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  • Class A teams moving up in third HDN Super 15

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    January is almost over. There isn't much time for teams to jockey for postseason basketball position. And after an interesting week of high school hoops around Montana, positions have changed in the third Havre Daily News Super 15 boys and girls basketball polls. On the girls side, the top four teams remain from Class AA, while the highest-ranked Class A team is the Sidney Eagles, who moved up to No. 5. The top Class B team is now Fairfield at No. 6, while Winnett-Grass Range tops the Class C squads. Defending Class C...

  • LC State awaits MSU-N basketball teams tonight

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    The Montana State University-Northern men's and women's basketball teams had about as good a weekend as a program can have. Last Friday and Saturday in Havre, the Lights and Skylights combined for a four-game sweep of rivals Carroll College and Rocky Mountain College. But life in the Frontier Conference is never as easy as it seems, and tonight in Lewiston Idaho, both MSU-N teams will have to put last weekend behind them as they face a pair of NAIA powers at Lewis-Clark State. The Northern men jumped all the way to No. 19 in...

  • MSU-N's Schermele honored; Lights ranked No. 19

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    After a big weekend in which the Montana State University-Northern Skylights got back on track with a home sweep, senior Samm Schermele was named the Frontier Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week. Schermele is a 5-foot-9 senior guard from Great Falls. MSU-Northern won both of their weekend games including a victory over nationally ranked Carroll College. The Skylights upset No. 25 Carroll 68-49 and beat Rocky Mountain College 71-56. Schermele averaged 22 points, 3.5 rebounds, two assists and 2.5 steals for the...

  • George Ferguson Column: Skylights showed heart and toughness

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    Excitement was in the air, even before the opening tip-off on Friday night at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse. But who knew what would follow? The MSU-N men provided us with plenty of drama, emotion and entertainment on Friday and Saturday night as the Lights swept Frontier Conference powers Carroll and Rocky Mountain College. After watching the Lights take care of business at home, it's quite clear they are going to be a force well into March. But what can't be overlooked, or overstated from this weekend's games is what the MSU-...

  • Hi-Line Girls Basketball Roundup

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    Another week of high school basketball. Another week of exciting girls games on the Hi-Line is in the books. The Box Elder Bears have been one of the best teams in the area this season, and they showed that again on Thursday night with a dramatic one-point win over the Chinook Sugarbeeters in Chinook. The Bears defeated the Beeters 49-48 in a game that went down to the wire. The game was a game of runs. The Beeters ripped of an 18-6 second-quarter run to lead 22-17 at the half. But the Bears stormed back with a 14-6 run in...

  • Skylights too much for Carroll

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    Their backs were against the wall. Their season was hanging by a thread. And they were playing a nationally-ranked arch rival in the midst of a difficult three-game losing streak. Yet the Montana State University-Northern Skylights didn't flinch. In easily their most dominating performance of the season, the Skylights shocked the No. 25 Carroll College Fighting Saints 68-49 Friday night at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse, in what was the start to an impressive weekend. "This win gives us a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence,"...

  • MSU-Northern wrestlers clobber Simon Fraser on the mat

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    The Montana State University-Northern wrestling team is having a good end to the month of January. On Saturday night in Clarkston, Wash., the Lights went unbeaten in matches against Simon Fraser University, and won the dual 33-6. Northern was open at 125 pounds, but won all nine matches it competed in. "Overall these guys really wrestled well," MSU-N head coach Tyson Thivierge said. "We created a match like we are ready and capable of doing, we took the action to them and continued to improve our situations. Not losing a matc...

  • MSU-Northern Basketball Notebook

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    For whatever reason, the Montana State University-Northern Lights just seem to have Carroll College's number in Havre. Following Friday night's 73-54 beat down of the Saints in Havre, the Lights have now topped Carroll six straight times at home. It's a rivalry that has seen both dramatic finishes and blowout victories, as Northern won a stretch of home games against the Saints by four points or less from 200-2009. The last two years, the Lights have sent the Saints packing early. But regardless of the final score, one thing...

