George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
In case anyone was wondering just how good high school basketball is in Montana these days, they needed to look no further than the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse for their answer. For three days, high school players from all over Montana dazzled Havre fans at the 22nd Annual Hi-Line Invitational, and things culminated with exciting action on Saturday night. On the girls side, the Class A team reigned supreme this weekend, beating the Class AA stars 91-87 in the championship game on Saturday night. The Class A squad, led by University of Montana recruits Ali Hurley and Ashley Ferda, as well as Miles City star Torrie Cahill and Havre High standouts Katie Mariani and Steph Stremcha, had too much firepower for the rest of the field this weekend. In the championship tilt, Hurley led the way with 27 points, while Cahill added 26 points in the victory. The Class AA team got 27 points from Bozeman's Jeni Guertin, while Butte High standout Lexi Nelson scored 25. In the consolation game on Saturday afternoon, the Class B stars edged the Class C squad 92-90 behind Megan Anderson's 23 points. Big Sandy's Laci Keller paced the Class C stars with 24 points, while Box Elder's Rokki Parker added 13 points in the close loss. Cahill, a 5-11 senior guard from Miles City, earned MVP honors this weekend, while Hurley, Pettit and Ferda all earned all-tournament honors. Parker, the four-year starter from Box Elder was the only Class C player to earn all-tournament honors, while Nelson, Guertin and Dani Peterson all made the team from the AA ranks. Class B players named to the team included Malta senior Laramie Schwenke, who will play for MSU-N next fall. Nelson and Cahill were dominant throughout the tournament. Nelson scored the most points in the tourney, and she earned the Ms. Hustle Award. Cahill racked up the most assists, while Pettit grabbed the most rebounds. Also on Friday night, Ferda wowed the crowd by capturing the girl's 3-point contest. On the boys side, Saturday night saw the Class AA stars beat the Class C squad 121-105 in the championship game. Butte High's Cole Conway scored a game-high 33 points to go along with 30 from Helena's Grant Fink and 20 from Missoula Sentinel's Andy Garland. The Class C team was paced by Rocky Boy's Mike Sangrey Jr., who scored 26 points in the loss. Hays-Lodge Pole's Cole McCabe added 25 points. In the consolation game on Saturday afternoon, the Class A stars beat the Class B team 126-116 despite a 40-point outburst from Harlem's A.J. Long Soldier. The Class A squad got 24 points from Browning's DJ Fish and 22 points each from Ronan's Moss Tanner and Hamilton's Jason Schallenberger in the victory. Garland, a 6-5 senior from Sentinel, earned MVP honors on the boys side, and was recently named the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year. Long Soldier also had a scintillating tournament, as he scored the most points on his way to all-tournament honors. Sangrey Jr. And McCabe, two players who will return to District 9C next year, also were named to the all-tournament team. The rest of the team included, Fink, Fish, Schallenberger, Glacier High's Ben Cutler, Bozeman's Gabe Rucker, Libby's Jim Mee and Plentywood's Andrew Rickett. Friday night saw CMR's Cramer Ceaouette win the 3-point contest, while Harlem's Isaiah Martin captured the famed slam-dink title on Saturday. Saco's Kazz Siewing earned the Mr. Hustle Award, while Fink led the tourney in rebounding and Rucker in assists.
