State AA Basketball Glacier outslugs Skyview
By JOSEPH TERRY
The Daily Inter Lake
GREAT FALLS — Locked in a physical bout with the two-time defending state champs on Friday, Glacier held Billings Skyview scoreless in the final two minutes of regulation, beating the Falcons 48-40 in the semifinals at the Class AA state boys basketball tournament, advancing to the first state championship game in school history.
The Wolfpack defense came up huge against Skyview, slowing down the normally potent Falcon offense in a halfcourt contest. That pace allowed the game to stay close, yet Glacier still trailed with 2:19 to play after Skyview senior RayQuan Evans floated a shot in the lane to give the Falcons a 40-39 lead.
Glacier responded, with junior Caden Harkins racing down for a layup in transition to retake the lead. On the next possession, senior center Jaxen Hashley worked his way to the free-throw line, making the front end of the pair, but missing the second.
That is when Glacier took over on the offensive boards, with Kody Jarvis skying for the rebound and kicking it to Harkins, who was fouled and sent to the line again. Harkins hit the first of his free throws but again missed the second, only for senior Patrick O’Connell to pull in the offensive rebound for the second straight trip, kicking it back to Harkins, who was fouled for two more shots.
By the time Harkins made those two, Glacier went from down one to up five points with 1:05 to play.
“That was huge,” said Harkins, who scored eight of his game-high 14 points in the last 2:03 of regulation. “That was a key play. We really needed that.”
While Glacier iced the game at the free-throw line, it continued to clean up Skyview’s chances on the other end, holding the Falcons scoreless for the final 2:19 to secure the victory.
“It’s a battle of tempos. Their tempo, our tempo,” Glacier coach Mark Harkins said. “If we play their game, there’s no way we can win. I thought the kids did a good job of controlling tempo.”
Glacier outrebounded Skyview 25-16 in the second half, limiting the state’s top offense to 17 points.
“At halftime we were down four rebounds as a team,” Glacier senior Jaxen Hashley said.
“We came back and ended up out rebounding them by six. That was a great team effort by all of us. Pat and Torin, our fours, both rebounded like crazy in the second half. That’s a big turning point for us, rebounds, not giving them second-chance points.”
“It’s not a pretty game but as far as competing, I’ve never seen them compete like that,” Mark Harkins said.
The game started slow as both teams tried to get into a rhythm. There were a combined eight points between the squads in the first four minutes, with each turning the ball over in droves trying to run the floor.
Skyview got out first, as Evans got behind the Glacier defense on consecutive possessions, hitting four free throws after being fouled in transition to give the Falcons a 13-6 lead.
Glacier senior Tadan Gilman brought the Wolfpack back into it by the end of the frame, hitting a 3 and following up the next miss to cut Skyview’s lead to 13-11 after the first quarter.
The Wolfpack was able to take its first lead midway through the second quarter, 20-19, by feeding Hashley in the post. Skyview retook the lead shortly after, only for Hashley to get a steal in the last five seconds and sprint to the other end for a layup at the buzzer, putting Glacier in front 24-23 at half.
Both teams struggled in the third quarter, Glacier going scoreless for more than three minutes and Skyview more than four minutes. The Falcons closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 30-28 entering the fourth.
Skyview built a 36-32 lead midway through the fourth and Glacier answered with a 7-2 run to retake it before the closing flourish.
Hashley matched Harkins with 14 points and added 16 rebounds to lead Glacier. Gilman had 11 points in the win.
Zharon Richmond led Skyview with 13 points.
“Honestly, I can’t put it into words,” Hashley said. “Skyview’s a great basketball team. We came in and knew we were going to have to play a great game and work our hardest. Obviously, it paid off. It’s a great feeling right now but it’s not over yet, we have one more game we want to win.”
The Wolfpack will play Bozeman in the championship, the Hawks beating Great Falls 54-52 in the final seconds of the other semifinal. Glacier beat Bozeman 66-62 on its home floor in December, the last game before the holiday break.
“I think we know what to expect,” Mark Harkins said. “They’re completely different than they were in December. We know athletically how good they are. You can talk about those things but until you see them it’s different. That’s a good thing for us.”
“It’s going to be a different game, of course, but hopefully we can have the same result as the first time,” Hashley said.
It was the first win for Glacier in four appearances in the semifinals, the Wolfpack falling in three chances from 2012-14.
It is the first state title game appearance for a Kalispell school since Flathead beat Glacier in the semis in 2012. A win would secure the first state title for the city since 1989.
Glacier is scheduled to tip against Bozeman at 6:30 p.m.
