by Scott Sacry
The Hamilton boys are the #4 seed from the west and play Lewistown, the east’s #1 seed, on March 9th at 8:00 p.m. in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman. The Hamilton boys lost to Lewistown in the first round of the state tournament last year. Lewistown has been the #1 ranked Class A team in the state all year and hasn’t lost a game since losing the State Championship game to Butte Central last March.
Hamilton’s coach Travis Blome said of Lewistown, “They are one of the best teams in the state. They have two great players in Brown and Robinson, and their supporting cast is excellent. They’re big and physical, and both their inside and outside games are exceptional. They’ve only lost two games in the last two years, so it’s going to be a challenge for us.”
Blome knows all the teams at state are going to be tough, and the message to the team has been, “to be successful we need to maximize our strengths and control our effort – everyone needs to play their role, give max effort and execute. In the Lewsitown game we need to rebound well and limit second chance points. But overall, at this time of the season we need to play our game and control all the little things. If we do that, we will give ourselves a chance against any team.”
Hamilton lost two close, 50/50 games in Divisionals, but Blome was happy with his team’s response. “I’m super proud of the kids, especially after losing to Frenchtown (in the divisional semifinals). We had to play the next morning and the kids could have had a let down, but they took care of business against Browning. I’m proud of our bounce back.”
Overall, Blome is extremely proud of his team this season. “We have a strong team top to bottom and I’m proud of the way the kids put the team first and put their egos aside. Our seniors (Max Cianflone, Eli Taylor, Asher Magness, and Liam O’Connell) have provided great leadership and we will miss them all. It’s going to be a little bittersweet losing these kids next year.”
Bracket link: Class A BB Boys Bracket 2023