  • Lights outlast Bears

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    One win looked easy. But getting a home Frontier Conference sweep was anything but for the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team. Just one night after the Lights demolished nationally-ranked Carroll College, the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears' made life very difficult for Northern. Still, MSU-N found a way to gut out a 55-52 win over the Bears and take full of advantage of their only home stand in January. But Saturday night's win at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse didn't come without some tense moment,...

  • Skylights crush RMC

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    If one dramatic win wasn't enough, the MSU-Northern women's basketball team decided to make it a perfect two-for-two at home. On Saturday night at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse, the Skylights followed up their thumping of Carroll College on Friday night with a 71-56 thrashing of Rocky Mountain College. The win gave the Skylights back-to-back Frontier Conference victories and a 2-3 record in league play. Northern's win on Friday night came by way of a total team effort, as well as outside input from Samm Schermele and the...

  • Lights drub Saints, again

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    It's never easy to bounce back from a difficult and emotional loss. And it's even more difficult when you're playing arguably the hottest team in the NAIA in an emotional rivalry game. But that's exactly what the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team did on Friday night. In front of a packed and rowdy MSU-Northern Fieldhouse, the Lights blew away the No. 16 Carroll College Fighting Saints, 73-54 in a pivotal Frontier Conference showdown. Northern turned what was a first-half slug fest, into a route in the...

  • Class AA teams top second HDN Super 15

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    The fun thing about basketball polls is to see what happens when teams are ranked. It's also fun to see where teams go after a big win, or after tough losses. And one thing's for certain, no matter where squads are ranked, in basketball, everything gets settled on the floor. It's week two of the Havre Daily News boys and girls Super 15 Polls, and the top teams haven't changed. Bozeman sits atop the boys poll for a second straight week, while Billings West tops the girls poll. New to the boys poll this week is Class AA...

  • Lights grapple Trappers

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    For the final time this season, wrestling fans will get one more look at the Montana State University-Northern Lights. Tonight at 7, the Lights take on Northwest College in dual action at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse. And not only is the dual a big one for the ninth-ranked NAIA Lights, who have been gaining momentum the last few weeks, it will also be an emotional one for Northern senior 157-pounder Tay Todd, who will be honored before the match. Todd is currently in his third and final season with the Lights. He is a three ye...

  • The very first Super 15

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    For years, a faction of people have suggested having an all-class state high school basketball tournament. There's also been years in which state champions from all of the classifications have played non-sanctioned games after the season ends in order to determine the best of the best in Montana. Simply put, in basketball, there's times when classification doesn't mean as much. So in honor of that theory, the Havre Daily News sports staff has decided to put together its own Super 15 boys and girls basketball polls each week....

  • Plenty of Lights earn Academic All-Conference

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    Nineteen Montana State University-Northern football players were honored this week for their outstanding work in both football and academics as the 2010-11 Frontier All-Conference Academic Team was announced. Seven seniors paced the list of the Lights on the team, including K.C. Barrett, Hilbert Corbert, Ryan Halko, Kyle Kercher, Jeff Mahana, Travis Hjort and Casey Varner. The rest of the Northern players honored were sophomores, including Matt Bean, Alex Cummings, Nick Griffin, Todd Henrich, Orin Johnson, Tim Jovanovich,...

  • UGF stymies MSU-N women

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    GREAT FALLS — Just three weeks ago, the Montana State University-Northern women's basketball team thumped the UGF Argos by 16 points in a nonconference game in Havre. However, it didn't take long for the Argos to return the favor. On Friday night at the McLaughlin Center in Great Falls, the Argos pounced on the short-handed Skylights, who were without senior Taylor Keller and reserve forward Stren Tramelli, 85-73, handing MSU-N a difficult Frontier Conference opening loss. And while Northern looked so solid against the A...

  • One rival down: Lights take out Argos

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    GREAT FALLS — The Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team always gets up for playing the Great Falls Argos, and vice versa. Add to the fact that it's always a homecoming game for Northern junior Shaun Tatarka, the Frontier Conference showdown makes for a special treat. And on Friday night in Great Falls, Tatarka and the Lights didn't disappoint, kicking off the 2011 Frontier Conference season with a 75-67 win over the Argos at the McLaughlin Center, sparked by Tatarka's game-high 26 points. The Lights s...

