The No. 2 seeded Lady Broncs had a first-round bye but then had their work cut out for them if they wanted to make it to state. Their first game was against the Dillon Beavers who Hamilton coach Mark Albert says is “a very well coached team.”

But no matter how well coached the Beavers were, they were not ready for the Lady Broncs on Friday night. Hamilton came out with a plan and stuck to that plan. It involved rebounding and crashing the boards at every turn.

“They (Dillon) does that better than anyone else,” said Albert. When the final buzzer had sounded, Hamilton had out rebounded Dillon by half, pulling down 26 boards to Dillon’s 13 rebounds

Hamilton had a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter but then began to pull away behind the free throw shooting of Ashley Albert. Ashley Albert, at 6’1, had shut down the inside game of the Beavers and Hamilton’s outside defenders, Ali Mildenberger, Cierra Smith and Misha Trotter were keeping most of the Dillon shooters out of shooting range.

Hamilton's Misha Turner takes a shot over Anaconda's Lisa Laslovitch (24) and Torri Hill (22) during the Southwest A championship game. Anaconda won the championship and Hamilton was challenged by Frenchtown for second place. Jean Schurman photo.

The Lady Broncs continued to stick to the game plan layed out by Coach Albert and pulled away to a 61-28 victory.

“We had a week to prepare,” said coach Albert of his team’s big win over the Beavers. “You get a lead and then all of a sudden, the basket gets bigger and bigger. Plus we’re at home. That helps.”

The Lady Broncs shot 66 percent and were 12 of 17 from the charity line.

Hamilton 61, Dillon 28

Dillon – Brammer 4, Crabtree 4, Fosse 2, Nordahl 9, Zitzer 7, Hahnkamp 2.

Hamilton – Misha Trotter 4, Ali Mildenberger 6, Cierra Smith 9, Kaurie Albert 6, Jill Harmon 2, Ashley Albert 18, Averyl LaSalle 2, Annie Schultz 14.

With the win, Hamilton advanced to the championship game against Anaconda. The Lady Broncs were the only team to defeat Anaconda in regular season play in 56 games so the Copperheads were looking for revenge and Hamilton was wanting a repeat performance.

Anaconda defeated Frenchtown, 63-36, to advance to the championship game with junior shooting Torry Hill dropping in 42 points in that win. Hamilton was going to have their hands full.

Hill and company quickly fired off 15 points before Hamilton found a rhythm. By the end of the first quarter, Anaconda was up by seven. But Hamilton’s Kaurie Albert sliced to the basket three times early in the second quarter and made good on all three shots to close the gap. However a long trey by Hill turned the momentum back to Anaconda. Kaurie’s shooting and free throws kept Hamilton close and they were still only down by five points at the half.

“It was our first time on the big stage, I think that had a lot to do with it,” said Hamilton coach Mark Albert. “We were really hoping to bring it home to the community.”

Anaconda made another run but this time it was big sister Ashley Albert who hit a long three point shot to inspire the Lady Broncs. Kaurie followed up with another shot of her own and the margin was at three points. Although Hamilton challenged the Copperheads at every turn, the strong shooting by Hill couldn’t be stopped. Hill, who was 16 of 16 from the free throw line, finished with 31 points and led her team to another conference championship, defeating Hamilton, 58-50.

Hamilton was led by Ashley Albert’s 19 points. Kaurie Albert had 16 points.

Anaconda 58, Hamilton 50

Hamilton – Trotter 5, Mildenberger 2, Albert 16, Albert 19, Schultz 8.

Anaconda – Flynn 7, McNeil 2, Hill 31, Laslovich 13, Galle 5.

In the challenge game on Monday night, both teams were sluggish to begin with but Hamilton’s Ashley Albert was determined not to lose. Shelby Russ of Frenchtown made the first basket but Ali Mildenberger came back with a steal and a lay up to tie. Then Albert took over. She swatted down a shot by Frenchtown’s Laura Geis and then took a nice pass from Ashley Hays to the basket for a six point Hamilton lead. Albert led all scorers with 15 points. Frenchtown never backed away but Hamilton’s Lady Broncs prevailed in the challenge game. They defeated Frenchtown, 34-29, and will advance to the State A Tournament this Thursday in Butte at the Civic Center. They will open the tournament at 12:30 pm against Columbia Falls.

The Lady Yellowjackets came out focused and ready to play in the opening game of the Southwestern A Tournament in Hamilton Thursday. They opened against the No. 3 Seed, Frenchtown Broncs. Playing tough defense against one of the more explosive teams in the conference, the Lady ‘Jackets held Frenchtown to only six points in the first quarter.

However the Frenchtown team found their rhythm in the second quarter and quickly put points on the board even though they had four shots in the half that seemed to be sure points but rattled out. Stevensville was down by eight at the end of the half.

The Lady’Jackets usually struggle in the third quarter but the young team came back and were only down by two at the end of the third quarter. The two teams battled but Stevensville hit a drought in the middle of the fourth quarter and didn’t score until midway through the fourth quarter. By that time, Frenchtown had build up a sizable lead and cruised to a 47-35 victory.

