Stars marching into Great Falls

The past month or so has been a whirlwind for the Rocky Boy boys basketball program and nothing would make that ride end on a higher note than by finishing the season strong at the Class B state tournament.

The Stars’ issues have been well documented and after a team that was 9-4 had to start over at 0-13 following the determination that a player being used was ineligible, the Stars could have let their season tailspin out of control. But, they refused to let that happen and finished fourth at the District 1B tournament. Then, they beat Malta to get second in the Northern B divisional, which earned them a berth at state, where they will take on Huntley Project Thursday in the first round at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.

“I am really proud of these guys,” Rocky Boy head coach Adam Demontiney said. “We have been like a family all year. We have been some through some ups and down but we stuck together, we have played for Levi (Olsen), who is no longer on our team but travels with us and these guys made their dreams come through by getting to state”

Yet, if the Stars want to see their magical run continue they will need to play their best basketball of the season as there are a number of title contenders in Class B and one of them is Rocky Boy’s first opponent Huntley Project. The Red Devils, who finished fourth at state last year, know a thing or two about playing on the big stage as all five of their starters from a season ago are back.

However, the Red Devils aren’t just experienced, they are talented too and leading the charge for them is returning Southern B All-Conference standout Yancey Fitch, who is the team’s top scorer as well as Kaleb Reynolds, Michael Jobman, Dallas Mack and Quincy Wittman.

“Anytime you get to the state tournament, you know you are going to play a tough opponent,” Demontiney said. “Huntley Project is a good team. They are the second team from the Southern B and they have a couple of very good guards. It’s going to be tough and it’s going to take our best to beat them.”

One player that has played as well as anyone recently for Rocky Boy is senior guard Bubby Gopher, who poured in 18 points in a challenge game Monday in Havre to help beat Malta and get the Stars into state.

Gopher, who hit a miracle game-winning 3-pointer from around 30 feet to knock off Fairfield in the Northern B semifinals has been playing lights out, but the Stars still won’t go far at state unless they continue to get major contributions from players such as Cecil LaFromboise, Lonnie Plain Bull and Shadow LaForge. Rocky Boy should also have Junior Day Child back in the lineup after he was absent from the Malta game last Monday.

“I think the sky is the limit for us,” Demontiney said. “’But, we need to take it one game a time. Every game is going to be a battle. Huntley Project is a good team and it will be tough to beat them but we are really excited for (Thursday).

The winner of Rocky Boy and Huntley Project will move onto the semifinals where they will take on the victor of Big Timber, the third-place team from the Southern B and Loyola Sacred Heart of Missoula, the champion of the Western B. That semifinal would be Friday at 5 p.m.

The other side of the bracket features what may be the most intriguing matchup of the first round as defending state champion and second seed from the West Bigfork will take on Columbus, the champion of the Southern B, in a rematch of last season’s championship game.

Outside of Huntley Project, Columbus and Bigfork are the only teams that qualified for state a season ago. And the Cougars in particular will put that experience to use as they have three returning starters and will look to knock off the defending champs right away.

The winner of Bigfork and Columbus will take on either St. Labre or unbeaten Choteau, which is 23-0 after winning the Northern B championship last weekend by defeating Rocky Boy. The Bulldogs will be heavily favored Thursday against the fourth-seeded team from the South and if they win they will play in the semifinals Friday at 3:30 p.m. The championship game will be on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.