free throws to seal the deal.

Hill led all scorers with 27 points. Laslovich added nine. Korey Krumm finished with six points and two steals.

Miles City’s leader was sophomore Kalli Durham with 16 points. Anna Magnuson tossed in six.

Loser out

GLENDIVE 53, COLUMBIA FALLS 40: Blair Milne scored 12 points and 15 rebounds to keep the Red Devils (21-1) alive. Carly Selvig led Glendive with 14 points.

Friday’s scores

Boys

AA playoffs

Bozeman 58, Billings Senior 48

Missoula Big Sky 65, Missoula Hellgate 38

Northern B at Cut Bank

Loser Out

Glasgow 68, Wolf Point 59

Harlem 68, Poplar 54

Semifinal

Conrad 61, Cut Bank 54

Fairfield 66, Shelby 38

Southern B at Laurel

Loser Out

Big Timber 37, Baker 30

Boulder 51, Colstrip 44

Semifinal

Columbus 41, St. Labre 40

Three Forks 69, Huntley Project 57

Eastern C at Glasgow

Loser Out

Froid/Medicine Lake 60, Fairview 44

Lambert 46, Lustre Christian 25

Semifinal

Culbertson 47, Hinsdale 39

Scobey 67, Nashua 50

Southern C at Miles City

Loser Out

Absarokee 55, Hysham 50

Wibaux 72, Bridger 62

Semifinal

Broadview-Lavina 63, Melstone 54

Harlowton-Ryegate 57, Northern Cheyenne 46

Girls

AA playoffs

Bozeman 45, Great Falls 41

Missoula Sentinel 58, Kalispell Flathead 50

State A at Butte

Loser Out

Belgrade 49, Bigfork 47

Glendive 53, Columbia Falls 40

Semifinal

Anaconda 49, Miles City 38

Hamilton 45, Havre 28

State B at Hamilton

Loser Out

Big Timber 68, Missoula Loyola 57

Broadus 53, Florence 42

Semifinal

Fairfield 63, Huntley Project 32

Malta 73, Whitehall 38

State C at Belgrade

Loser Out

Hot Springs 46, Big Sandy 43

Hot Springs 62, Terry 45

Twin Bridges 59, Broadview-Lavina 54

Semifinal

Belt 58, Hinsdale 38

Highwood 55, Saco 44

Box scores

State A

Semifinals

Hamilton 45, Havre 28

Hamilton 9 9 16 11 — 45

Havre 6 4 11 7 — 28

Hamilton (17-6) — Misha Trotter 0-2 0-0 0, Ali Mildenberger 1-2 0-3 2, Cierra Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Ashley Albert 9-17 8-12 27, Annie Schultz 4-5 2-3 12, Ashley Hayes 0-1 0-0 0, Kaurie Albert 0-1 2-2 2, Averyl Lasalle 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 14-31 14-22 45.

Havre (15-7) — Sarah Blessum 0-5 4-4 4, Hope Hedges 3-7 2-3 8, Karly Evans 1-10 4-6 6, Cassi Darrah 1-9 0-1 2, Hayley Donovan 2-5 1-2 5, Madison Ruff 0-1 0-0 0, Cali Freier 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 8-39 12-18 28.

3-point goals — Hamilton 3-11 (A. Albert, Schultz 2), Havre 0-14. Rebounds — Hamilton 32 (A. Albert 15, Schultz 9), Havre 25 (Donovan 6, Hedges 6). Assists — Hamilton 6 (Trotter 2, A. Albert 2), Havre 0. Turnovers — Hamilton 11, Havre 8. Blocks — Hamilton 1 (A. Albert), Havre 0. Steals — Hamilton 1 (A. Albert), Havre 2.

Anaconda 49, Miles City 38

Miles City 5 10 12 11 — 38

Anaconda 8 7 15 19 — 49

Miles City (16-7) — Taylor Henderson 0-2 5-6 5, Alexia Mader 0-3 0-0 0, Rae Mader 2-2 0-0 5, Kalli Durham 5-8 6-8 16, Anna Magnuson 3-3 0-0 6, Kaylee Swope 2-4 0-4 5, Jessica Cremer 0-3 1-2 1, Shelbi Dobie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-25 12-20 38.