“The Frenchtown loss all came down to turnovers,” according to Stevensville coach Cody Omlid.

Stevensville – Sherry Walters 1, McKenzie Sebastian 2, Brekka Johnson 10, Alexa Omlid 7, Maddie Jones 2, Blaire Brookshire 13,

Frenchtown –Nordahl 6, Jutila 8, Geis 16, Brown 6, Russ 11.

With the loss, Stevensville had a bye on Friday and moved to loser out action on Saturday morning against Dillon who had been defeated by Hamilton on Friday night. Stevensville took and early lead against Dillon and were up by as many as five points before the Beavers woke up. Blaire Brookshire kept it close for the Lady ‘Jackets who only trailed by two points at the half.

“Today, we just couldn’t make the shots,” said Omlid. “The second half, we shot 16 percent. The first half a was a bit better but we couldn’t hit our bunny shots.”

Dillon pulled away at about the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter when Anna Brammer hit a long basket to give the Beavers some momentum. Although Stevensville never quit, they just couldn’t get the ball to drop in the basket and lost, 37-31. Stevensville shot just 23 percent but so did Dillon. The difference, Dillon made the bunnies in the clinch. Dillon also out rebounded by 14 boards. Brookshire had 10 points to lead the Lady Yellowjackets. Stevensville ended their season with a 5-15 record.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the girls,” said Omlid. “How they finished the season. We didn’t end the season with a 40-point blowout.”

The Corvallis Blue Devils just couldn’t get past Dillon’s Grace Zitzer in their first game of the Southwestern A tournament. The 5’11 senior dropped in 16 points and had nine rebounds to power the Beavers past Corvallis, 47-29.

Corvallis made a run at the beginning of the third quarter but couldn’t get past Zitzer and Alex Brammer. Corvallis’ Megan Auch was in foul trouble and had to be cautious in her play. Auch led the Blue Devil scoring with eight points. Coral Higuera added seven.

Corvallis played Frenchtown in loser out action Saturday morning. Frenchtown jumped out to an early lead and then cruised to a 48-26 victory. Junior Auch and senior Ali Bierer each had six points to lead Corvallis who finished their season with a record of 4-16.

Blue Devils head to state

Corvallis had two tough games in the Southwestern A tournament, one game an emotional game against valley rival Stevensville, and the other, against a seasoned team, the Dillon Beavers.

It was a packed house on Friday night when Stevensville and Corvallis met in the semi finals. The two teams had split during the season and the winner of this game was well on their way to the state tournament. Although Stevensville’s Tyler Gavlak sank the first basket, Rodee Anderson answered with a trey for the Blue Devils and they were off and running. Corvallis controlled the tempo of the game and made their shots count early to take the lead. Corvallis outscored Stevensville by 22 points in the first half and went on to win, 75-60.

“Our defense was pretty dang solid tonight,” said Corvallis coach Dave Bradshaw. “You defend and you rebound. It was a great effort.”

Corvallis was led by Drew Zeiler’s 24 points. Dalton Sybrant added 17. Stevensville’s Boone Chambers had 15 points.

Corvallis 75, Stevensville 60

Stevensville – Logan Connors 3, Boone Chambers 15, Jalen Pfau 2, Austin Kelling 6, Jeremy Rusnell 7, Josh Schultz 4, Caleb Vance 6, Tyler Gavlak 2, Mike Thorstad 6, Ethan Pateman 9.

With the Blue Devils faithful holding their breath, Corvallis forward Matt Smith makes a layup shot while Dillion's Bryce Carver gets ready to rebound. Dillon won the championship game with a last-second shot. Both Dillon and Corvallis will advance to the State A Tournament in Great Falls March 12-14. Jean Schurman photo.

Corvallis – Jon Spencer 2, Drew Zeiler 24, Matt Smith 3, Tyler Tintzman 2, Rodee Anderson 8, Riley Bradshaw 17, Jordan Waldo 2, Dalton Sybrant 17.

With the win, Corvallis advanced to the championship game against Dillon. With a record crowd on hand, the sounds were deafening with the referee’s whistles barely being heard. Corvallis freshman Riley Bradshaw didn’t appear to be the least bit nervous playing in his first championship game. He nailed three quick baskets, including two treys, to keep his team within striking distance of the Dillon Beavers.

This was not a run and gun type of game, but instead, more of a defensive battle with each team trying to find a seam to the basket. Dillon had a five-point lead at the half but another trey by Anderson reduced the margin to only three points. However, at the end of the third quarter, Dillon’s Bryce Carver launched a pass/shot from behind the half court line. As the buzzer sounded, the ball swished through the net and Dillon led by six. Corvallis didn’t back off and kept working to get the shot but did have trouble getting the rebounds. With time running out, Corvallis’ secret weapon, Matt Smith, stepped behind the arc and sank a three-point basket to tie the game at 53 all. Dillon scrambled back to make the shot. They made three tries before Trevor Rehm got the put back at the buzzer. Dillon won, 55-53.

“To get a chance to play in a big game, play hard and entertain the crowd, and then to lose on a last second tip, that’s sometimes the way it goes,” summed up Bradshaw.