Glacier 11 13 4 20 — 48
Skyview 13 10 7 10 — 40
GLACIER — Caden Harkins 4-9 6-8 14, Tadan Gilman 4-9 2-2 11, Collin Kazmier 0-1 0-0 0, Brec Rademacher 1-6 0-0 3, Jaxen Hashley 5-23 4-8 14, Pat O’Connell 1-2 0-0 2, Torin Bowdin 1-3 2-2 4, Jack Desmul 0-1 0-0 0, Kody Jarvis 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 16-56 14-20 48.
BILLINGS SKYVIEW — RayQuan Evans 1-9 5-6 7, Steven Fisher 1-11 0-0 2, Tyler Kinghorn 0-1 3-4 3, Zach Schmirdt 3-7 0-0 6, Zharon Richmond 4-12 5-6 13, Logan DeGaven 3-4 1-2 9, Zach Schact 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 12-45 14-18 40.
3-point goals—Glacier 2-9 (Gilman 1-3, Rademacher 1-5, Hashley 0-1), Skyview 2-15 (Evans 0-2, Fisher 0-4, Schmidt 0-3, Richmond 0-3, DeHaven 2-3). Rebounds—Glacier 42 (Hashley 16), Skyview 36 (Kinghorn 6). Total fouls—Glacier 17, Skyview 18. Fouled out—none. Technical fouls—O’Connell, Kinghorn.
Bozeman 13 18 14 9 – 54
Great Falls 13 13 16 10 – 52
Bozeman (19-3) – Drew Huse 4-10 6-11 15; Callahan O’Reilly 2-6 0-2 4, Bailey Harlin 4-10 2-2 14, Morgan Hostetler 1-1 0-0 3, Mack Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Lance McCutcheon 5-8 0-0 10, Kyler Ash 2-3 2-2 8. Totals: 18-40 54.
Great Falls (15-8) – Kendall Kynett 1-3 0-0 3, Blake Thelen 0-4 0-0 0, Kody Torgerson 3-3 0-0 7, Kellan Romsa 4-11 0-1 11, Kyler Winkler 3-6 1-3 7, Brendan Howard 7-17 8-12 24. Totals: 18-44 9-16 52.
3-point goals – Bozeman 8-16 (Harlin 4-6, Ash 2-3 Huse 1-3), Great Falls 7-23 (Romsa 3-10, Howard 2-7, Ke. Torgerson 1-1, Kynett 1-3). Rebounds – Bozeman 22 (Hostetler 5, McCutcheon 5), Great Falls 25 (Howard 10). Total fouls – Bozeman 16, Great Falls 15. Fouled out – Hostetler.
Loser Out
Missoula Hellgate 52, Flathead 51
GREAT FALLS — Flathead held a four-point lead with 24 seconds to play but couldn’t close out Missoula Hellgate in a loser-out test.
The Braves took a 51-47 lead on a pair of free throws from Sam Elliott, but Hellgate raced to the other end and hit a 3-pointer in transition to cut the lead back to one point with 19 seconds to play.
Passing in from underneath its own basket after a timeout, Flathead got the ball inbounds but was trapped in the corner and was called for travelling before it was able to get a timeout. On the ensuing play, Hellgate’s Bridger Deden went up-and-under a Braves defender for the go-ahead bucket with nine seconds to play.
Flathead’s attempt to retake the lead was blocked away at the buzzer, ending the Braves’ season.
“They were able to defend us well at the end,” Flathead coach Ross Gustafson said. “Hats off to Hellgate for making a couple of plays down the stretch. We were just probably one play short.”
Tyler Johnson had a game-high 18 points for the Braves and Sam Elliott had 17 points and seven rebounds.
Rollie Worster, who hit the 3 in transition in the closing seconds, finished with 18 points for Hellgate and Derrius Collins had 11 points.
Hellgate 9 16 6 21 – 52
Flathead 6 18 11 16 – 51
Hellgate (16-6) – Landon Youbles 3-5 1-1 7, Derrius Collins 5-8 0-0 11, Dylan Botsford 0-2 0-0 9, Ceaton Oliver 0-0 0-2 0, Dylan Holst 1-3 2-2 4, Kade Lunday 1-6 0-0 3, Bridger Deden 4-8 1-4 9, Rollie Worster 4-15 7-8 18, Bridger Liston 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 18-48 11-17 52.
Flathead (12-11) – Cooper Barrett 0-1 0-0 0, Wyatt Potter 2-4 0-0 6, Bridger Johnson 3-4 0-0 6, Cole Gunderson 0-1 0-0 0, Tyler Johnson 3-12 10-10 18, Sam Elliott 6-11 4-4 17, Cade White 0-1 0-0 0, Eric Seaman 2-4 0-0 4. Totals: 16-38 14-14 51.
