Daniel Horton Havre Daily News gferguson@havredailynews.com
Another season of girls’ high school basketball has come and gone, and state champions have already been crowned. But for those fans that still find themselves wanting more basketball action, this weekend in Havre is the place to be. On Saturday and Sunday the Hi- Line Invitational girls tournament will take place at the Montana State University-Northern. And with players from the Class AA, Class A, Class B and Class C in attendance, roughly 40 talented athletes from across the state can be seen in tournament play. The Class B will take on Class C to get the tournament started on Saturday at 10 a.m. And following that game will be Class AA against Class A at 12 p.m., a 3-point contest at 7 p. m. and Class A against Class C at 8 p.m. And on Sunday, Class C will face Class AA at 9 a.m. and Class B will take on Class A at 11 a.m. At 1 p.m the consolation game will take place, and immediately following will be the championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The Class AA team has a very impressive lineup. And head coach Gene Cook from Great Falls has the honor of coaching them through the tournament. All State award winning juniors, Kellie Cole from Bozeman High School and Jordan Bagley from CMR lead the way, but players like Brittany Kumm from Great Falls will also add a spark to their squad. But not to be outdone, head coach Bill Hill from Anaconda and the Class A team is also fielding a lineup of All State players. Seniors Torry Hill of Anaconda and Roxy Thurman of Bigfork join sophomore Kayla DeWit of Columbia Falls and junior Jackie Mee of Libby. But also joining the Class A roster is Havre High's own, senior Hope Hedges, who received All State honors this season after leading the Blue Ponies to another fourth-place state finish. The Class B team making the trip to Havre this weekend is also looking to pick up the HIT tournament championship. Malta and Fairfield went head to head in this year's state championship game, but now lead the group of Class B stars under the guidance of coach Julianne Keller of Fort Benton. Kylee Denham, Bobbi Knudsen and Brooke Berg will represent the Malta M-Ettes and the Class B. And joining them is Megan Anderson, Kassie Barta and Courtney Kinna from the state champion Fairfield Eagles. Belt High School’s head coach Jeff Graham has an experienced and talented group of Class C athletes making the trip as well. Six of the nine girls listed on the roster are seniors. And out of those six, Sacarra Molina from Hinsdale, Kelcy Lott from Twin Bridges and Julie Wichman from Moore-Judith Gap all received first team all state honors this season. The Class C squad also features Belt star Clany Ferretter, as well as Big Sandy center Laci Keller, a four-time Class C all-state selcection and a future Skylight. The talent level that is going to gather in the Armory gymnasium for the next two days is going to be incredible. And no matter what the matchup is, a good battle can be expected from both teams. Saturday at 10 a.m. Class B will take on Class C to get the tournament started. And fallowing that game will be Class AA against Class A at 12 p.m., a 3-point contest at 7 p. m. and Class A against Class C at 8 p.m. And on Sunday, Class C will face Class AA at 9 a.m. before Class B will take on Class A at 11 a.m. The consolation game will begin at 1 p.m. and the championship game will get under way at 3 p.m. And following all of the weekend’s action will be the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The boys Hi-Line Invitational will run next week in Havre. Normally, the boys and girls events are held together, but were split up this year because of a boys all-star tournament in Billings.