Anaconda (18-4) — McCall Flynn 1-1 0-0 2, Torry Hill 8-20 7-9 27, Lisa Laslovich 3-5 0-1 9, Chelsea Galle 1-2 0-0 2, Korey Krumm 3-5 0-0 6, Vanessa Jense 1-5 0-0 3, Cara McNeil 0-1 0-0 0, Teryn Green 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-40 7-10 49.

3-point goals — Miles City 2-8 (R. Mader 1-1, Swope 1-3, Henderson 0-2, A. Mader 0-2), Anaconda 8-18 (Hill 4-11, Laslovich 3-4, Jense 1-2, McNeil 0-1). Rebounds — Miles City 21 (Durham 6, Magunson 6, Swope 3), Anaconda 18 (Krumm 5, Galle 4, Laslovich 3). Blocks — Miles City 0, Anaconda 0. Assists — Miles City 7 (Swope 2, Durham 2, A. Mader, R. Mader, Cremer), Anaconda 11 (Flynn 3, Laslovich 3, Hill 2, Krumm 2, Galle). Steals — Miles City 6 (A. Mader 2, Durham 2, Magnuson 2), Anaconda 10 (Hill 3, Jense 3, Krumm 2, Laslovich, Galle). Turnovers — Miles City 23, Anaconda 15.

Loser-out

Belgrade 49, Bigfork 47

Bigfork 12 7 17 11 — 47

Belgrade 11 9 15 14 — 49

Bigfork (15-9) — Adriana Shults 0-1 0-0 0, Roxy Thurman 6-12 4-6 18, Kailey Fierro 1-6 0-2 2, Mallery Knoll 4-12 0-0 8, Caitlin Charlebois 2-7 3-4 8, Quinci Pane 2-2 0-3 4, Quindee Averill 0-1 1-2 1, Taylor peck 1-4 0-0 2, Signa McLeod 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 18-48 8-17 47.

Belgrade (15-7) — Sierra Monger 4-11 2-2 10, Jamie Greany 5-13 4-5 15, Lindsey Halgren 1-9 2-4 4, Corie Smith 2-10 4-6 8, Brittany Larson 5-15 1-4 11, Nycole Devers 0-1 0-1 0, Amanda Hayden 0-0 0-0 0, Megan ?Bell 0-0 1-2 1, Justine Taylor 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-60 14-24 49.

3-point goals — Bigfork 3-6 (Thurman 2-3, Carlebois 1-3), Belgrade 1-18 (Greany 1-4, Monger 0-6, Larson 0-4, Halgren 0-3, Devers 0-1). Fouled out — Greany. Rebounds — Bigfork 48 (Fierro 12, Knoll 9, Thurman 8, Pane 8), Belgrade 35 (Smith 13, Monger 5, Halgren 5). Blocks — Bigfork 5 (Fierro 4, Thurman), Belgrade 1 (Greany). Assists — Bigfork 10 (Knoll 4), Belgrade 5 (Greany 2). Steals — Bigfork 7 (Thurman 2, Pane 2, Fierro, Knoll, Charlebois), Belgrade 10 (Monger 3, Greany 3, Larson 2, Halgren, Smith). Turnovers — Bigfork 31, Belgrade 18.

Glendive 53, Columbia Falls 40

Glendive 15 18 8 12 — 53

Columbia Falls 6 10 4 20 — 40

Glendive (21-1) — Abbey Dufner 1-5 0-0 3, Carly Selvig 7-13 0-0 14, Kyla Johnson 3-6 3-4 11, Hannah McPherson 2-12 2-4 8, Blair Milne 4-7 4-6 12, Lillian Temple 0-0 0-0 0, Kallie Madler 0-0 1-2 1, Sadie Sampson 0-0 2-2 2, Katie Turner 0-0 1-2 1, Devyn Asche 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 17-43 14-24 53.

Columbia Falls (13-9) — McKenzie Reeve 0-2 0-0 0, Dani Gilley 0-0 2-2 2, Kayla DeWit 4-7 6-8 14, Alyssa Ladenburg 1-7 1-2 3, Kelsey DeWit 5-9 0-0 10, Brook Cady 1-3 0-0 2, Ashli Fairbank 0-1 1-2 1, Shay Grilley 3-5 0-0 8, Shiloh Knudsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-38 10-14 40.