3-point goals – Hellgate 5-18 (Worster 3-8, Collins 1-2, Lunday 1-3), Flathead 5-11 (T. Johnson 2-3, Potter 2-4, Elliott 1-2). Rebounds – Hellgate 27 (Worster 7), Flathead 29 (Elliott). Total fouls – Hellgate 18, Flathead 16. Fouled out – Lunday.
West 12 19 12 12 – 55
Sentinel 6 14 10 17 – 47
West (13-8) – Jake Bell 2-3 1-3 5, Kaleb Martin 4-4 0-0 9, Bryson Deming 2-7 1-2 5, Braydon Deming 2-6 1-2 7, DJ Peretti 1-4 0-0 3, Cleveland Harvey 3-10 0-0 6, Jesse Owens 2-3 1-4 5, Cade Tyson 3-5 6-8 13, Si Ryan 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 20-43 10-19 55.
Sentinel (11-12) – Mitch Roberts 1-7 2-2 4, Danny McKittrick 2-4 0-0 5, Brayden Danzinger 0-1 0-0 0, Sam Beighle 8-12 7-8 26, Elias DeWaters 0-2 0-0 0, Ethan Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Nick Germer 0-0 0-1 0, Will Mytty 1-4 0-0 2, Griffin Line 4-5 0-3 8, Trey Kolb 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 17-37 9-14 47.
3-point goals – West 5-14 Bra. Deming 2-6, Martin 1-1, Tyson 1-1, Peretti 1-3), Sentinel 4-14 (Beighle 3-5, McKittrick 1-3). Rebounds – West 25 (Bra. Deming 8), Sentinel 22 (Beighle 7). Total fouls – West 16, Sentinel 17. Fouled out – none.
––––––––––
Today’s Schedule
Loser Out
9 a.m. — Billings West vs. Great Falls High (Four Seasons Arena)
9 a.m. — Billings Skyview vs. Missoula Hellgate (CMR High School)
Consolation Final
3:30 p.m. — Loser-out winners
Championship Game
6:30 p.m. — Glacier vs. Bozeman
GIRLS
Billings Senior 47,
Glacier 45
GREAT FALLS — Glacier nearly bounced back from a slow third quarter to topple Billings Senior, but fell short in loser-out play.
The Wolfpack led 18-16 at the half thanks to strong defense that limited Senior to 20 percent shooting from the field in the first two quarters. But, the Glacier offense couldn’t find much that worked after a Nikki Krueger layup to open the half. Glacier went without a field goal for the rest of the quarter and scored just three points, only one in the final three minutes of the frame, allowing Senior to pull away to a 29-23 lead entering the final eight minutes.
Glacier trailed 34-27 two minutes into the fourth when it started to make a move, ripping off five straight points to cut Senior’s lead to 34-32. By the midway point of the quarter, the Wolfpack would tie the game at 36-36 on a pair of free throws.
Senior was resilient, however, pushing the ball into the post on the next trip down the floor to retake the lead. It hit a pair of free throws a minute later to stretch its lead back to four points.
The Wolfpack cut the lead to one point twice, only for Senior to pull back ahead by four points each time.
Glacier junior Anna Schrade hit a 3 with 11 seconds to play to bring the Wolfpack back to within 46-45 and after Senior only made 1 of 2 free throws at the other end, Glacier had a shot to tie or win with 7.2 seconds to play.
Glacier got the ball inbounds but couldn’t get around Senior’s full court pressure defense, settling for a 60-foot heave that went wide.
Schrade finished with a game-high 14 points for Glacier and Krueger had seven points and 12 rebounds.
Senior 11 5 13 18 — 47
Glacier 8 10 5 22 — 45
BILLINGS SENIOR — Mariah Linse 1-4 1-2 3, Kola Bad Bear 2-17 8-10 14, Samantha Bonenberger 1-3 0-0 3, Elizabeth LaRance 0-3 0-0 0, Courtney Bad Bear 3-5 4-4 11, Elle Ostermiller 2-7 0-0 6, Sydney Norwood 1-4 0-0 2, Brittanee Fisher 3-9 2-4 8. Totals: 13-52 15-20 47.
GLACIER — Ellie Stevens 2-3 2-2 6, McKenna Hulslander 0-1 0-0 0, Cadie Williams 0-0 3-4 3, Ahna Kreitinger 1-1 0-0 2, Brynn McChesney 1-2-0-0 2, Nikki Krueger 2-20 3-4 7, Anna Schrade 4-7 5-5 14, Courtney Mitchell 0-1 2-3 2, Kali Gulick 4-9 1-2 9. Totals; 14-44 16-20 45.
