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.”