3-point goals — Glendive 5-14 (Dufner 1-3, Johnson 2-4, McPherson 2-7), Columbia Falls 2-4 (Grilley 2-3). Rebounds — Glendive 33 (Milne 15), Columbia Falls 22 (Kayla DeWit 5). Blocks — Glendive 3 (Selvig 3), Columbia Falls 2 (Kelsey DeWit 1, Kayla DeWit 1). Assists — Glendive 11 (McPherson 5), Columbia Falls 9 (Ladenburg 5). Steals — Glendive 9 (Selvig 3), Columbia Falls 7 (Ladenburg 2). Turnovers — Glendive 14, Columbia Falls 17.

State B

Semifinals

Malta 73, Whitehall 38

Whitehall 10 9 14 5 — 38

Malta 18 13 24 18 —- 73

Whitehall n Kellee Glaus 1-4 1-2 4, Amanda Reed 4-10 0-2 9, Cassidy Wendell 3-9 0-0 7, Bobbi Chatriand 0-3 0-0 0, Kristie Baker 6-9 4-4 16, Ashley Todd 0-1 0-2 0, Kim Henderson 1-1 0-0 2, Hailey Turk 0-0 0-0 0, Megan McLean 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-38 5-10 38.

Malta n Brianna Tatafu 5-8 2-4 14, Kylee Denham 3-8 9-9 15, Bobbi Knudsen 6-9 1-2 13, Brook Berg 5-11 0-0 11, Caitlin Smith 2-7 0-0 6, Ashley Carney 0-0 0-0 0, Jessie Cole 0-0 2-2 2, Kaycee Granlund 0-0 0-0 0, Shelby Werk 1-4 0-0 3, Shanay Darrah 2-3 5-7 9, Jennifer Weaver 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-52 19-24 73.

3-point goals n Whitehall 3-14 (Glaus 1-1, Wendell 1-3, Reed 1-6), Malta 6-14 (Tatafu 2-4, Smith 2-4, Berg 1-1, Werk 1-2). Total fouls n Whitehall 16, Malta 11. Fouled out n Wendell, Baker. Rebounds n Whitehall 26 (Baker 7, Glaus 6), Malta 27 (Denham 6). Turnovers n Whitehall 26, Malta 10. Assists n Whitehall 8 (Wendell 5), Malta 11 (Tatafu 4).

Fairfield 63, Huntley Project 32

Fairfield 7 22 18 16 — 63

Huntley Project 8 4 11 9 — 32

Fairfield — Kassie Barta 2-6 2-2 7, Megan Anderson 3-7 1-5 9, Logan Johnson 1-2 2-2 4, Darbi Brady 0-5 4-7 4, Chelsea Banis 6-9 1-3 13, Cortney Kinna 6-10 1-1 13, Brianne Poor 0-0 2-2 2, Katie Luoma 0-0 1-2 1, Skylar Steinbach 1-3 3-3 5, Molly Klinker 2-2 1-2 5, Sydney Manual McInerney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-45 18-29 63.

Huntley Project — Monica Hollowell 2-6 2-4 7, Teale Steffes 3-9 2-2 8, Kayla Hofmann 2-6 0-0 4, Stephanie Calentine 1-4 0-0 2, BriAnna Geck 2-7 0-0 4, Jesse Hould 1-4 1-2 3, Tessa Sian 1-4 0-0 2, Desiree Talkington 0-0 0-0 0, Kaylee McNeal 0-1 0-0 0, Brittney McKenney 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 13-43 5-8 32.

3-point goals n Fairfield 3-8 (Anderson 2-2, Barta 1-3), Huntley 1-5 (Hollowell 1-3). Total fouls n Fairfield 12, Huntley 22. Fouled out n Hofmann. Rebounds n Fairfield 30 (Banis 7, Kinna 6), Huntley 31 (Geck 8). Turnovers n Fairfield 8, Huntley 20. Assists n Fairfield 9 (Anderson 5), Huntley 5 (Steffes 3).

