UPDATE (3/16/15): This past weekend marked the end of the basketball season, and six more state champions were crowned. By our count, there were only two 30-point games last weekend, both for Class AA boys (Tres Tinkle of Missoula Hellgate and Aaron Weidenaar of Bozeman).
A running game-by-game look at the first round of the State A girls basketball tournament from Dale Berry Court in Hamilton:
Only two boys basketball teams won consecutive state championships in the past six years. Josh Huestis' Great Falls CMR teams did it in 2009 and 2010, and Malta won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
There are some really good basketball players in Montana right now.
When they beat Conrad in the Northern B divisional semifinals Friday night, the Fairfield girls extended their winning streak to 100 games.
Former Great Falls CMR standout Josh Huestis is now the career blocks leader at the University of Stanford, according to the school’s athletics website. Huestis swatted his record-breaking 168th block Thursday against Southern California.
The Huntley Project girls basketball team started slow against Columbus on Thursday. The Red Devils fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter before going on a 17-1 run the rest of the half to take a lead they never relinquished in an important 43-31 win over their District 4B rival.
Jared Samuelson, a 6-foot-7 senior-to-be at Billings West, picked up a scholarship offer to play college basketball at the University of Montana.
Danny Betcher recruiting video
It’s hard to make sense of the NCAA recruiting rules, but basketball coaches are entering into the first of three “evaluation periods” in July.
It’s already been a whirlwind, headline-worthy spring for the Tinkle family.
One down, one to go.
Tres Tinkle is at it again. The 6-foot-7 Missoula Hellgate junior is already making waves playing spring basketball.
The Midland Roundtable announced the Montana rosters for the 2014 Montana-Wyoming All-Star Basketball Series on Wednesday. The boys and girls games are slated for June 13 and 14.
It’s never too early to start talking about next year.
That was a fun basketball season, huh?
The 2013-14 Montana high school basketball season has drawn to a close, but not without plenty of excitement.
Helena Capital boys 51, Missoula Hellgate 47
Missoula Sentinel goes for its third straight Class AA girls basketball championship on Saturday night, trying to join just two other programs in Montana history to accomplish the feat.
Hellgate boys 57, West 37
As the most high-profile player in the state, Tres Tinkle is used to people wanting to watch him play basketball. Many times he wishes he could instead watch his father Wayne as he coaches the men’s team at the University of Montana.
That's a wrap from an exciting first day of the boys and girls State AA basketball tournaments. There were a lot of close games Thursday, capped by Angelo Villarreal's buzzer-beater to lift Billings West past Helena.
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Thursday will be a long day at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman. The boys and girls combined State B basketball tournament tips off at 9 a.m. Eight games later, the first-round of the tournament will reach its conclusion.
At last weekend’s Northern B divisional girls basketball tournament, the Fairfield girls beat Malta 58-45 in the championship game. Jill Barta scored 30 points to help lead the Eagles to their 101st consecutive victory.
When they beat Conrad in the Northern B divisional semifinals Friday night, the Fairfield girls extended their winning streak to 100 games.
Forsyth girls 45, Red Lodge 38
Red Lodge girls 57, Townsend 46
Laurel boys 39, Miles City 38
FRIDAY, SEMIFINALS
The winter months are almost behind us — record-setting snowfall in February be damned — and that can only mean one thing: High school basketball season is almost behind us, too.