  • Mariani gives us all an unforgettable day

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    Marc Mariani is on his way to the first Pro Bowl in his young, but exciting NFL career. However, a stop-over in his home town became what will likely be the biggest event of 2011, even with most of the year still to come. Mariani was at the Havre Holiday Village Mall Sunday to sign autographs and meet fans, and what was originally billed as a three-hour session, turned into a scene unlike any I've seen in all my years covering, being a part of, or just being around the Havre sports landscape. Fans lined the mall early Sunday...

  • HHS swim teams back in the pool

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    The Havre High swim teams haven't been able to get much work done in its own pool this week, but never-the-less, the Blue Ponies will get back to competing today. The Ponies are on the road to compete in the Class A Meet in Hardin this weekend, Havre's first meet since before the winter break. The Class A Meet features the three schools which compete in boys and girls swimming in Havre High, Billings Central and Hardin. The Pony boys and the Billings Central girls are the defending Class A state champions. The meet is always...

  • Schermele says farewell to Great Falls

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    If it seems like Montana State University-Northern guard Samm Schermele has been playing basketball on the Hi-Line forever, it just seems that way. Schermele was playing in Havre by her sophomore year of high school as a star guard/forward for the Great Falls High Bison, and is now in her fourth year as a starter for the Skylights. And tonight's game at UGF will certainly be an emotional one for the two-time Class AA All-State standout, who is now sixth on MSU-N's all-time scoring list. When the Skylights open league play at...

  • Skylights open league play with Argos

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    The long-awaited Frontier Conference women's basketball season is finally here. And there's noting like a little rivalry game to kick things off. Tonight in Great Falls, the MSU-Northern Skylights will open league play with a visit to rival UGF. And in an unusual scheduling year, the two teams already know each other well. Last month in Havre, the Skylights blew out the Argos in a nonconference game. And while UGF comes into tonight's game with just five wins on the season, Northern head coach Chris Mouat is expecting...

  • MSU-N men head to rival Great Falls

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    If the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team was looking for a challenging start to Frontier Conference play, the Lights are going to get it tonight in Great Falls. Northern (11-4) and rival Great Falls (7-8) open league play tonight at 8 at the McLaughlin Center, and while the Lights come to the Electric City red-hot, the Argos are playing some of their best basketball in years, and that makes tonight's rivalry game very intriguing. "This may be the best Great Falls team we've seen," MSU-N head coach Shawn...

  • Pony wrestlers back in action

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    The Havre High wrestling team will begin defense of its Cut Bank Invitational team title Friday morning in Cut Bank. The Blue Ponies came back after winter break for a practice and match-up session with wrestlers from Chinook, Chester/J-I, Glasgow and Big Sandy on Monday afternoon at the Mat Corner. Now, HHS head coach Scott Filius' team will get back on the mat for real with two days of action in Cut Bank. HHS comes into this weekend ranked No. 2 in Class A behind Belgrade, and the Ponies have a pair of top-ranked Class A...

  • Mariani sets Titans all-time record

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    Sunday wasn't the ending to the NFL's regular season the Tennessee Titans were hoping for. But a 23-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts didn't top Titans rookie and former Havre Blue Pony Marc Mariani from making a little more history. Mariani ripped off a 47-yard kickoff return on his second return of the day, and in the process of that return broke Derrick Mason's franchise record, set in 2000, of 1,794 combined punt and kickoff return yards in a single season. It was the second return record Mariani set in as many weeks. At...

  • Highway 2 sweep in Malta

    George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor

    The Havre High boys and girls basketball teams weren't slated to return from the holiday break until Friday. But a season-opening snow storm back on Dec. 10 meant the Ponies would have a game earlier in 2011 than originally planned. And Havre's return to the hardwood didn't go the way either Blue Pony team was hoping Monday night in Malta. The Havre High girls fell to the defending Class B state champion Malta M-Ettes Monday night, 62-48, while the Pony boys suffered a heartbreaking 51-47 loss to the Mustangs. The boys game...

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