Loser-out

Broadus 53, Florence 42

Broadus 14 11 8 20 — 53

Florence 6 14 11 11 — 42

Broadus n Mary Owen 4-11 0-2 9, Tessa Bird 2-4 2-2 6, Shelby Stevenson 2-9 2-2 8, Oakley Thoeny 1-6 0-1 2, Katie Riley 7-10 3-9 17, Amanda Riter 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-49 9-18 53.

Florence n Lindsey Bauck 2-8 0-0 4, Katie Niemeir 2-7 1-2 5, Brittany Heinz 0-6 0-1 0, Odessa Conley 7-18 3-6 17, Jo Johnson 0-6 5-5 5, Cassie Pedersen 0-0 0-0 0, Meagan Rick 0-0 1-2 1, Rose O’Brien 4-10 1-2 10. Totals 15-55 11-18 42.

3-point goals n Broadus 2-6 (Owen Franklin), Florence 1-9 (O’Brien). Total fouls n Broadus 17, Florence 19. Fouled out n none. Rebounds n Broadus 30 (Owen 9, Riley 9), Florence 36 (Conley 16). Turnovers n Broadus 17, Florence 22.

Big Timber 68, Missoula Loyola 57

Loyola 15 13 11 18 — 57

Big Timber 17 17 12 22 — 68

Loyola n Jordan Pfau 2-6 6-7 10, Abby Mansch 4-8 11-13 19, Emma Priddy 3-3 2-2 8, Alex Lamey 0-2 0-0 0, Christina Medeiros 4-10 1-5 9, Taylor Galiher 0-1 3-5 3, Alex Anderson 1-1 0-0 2, Rose Harrington 1-4 1-2 4, Colleen Miller 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 16-37 24-34 57.

Big Timber n Haleigh Crnkovich 3-11 14-16 21, Melissa Buerkle 0-1 0-1 0, McKenzie Foster 13-23 4-4 37, Austin Alexander 0-0 1-2 1, Jackie McKenney 1-5 0-0 2, April Sisler 0-0 1-2 1, Megan Cremer 0-0 2-4 2, Katie Fitzpatrick 0-1 0-0 0, Kaite Kapphan 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 18-45 24-31 68.

3-point goals n Loyola 1-6 (Harington), Big Timber 8-18 (Foster 7, Crnkovich). Total fouls n Loyola 24, Big Timber 22. Fouled out n Pfau, Priddy, Lamey. Rebounds n Loyola 30 (Mansch 6), Big Timber 26 (Kapphan 7). Turnovers n Loyola 27, Big Timber 19.

State C

Semifinals

Highwood 55, Saco 44

Highwood 12 5 23 15 n 55

Saco 5 13 10 16 n 44

Highwood n Sammi Granger 0-3 0-0 0, Raina O’Leary 2-2 0-0 4, Julia Granger 3-8 2-2 10, Echo Thurston 3-7 1-2 7, Katie Bahnmiller 3-5 0-0 6, Rachel Semansky 13-19 2-3 28. Totals 24-44 5-7 55.

Saco n Emili Crowder 3-10 1-2 7, Justinn Marshall 3-15 7-9 14, Jessica Davis 3-8 1-3 7, Allyson Riden 0-3 0-0 0, Angie Crowder 2-13 0-1 5, Brianne DePuydt 4-6 2-2 11. Totals 15-55 11-17 44.

3-point goals: Highwood 2-7 (J. Granger 2-5, Bahnmiller 0-2); Saco 3-31 (Marshall 1-11, A. Crowder 1-12, DePudyt 1-2, E. Crowder 0-3, Davis 0-1, Riden 0-2). Rebounds: Highwood 35 (Thurston 12); Saco 25 (DePudyt 9); Assists: Highwood 17 (Bahnmiller 10); Saco 6 (Marshall 4). Steals: Highwood 10 (Thurston 3, Bahnmiller 3); Saco 10 (E. Crowder 5). Total fouls: Highwood 14, Saco 8. Fouled outs: none.

Belt 58, Hinsdale 38

Hinsdale 7 13 8 10 n 38

Belt 16 19 15 8 n 58

Hinsdale n Christina Mogan 1-6 3-4 5, Sacarra Molina 6-11 0-1 13, Megan Funk 3-8 1-1 7, Mandy Beil 1-2 0-0 2, Trish Remmich 1-3 0-0 2, Tori Arnold 2-4 1-2 5, Claire Field 2-3 0-0 4, Kendra Canen 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 16-39 5-8 38.