Championship

Dillon 55, Corvallis 53

Corvallis – Zeiler 6, Smith 9, Anderson 9, Bradshaw 17, Sybrant 9, Tintzman 3.

Dillon – Carver 16, Norris 9, Boka 6, Rehm 16, Walde 5, Folsom 3.

The Yellowjackets opened against Frenchtown, a team that had given them problems in the regular season. It appeared that it was going to be more of the same as Stevi struggled throughout the first quarter. Their first and only basket of the quarter didn’t happen until just under the two-minute mark when Ethan Pateman hit a basket from the paint. Things didn’t get much better for the ‘Jackets in the second quarter or the third either. By the end of three quarters, Stevensville’s shooting woes had not improved much. Fortunately for them, Frenchtown had hit a cold spell too.

“It was a poor time for the poor shooting,” said coach Keith Chambers of his team’s shooting effort. “But it came out alright.”

Pateman, a senior, was not about to let his team go down without a fight. He out-muscled and maneuvered the Broncs in a flurry at the beginning of the fourth quarter. With sheer determination, he made three consecutive steals to give his team some momentum.

“We needed some senior leadership,” said Pateman. “Someone needed to step up.”

The two teams battled but neither had much success in scoring. But slowly, Stevensville reeled in the Broncs and at 1:04, Boone Chambers hit two free throws to give the ‘Jackets the lead. Frenchtown’s Jake Anderson hit a shot from inside to tie the game back up with time running out. But never underestimate a freshman, Caleb Vance hit a long three with little more than 10 seconds remaining in the game. Stevensville won, 37-34. Boone Chambers led the scoring with 10 points.

Stevensville 37, Frenchtown 34

With the season on the line, both the Hamilton Broncs and the Stevensville Yellowjackets came ready to play even though it was Saturday morning. The first half was evenly matched with three lead changes in the first half alone. Stevensville took the lead early in the second quarter but a couple of free throws by Kyle Crowley and a basket by freshman Beau Maus gave Hamilton the lead.

But even though Stevensville is young, they are very determined. Senior Boone Chambers hit a long two pointer to give the ‘Jackets some momentum. Then it was freshman Caleb Vance who missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw but got his own rebound and made it good to put the ‘Jackets up by four.

“I thought Stevensville did a great job getting to the loose ball,” said Hamilton coach Toby Stack. “ It’s kind of a signature of Chamber’s teams, they will work until the end. They really out hustled us.”

The Yellowjackets continued to shoot the ball well and scramble for the loose ball and increased their lead. They held on to defeat Hamilton, 66-50, and advance to the consolation game against Frenchtown.

“I feel for our seniors,” said Stack. “It’s never easy to end the season. “As far as the young kids, we feel real confident about where we’re headed. We’re surrounded by a great group of kids and a great community. We really feel that it’s fast forward from here.”

Stevensville 66, Hamilton 50

Hamilton – Jake Jessop 2, Zach Stoeger 7, Kyle Crowley 14, Beau Maus 2, Devin Leonardi 7, Mac Walters 3, Phillip Silcher 7, Tyler Pigman 8.

Stevensville – Chambers 16, Kelling 3, Rusnell 2, Schultz 7, Vance 9, Gavlak 16, Thorstad 2, Pateman 11.

Stevensville then played Frenchtown for third place and a possible challenge game. The ‘Jackets came out on fire and quickly built a sizable lead. Frenchtown crawled back into the game and only trailed by five at the break. Stevensville held off the Broncs and used a balanced scoring attack to extend the lead to 13 at the end of three quarters. They went on to top the Broncs, again, 64-36. Boone Chambers led the ‘Jacket scoring with 10 points.

“I just can’t say enough about our senior leadership, taking the young kids under their wings, caring for them. This has been one of the more enjoyable years I’ve had. The leadership, the caring, the effort that was given,” said Coach Chambers.

Since Stevensville finished in third by virtue of their second win over Frenchtown on Saturday afternoon, there was no challenge game.

Western B - Florence girls advance to state

The Western B Divisional Tournament was held at the Salish/Kootenai complex in Pablo. The Florence boys opened against Eureka and defeated the Lions, 60-41. They next played Plains in the semifinals. Again, the Falcons won, topping the Horsemen, 61-59. Then it was on to the championship game against the Loyola Rams. Loyola came away with a 77-62 victory. Florence had to play Monday night against Deer Lodge. The Wardens upended the Falcons, 71-65, and will be the No. 2 Seed from the west at the State B boys’ tournament in Bozeman next week.

The Lady Falcons also were in Pablo. They played St. Ignatius in their opening game and defeated the Bulldogs, 43-39. Next up for Florence was the Bluehawks of Thompson Falls. Florence topped them by 10, winning 67-57. Once again, the Lady Falcons faced the Loyola Heartbreakers in the championship game. Loyola won, 48-37. That set up a challenge game for Florence against Eureka on Monday night. The Lady Falcons won, 56-46. Florence will play Whitehall at 12:30 on Thursday at the State Class B tournament in Hamilton.

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