by Scott Sacry
The Western A Divisional tournament was held in Ronan on Feb. 23rd-25th. The Hamilton girls lost to Frenchtown, 42-49, in the Championship game and took home the 2nd place trophy. The Hamilton boys took 4th place, narrowly losing the Consolation game to Dillon in overtime 39-41. The Stevensville girls were competitive, but lost both of their games.
Both Hamilton teams qualified for the State tournament, which is in Bozeman on March 9th-11th. The Hamilton girls will face Billings Central (18-3) at 3:30 p.m. on March 9th. The Hamilton boys face undefeated Lewistown at 8 p.m. on March 9th.
The Hamilton girls faced Frenchtown in the Championship game on Saturday night, Feb. 25th. The two teams split their two regular season games. Both teams have solid defenses and it was a low scoring game. Hamilton started slow and trailed 5-12 after the 1st quarter, but they rallied in the 2nd, closing the gap to 20-22 at halftime. Hamilton struggled to consistently hit shots against a tall Frenchtown team, but only trailed 31-35 going into the 4th quarter. Frenchtown jumped out to a nine point lead early in the 4th and Hamilton couldn’t make up the gap, losing 42-49. Layne Kearns led the scoring with 15 points, Taylor McCarthy had 12, Ayda Griffin had 9, and Ashlynn Mckern added 4.
The Hamilton girls played Polson in the first round on Thursday. It was a close game early and the Lady Broncs pulled away in the 2nd quarter behind a great defensive effort and led 30-19 at halftime. In the second half, Hamilton kept up the pressure and led 43-31 after the 3rd. Polson made a 7-0 run to start the 4th quarter to make it a 5-point game and Hamilton stumbled to the finish line as they only scored 5 points in the final quarter, but held on for the 48-43 win. Taryn Searle had 17 points to lead Hamilton, Taylor McCarthy had 9, Ashlynn Kckern had 7, and Emilee Searle and Layne Kearns each had 6.
On Friday, the Hamilton girls met Dillon in the semifinal game. Dillon seemed to have Hamilton’s number this year, winning their two regular season games. But on this night it would be different. Dillon has a very athletic team and their full court press can cause havoc, but with Layne Kearns and Taryn Searle spearheading the offense, Hamilton was able to mitigate Dillon’s press. Hamilton was down 1-7 early then went on a 13-2 run and led 14-11 after one quarter. Dillon fought back in the 2nd and took a 28-26 halftime lead. The pivot stretch of the game came with 5:30 left in the 3rd quarter. Hamilton trailed 38-31 then went on a 9-0 run, culminating in a Taylor McCarthy three at the end of the 3rd quarter to give Hamilton a 40-38 lead. In the 4th, McCarthy continued her hot shooting, and Taryn Searle nailed a three with two minutes left to seal the 55-51 victory. McCarthy led Hamilton with 17 points, Taryn Searle had 15, Layne Kearns had 13, and Madalyn Nelson added 5.
The Hamilton boys played Dillon in the Consolation game on Saturday night, Feb. 25th. The two teams are evenly matched – both teams have a suffocating defense and an efficient offense. In their two regular season games, Hamilton won by one in overtime and then won by two on a last second shot by Eli Taylor. So if you had to bet, this game was going to be close and low scoring. And it was. Hamilton fell down early but rallied in the 3rd, and early in the 4th quarter the game was tied 27-27. It was a back and forth battle down the stretch and with 14 seconds left, Hamilton had the ball and the score was tied 36-36. Asher Magness, who was spectacular in the game, barely missed a tough shot at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime. Hamilton fell behind in overtime and was down 39-41 with 11 seconds left and had the ball. Hamilton had trouble getting open and at the last second Eli Taylor had to take a heavily contested three pointer from the corner which bounced off the rim and Dillon won 41-39. Asher Magness led the scoring for Hamilton with 11 points, Cole Dickemore had 10, Eli Taylor had 6, and Tyler Jette added 5.
The Hamilton boys played Polson in the first round on Thursday. The defensive intensity for both teams was solid and Hamilton held a narrow 15-13 1st quarter lead. In the second quarter, Eli Taylor and Asher Magness hit back to back threes to propel Hamilton to a 27-23 halftime lead. Polson evened the game up in the 3rd quarter, trimming Hamilton’s lead to 38-37. Then in the 4th, Hamilton turned up the defensive pressure and went on a 11-0 run and rolled to get the 54-44 victory. Hamilton’s team defense was, as always, exceptional, and on offense, Eli Taylor and Asher Magness led with 19 and 16 points, respectively, Liam O’Connell had 7, and Max Cianflone added 5.
The Hamilton boys then faced Frenchtown in the semifinals on Friday. Much like Dillon, these teams are evenly matched – they split their regular season contests. Hamilton led 26-22 after a low scoring first half. It was more of the same for Hamilton in the 3rd quarter and Hamilton led 39-32 going into the 4th. Hamilton struggled to score in the 4th and their lead evaporated. With 26 seconds left in the game the score was tied 45-45, and Hamilton had the ball. They got fouled, but missed the front end of a one and one and Frenchtown got the rebound and, with 5 seconds to go, drove the length of the court and made the game winning basket. It was a crushing way to lose, but with such evenly matched teams the margins for error are very slim. Asher Magness again led the scoring with 16 points, Eli Taylor had 12 and Cole Dickemore added 7.
This sent Hamilton to a loser out game on Saturday morning against Browning. With their season on the line, Hamilton wasted no time and was up 15-9 after the first quarter and 32-18 at halftime. It was more of the same in the second half as Hamilton would not be denied and won 66-50. Asher Magness had a big game with 22 points, Cole Dickemore had 20 points, and Canaan Magness added 11.
helped lead Stevi to Divisionals where the Lady Jackets fought hard
but failed to advance to State. Photo by Scott Sacry.
The Stevensville girls played one of their best games of the year and gave Browning, the northwest’s #1 seed, a scare on Thursday, Feb. 23rd. Browning was 17-1 on the season and a top five team. Browning plays a hectic style of basketball, with a lot of defensive pressure and a fast up and down offense. Stevensville seemed comfortable in this style of game. They fell behind 11-17 after the 1st quarter, but rallied In the second to take a 26-24 halftime lead. The third quarter was back and forth and everytime Browning made a push, Stevi had an answer, and Stevi trailed 37-40 after three quarters. Browning gradually pulled away in the 4th and won 65-54. Claire Hutchison thrived in this up and down contest and led Stevi with 20 points, Cambree Praast had 11, Shilo McLain Lampi had 10, and Alexa Perez added 7.
The Stevensville girls then faced Columbia Falls on Friday morning in a loser out game. They started slowly and were down 25-20 in the second quarter, then got a bolt of energy and went on a 11-0 run and led 31-26 at halftime. To start the second half, Columbia Falls quickly caught up and tied the game at 31-31 but Stevi pushed back and led 39-35 at the start of the 4th. Stevensville then went cold and Columbia Falls went on a 16-0 run to start the 4th and Stevensville wasn’t able to get back in the game and lost 52-58. Shilo McLain Lampi had a big game with 16 points, Cambree Praast had 12, and Dawsyn Brewer and Claire Hutchison each added 9. This ends the season for the Lady Jackets who played their best ball at the divisional tournament and have a bright future with a talented group of players returning next season.