Belt n Emily Bumgarner 1-2 4-4 6, Emily Urick 0-3 2-2 2, Alyssa Pimperton 2-3 2-2 6, Taylor Cummings 2-5 0-0 4, Renae Hepfner 2-3 2-2 6, Megan McCafferty 2-6 0-0 5, Clancy Fertterer 4-8 1-4 9, Mariah Gondeiro 6-9 1-4 14, Marci Kolar 2-3 0-0 6. Totals: 21-42 12-18 58.

3-point goals: Hinsdale 1-9 (Molina 1-2, Mogan 0-1, Funk 0-2, Remmich 0-2, Arnold 0-2); Belt 4-10 (Kolar 2-3, Gondeiro 1-1, McCafferty 1-3, Bumgarner 0-1, Pimperton 0-1, Cummings 0-1). Rebounds: Hinsdale 24 (Molina 7); Belt 23 (Fertterer 8). Assists: Hinsdale 7 (Mogan 2, Arnold 2); Belt 9 (Bumgarner 3). Steals: Hinsdale 2 (Mogan, Beil); Belt 7 (Gondeiro 4). Total fouls: Hinsdale 13, Belt 13. Fouled out: none.

Loser-out

Hot Springs 46, Big Sandy 43

Big Sandy 9 13 10 11 — 43

Hot Springs 11 6 20 9 — 46

Big Sandy (21-4) — Kourtney Danreuther 0-5 0-0, Josi Herron 2-6 1-2 6, Amber Amsbaugh 2-8 1-3 5, Devin Lackner 2-5 0-0 5, Hannah Williams 2-4 0-1 4, Laci Keller 10-13 3-5 23. Totals: 1841 5-11 43.

Hot Springs (23-2) — Jordan Fisher 3-6 1-4 7, MacKenzie Wood 10-22 0-3 21, Whitney Wood 1-6 0-1 3, Devon White 0-2 0-0 0, Matea DePoe 4-14 0-0 9, Meghan Massingale 1-3 0-0 2, Randi Arnold 2-7 0-0 4. Totals: 21-60 1-8 46.

3-point goals: Big Sandy 2-10 (Herron 1-5, Lackner 1-3, Danreuther 0-2); Hot Springs (3-14), M. Wood 1-4, W. Wood 1-6, DePoe 1-4. Rebounds: Big Sandy 29 (Keller 13); Hot Springs 37 (Arnold 11); Assists: Big Sandy 11 (Amsbaugh 5); Hot Springs 9 (DePoe 4); Steals: Big Sandy 9 (Lackner 4); Hot Springs 13 (Fisher 3, M. Wood 3, Arnold 3); Total fouls: BS 15, HS 15. Fouled out: Danreuther.

Twin Bridges 59, Broadview-Lavina 54

Broadview-Lavina 11 14 19 10 — 54

Twin Bridges 16 14 19 10 — 59

Twin Bridges (25-1) — Shawni Hamilton 1-1 1-3 3, Kelcy Lott 6-17 10-14 22, Brooke Hirschy 1-1 1-1 3, Torey Sewell 1-1 0-0 2, Peyton Ferris 7-10 3-5 17, Dawne Degel 3-10 2-2 8, Katie Ashcraft 0-3 4-4 4. Totals: 19-43 21-29 59.

Broadview-Lavina (16-10) — Kelsey Bymaster 1-5 0-0 3, Becky Badgett 3-11 6-8 12, Dani Badgett 3-5 0-0 7, Angela Reinhardt 1-3 1-2 4, Becci Rohrer 3-7 3-3 9, Nicole Von Bergen 2-6 1-1 5, Emily Erickson 3-7 5-6 14. Totals: 16 16-20 54.

3-point goals: B-L 6-18 (Erickson 3-7, Bymaster 1-4, D. Badgett 1-3, Reinhardt 1-3); Twin 0-2 (Degel 0-2); Rebounds: B-L 25 (Von Bergen 6); Twin 30 (Ashcraft 6); Assists: B-L 4 (Erickson 2); Twin 6 (Degel 3); Steals: B-L 2 (B. Badgett, Erickson); Twin 8 (Lott 2, Ferris). Total fouls: BL 24, TB 17. Fouled out: Reinhardt.