3-point goals—Senior 6-16 (K. Bad Bear 2-3, Bonenberger 1-3, C. Bad Bear 1-3, Ostermiller 2-6, Norwood 0-1), Glacier 1-6 (Krueger 0-3, Schrade 1-3). Rebounds—Senior 29 (C. Bad Bear 6), Glacier 39 (Krueger 12). Total fouls—Senior 16, Glacier 14. Fouled out—Linse.
Capital 10 13 11 10 9 — 53
West 13 13 10 8 12 — 56
HELENA CAPITAL — Emily Kidder 2-3 1-2 6, Ayanna Syvrud 0-2 0-0 0, Megan Lindbo 3-9 4-5 12, Katie Culver 2-4 6-10 10, Kacie Gross 0-2 0-0 0, Taylor Sullivan 2-6 5-10 9, Shelby VanHemelryck 2-3 0-0 6, Sydney Sheridan 2-6 4-6 8, Aryn Cummings 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 14-39 20-33 53.
BILLINGS WEST — Shea Dolan 2-4 0-1 4, Raquel Jiminez 6-12 8-12 20, Brianna Shirley 2-7 4-4 8, Ambreya Windy Boy 2-6 0-1 6, Taylor Kappel 0-1 1-2 1, Shayla Montague 2-6 4-4 10, Meagan Brown 3-4 0-0 7. Totals: 17-40 17-24 56.
3-point goals—Capital 5-11 (Kidder 1-1, Syvrud 0-2, Lindbo 2-4, VanHemelryck 2-3, Sheridan 0-1), West 5-9 (Shirley 0-1, Windy Boy 2-4, Montague 2-2, Brown 1-2). Rebounds—Capital 27 (Culver 10), West 20 (Montague 5). Total fouls—Capital 23, West 22. Fouled out—Syvrud.
Semifinals
Sentinel 10 16 12 11 – 49
CMR 5 10 6 12 – 33
Missoula Sentinel (21-1) – Lauryn Bingham 1-2 0-0 2, Emma Blakely 4-8 3-3 11, Grace Stayner 0-2 2-2 2, Kylie Frohlich 7-12 1-3 15, Jordyn Schweyen 4-11 1-1 11, Kayla Daily 1-3 3-4 5, Syd Steele 0- 1-2 1, Bronwyn McCormick 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 18-40 11-15 49.
CMR (14-8) – Akasia Denton 0-5 2-2 2, Zuzu Rudio 0-2 0-0 0, Mady Skawinski 2-5 0-1 5, Tristin Achenbach 1-4 3-4 6, Sam Payne 1-1 0-0 2, Kayci Edwards 0-1 0-0 0, Addison Gardner 3-10 6-6 13, Kyra Willis 2-7 1-6 5. Totals: 9-35 12-19 33.
3-point goals – Sentinel 2-7 (Schweyen 2-5), CMR 3-19 (Achenbach 1-1, Skawinski 1-4, Gardner 1-6). Rebounds – Sentinel 30 (Frohlich 8), CMR 22 (Achenbach 9). Total fouls – Sentinel 15, CMR 15. Fouled out – none.
Bozeman 8 15 10 10 – 43
Helena 22 5 8 10 – 45
Bozeman (15-7) – Ayla Embry 2-7 4-4 9, Riana Rogers 4-11 1-2 10, Ashlyn Lewis 1-2 0-0 3, Brooklyn Mailey 2-2 2-2 8, Elaine Chandler 2-6 0-0 4, Amber Tarabochia 2-4 1-2 5, Alex Carey 2-13 0-0 4. Totals: 15-45 8-10 43.
Helena (19-3) – Sam Holman 1-3 0-0 2, Kendra Kloker 0-4 2-2 2, Vanessa Walsh 1-1 0-0 3, Hailey Crawford 1-9 1-2 4, Kamden Hilborn 3-9 1-2 7, Taelyr Krantz 2-5 2-2 6, Jessica Ellsworth 1-2 0-0 2, Jamie Pickens 4-7 10-13 19. Totals: 13-39 16-21 45.
3-point goals – Bozeman 5-14 (Mailey 2-2, Lewis 1-1, Embry 1-2, Rogers 1-4), Helena 3-15 (Walsh 1-1, Pickens 1-1, Crawford 1-5). Rebounds – Bozeman 27 (Chandler 7), Helena 26 (Pickens 9). Total fouls – Bozeman 14, Helena 10. Fouled out – none.
––––––––––––
Today’s Schedule
Loser Out
10:30 a.m. — Billings Senior vs. Great Falls C.M. Russell (Four Seasons Arena)
10:30 a.m. — Bozeman vs. Billings West (CMR High School)
Consolation Final
5 p.m. — Loser-out winners
Championship Game
8:30 p.m. — Helena High vs. Missoula Sentinel