Rocky Boy girls come so close to state

There’s no question the Rocky Boy Morning Stars showed they were good enough this season to be playing at the Class B state tournament in Billings in two weeks. Unfortunately, they just could not sink the basket that would have sent them there.

Rocky Boy lost a heartbreaking two-point game to Wolf Point in Saturday’s Northern B girls consolation game, 49-47 in Glasgow. A win would have sent the Morning Stars to their first Class B state tourney, but they just couldn’t get over the hump against the Wolves.

Trailing 25-22 at halftime, Rocky Boy surged into the lead midway through the third quarter, but Wolf Point had the answer and took the lead back early in the fourth. The teams then battled down the stretch, but the Morning Stars just couldn’t get a game-tying basket in the final minute, as their season came to an end a few points shy of making it to state in arguably the toughest divisional tourney in Class B basketball.

In their final game, the Morning Stars got 15 points from Rosie Parker, while Jaylynn Mitchell pitched in with 13.

Rocky Boy started its run at the Northern B with an upset of sorts Thursday. Poplar had a big season as well and was the only team to beat Malta during the regular season. But in the opening round of the Northern B, the Morning Stars used an 11-5 run in the fourth quarter to turn the Indians away, 55-47. Parker came up big again, scoring 17 points, while Sean Henry had 13 and Adrienne Gopher added 11.

The win pushed Rocky Boy into the semifinals, and one victory away from the state tournament. And after the first quarter, it looked like Rocky Boy was headed to Billings, as the Morning Stars raced out to a 20-11 on Fairfield. But the savvy Eagles didn’t fold. Instead, trailing 30-22 at halftime, Fairfield went on an 18-3 run in the third quarter, and held the Morning Stars to just 11 points in the second half in a 54-41 win. Adrienne Gopher paced Rocky Boy with 18 points.

The loss to the Eagles was a tough one because of how well the Morning Stars played in the first half. But they also showed their heart by bouncing back to beat Shelby in a 48-47 thriller Saturday morning. In that game, Adrienne Gopher scored 15, Rosie Parker added 13 and Jaylynn Mitchell chipped in with 10 as the Morning Stars stayed alive, setting up their dramatic battle with Wolf Point.

And while Rocky Boy didn’t quite make it out of the Northern B, the Morning Stars had nothing to hang their heads about. It was an incredible postseason run for Rocky Boy, and one they won’t soon forget.

Malta went on to beat Fairfield in the championship game Saturday night in Glasgow, so the M-Ettes will set out to defend their 2016 state title next week in Billings. Fairfield and Wolf Point will also be a part of the state tourney, which runs March 8-11 at the Metra.

Rocky Boy 55, Poplar 47

Poplar 9 14 19 5 – 47

Rocky Boy 10 21 13 11 – 55

Poplar – Alleen Russell 5, Kylee Stump 6, Samantha Youngman 5, Gillian Medicine Cloud 2, Chloe Shields 5, Imani Bighorn 24.

Rocky Boy – Shania Patascil 2, Sean Henry 13, Sasha Coffee 3, Adrienne Gopher 11, Rosie Parker 17, Jaylynn Mitchelle 7, Rochelle Pease 2.

3-pointers – Stump 2, Youngman, Henry, Coffee, Gopher, Parker.

Fairfield 54, Rocky Boy 41, sf

Rocky Boy -- Shania Patacsil 3, Sasha Coffee 3, Adrienne Gopher 18, Rosie Parker 10, Jaylynn Mitchelle 5, Rochelle Pease 2.

Fairfield -- Allix Goldhahn 13, Natalie Klinker 21, Kenna Pitcher 2, Aria Johnson 6, Alexis McWilliams 2, Kaitlyn Jones 10.

3-pointers -- Coffee, Gopher 4, Parker, Klinker.

Rocky Boy 48, Shelby 47, lo

Shelby 7 14 14 12 – 47

Rocky Boy 9 11 16 12 – 48

Shelby – Ashton Daniels 3, Abbey Aklestad 18, Skyler Martin 5, Brittany Brusven 2, Kendall Anderson 3, Maddy Hellinger 4, Rachael Skiera 12. Totals: 14 16-21.

Rocky Boy – Sean Henry 6, Sasha Coffee 2, Adrienne Gopher 15, Rosie Parker 13, Jaylynn Mitchelle 10, Rochelle Pease 2. Totals: 19 4-9.

3-pointers – Daniels, Martin, Anderson, Henry, Gopher 3.

Wolf Point 49, Rocky Boy 47, 3rd

Wolf Point 16 9 13 11 - 49

Rocky Boy 15 7 15 10 - 47

Wolf Point: Brenna Kurokawa 2, Shelby Hanks 11, Aubrey Zilkoski 17, Ashtyn Hentges 3, Mahala Shawl 16.

Rocky Boy: Shania Patacsil 2, Sean Henry 8, Sasha Coffee 2, Adrienne Gopher 7, Rosie Parker 15, Jaylynn Mitchelle 13.