Hot Springs 62, Terry 45

Hot Springs 16 16 18 12 n 62

Terry 10 18 13 4 n 45

Hot Springs n Jordan Fisher 1-2 1-2 3, MacKenzie Wood 8-15 4-9 21, Whitney Wood 1-5 0-0 2, Elsa Schmiedbauer 1-1 0-0 2, Devon White 0-1 1-2 1, Matca DePoe 6-14 7-8 20, L. Salmo 0-2 0-0 0, Meghan Massingale 0-1 0-0 0, Randi Arnold 6-11 1-2 13. Totals: 23-52 14-23 62.

Terry n Carly Stickel 1-13 0-0 3, Macha Kirkpatrick 8-16 2-4 18, Robbyn Reukauf 1-6 1-2 3, Dani Dukart 4-11 0-0 9, Amy Bowning 1-2 0-0 2, Amanda Haidle 1-7 4-5 6, Kalli Householder 0-0 2-2 2, Tasha Larsen 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 17-60 9-13 45.

3-point goals: Hot Springs 2-12 (M. Wood 1-4, DePoe 1-5, W. Wood 0-3); Terry 2-15 (Stickel 1-7, Dukart 1-4, Kirkpatrick 0-2, Larsen 0-2). Rebounds: Hot Springs 43 (Arnold 8, DePoe 8, M. Wood 8); Terry 32 (Kirkpatrick 10); Assists: Hot Springs 15 (DePoe 10); Terry 7 (Reukauf 3). Steals: Hot Springs 9 (M. Wood 3); Terry 7 (Haidle 2). Total fouls: Hot Springs 18, Terry 19. Fouled out: none.

Today’s pairings

Girls

State A

At Butte

Loser-out

Belgrade vs. Havre, 9:30 a.m.

Glendive vs. Miles City, 11 a.m.

Championship

Hamilton vs. Anaconda, 8 p.m.

State B

At Hamilton

Loser-out

Big Timber vs. Whitehall, 9:30 a.m.

Broadus vs. Huntley Project, 11 a.m.

Championship

Malta vs. Fairfield, 8 p.m.

State C

At Belgrade

Loser-out

Saco vs. Twin Bridges, 9:30 a.m.

Hinsdale vs. Hot Springs, 11 a.m.

Championship

Highwood vs. Belt, 8 p.m.

Boys

Southern B

Loser-out

Big Timber vs. Huntley Project, 9:30 a.m.

Boulder vs. St. Labre, 11 a.m.

Championship

Three Forks vs. Columbus, 8 p.m.

He did not disappoint.

NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE Tanner Roderick drives to the net a moment before getting fouled by Danny Desin during the Hawks win over Billings Senior Friday night.

The 6-foot-7 junior’s dunk on an early fast break highlighted the Hawks’ 9-0 first quarter run, giving the them a slim lead after the first eight minutes and bringing the whited-out Bozeman home crowd to its feet Friday night.

And after the Broncs began the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run to cut what had been a 13-point third quarter lead to eight, an emphatic swat from Owsley indicated the beginning of the end for Senior’s season and punctuated Bozeman’s 52-48 win to advance to next week’s Class AA tournament.

Owsley finished with 18 points and five rebounds.

“We talked all week about pounding it inside,” Bozeman coach Wes Holmquist said. “They don’t start many guys over 6-foot so that was something we wanted to exploit.”

Broncs’ head coach Jim Sterger knew about Bozeman’s size advantage, too.

“We’re undersized and we aren’t physically big like Bozeman or CMR,” Sterger said. “So we tried to throw some things at them that they hadn’t seen before.”

The Broncs’ attempted to combat Bozeman’s bulk by slowing down the pace of the game, something very uncharacteristic of the team Holmquist had been scouting.

“We knew there was a possibility of them changing it up against us but it was still tough to adjust,” Holmquist said. “That’s the exact opposite style of what they’ve been doing all year. They led the state in 3-point attempts and makes, so seeing them slow it down was a little bit different”

With the new look, the Broncs came out firing.

With Chase Monson coming off one of many back screens the Broncs would set, the senior finished an easy inside two. It was followed by a fast break finish from Scott Owens to put Senior up 6-2 midway through the first quarter.

From there, Senior attempted to keep Bozeman (15-6) off the scoreboard by holding onto possessions, many of them for minutes at a time. The Broncs attempted just 11 shots in the first half.

The strategy might have worked if Bozeman had shot less than 57.9 percent from the field.

“We wanted to control the tempo of the game and I thought we did a good job of that,” Sterger said. “But we missed some shots and they made them. We can go to a lot of different sets with our guys, but it’s tough to combat shooting like that.”

After ending the first quarter on a 9-0 spurt, the Hawks began the second quarter on a 10-2 run, extending their lead to 14 when Will Waylander drilled his second 3-pointer of the quarter.

From there, Senior chipped away, including outscoring Bozeman 22-13 in the final eight minutes. But with Bozeman in control of the lead for close to 26 minutes and up eight with 45 seconds to play, the outcome was never really in doubt.

“Give Senior credit,” Holmquist said. “They hung in there and never quit. But I’m proud of our kids tonight. I don’t care what the scoreboard says, we played a solid game.”

“Our kids did exactly what we supposed to do,” Sterger said. “We were playing against a much more talented team and we hung with them. That team in there (Bozeman) is pretty good. They’ve only lost five games and they beat CMR. We have nothing to hang our heads about because that’s a team that’s going to be dangerous at State.”

Bozeman now moves on to a first round matchup with Glacier at 9 a.m. on Thursday in Butte. With the early wake-up call, Holmquist said his kids will start conditioning their bodies today.

“We want them up by 7 a.m. for the rest of this week. Those who are pushing it will get up at 6,” Holmquist said. “But we let them know it’s not a punishment. After all, we are going to the State tournament.”

NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE Kellie Cole battles at the net during Friday night's game against Great Falls.

But on Friday night, his Lady Hawks’ season almost ended without her.

Graff sat out the majority of the third quarter due to foul trouble, and without her Great Falls was able to take the lead over the No. 2 seed with just under five minutes to play.

But with Graff reinserted, the senior took a dish inside, downed a jumper and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but the bucket put the Hawks up one and highlighted the 10-4 run that secured Bozeman’s 45-41 Class AA playoff win and berth into the state tournament.

“Elli’s played big in really big games and it hurt us when she had to go to the bench,” Rustan said. “That basket she made coming back in was huge. But we also had some other kids come in and perform in her absence and we gutted it out.”

With Graff out, the Hawks turned to Lexi Dawkins down low. The Hawks’ other post led all scorers with 14 points and also collected five rebounds.

But even with the freshman stepping up, the Hawks struggled with Great Falls down on the block.

“We handled their size down low in the two games prior but this game with a ton riding on it, (Great Falls) executed really well,” Rustan said. “We have to get some of that cleaned up a little bit, but we’ll be okay.”

Great Falls coach Chris Lander was proud of her girls’ effort on the inside duo that Rustan has routinely dubbed “one of the best in the state.”

“We talked about it all week,” Lander said. “They’re so talented inside; we had to make them take the toughest shot possible. Our posts really worked hard on positioning and I thought it paid off tonight.”

The Lady Bison did more than stick with the Hawks (16-5). Through the first 11 minutes of the second half, Great Falls went on a drawn-out 12-4 run with Graff on the bench to erase a six-point halftime deficit and take a two-point lead.

It was only the second time the Lady Bison was ahead, and it was highlighted by the play of Brittany Kumm, who scored six of her seven points over the stretch.

“It would have been great to come out with a win, but I have nothing to complain about,” Lander said. “I thought the kids played their hearts out. Bozeman’s a great club, they’re number two. We made them earn everything they got. That’s all you can ask.”

“We gave them a little momentum and they ran with it,” Rustan said. “We got a little tight. We gave them a chance, but we stepped up and made plays when we had to.”

Despite not putting Great Falls away, Rustan was happy his team was able to pull out a close one.

“You’d obviously like to have a blow out but I think this game will ultimately help us as we move onto the state tournament,” he said.

Bozeman opens the state tournament on Thursday at noon against the No. 3 seed out of the West at Butte Civic Center.