GOLDEN BEARS

BUTTE - The Box Elder girls didn't win the District 9C championship in 2018. They didn't win the Northern C title either. But on Saturday night inside the Butte Civic Center, none of that mattered.

That's because the Bears did beat Winnett-Grass Range 52-34 in the Class C state championship game. So for Box Elder - their first state title in girls basketball in 20 years - the trophy they hoisted over their heads in front of their fans Saturday night, that's the only trophy that mattered.

"We deserved this, we've worked so hard," junior Lilly Gopher said. "I'm so proud of my team, and the community, and everybody who supports us. It's so amazing."

The road to the state championship, Box Elder's first since 1998, was never easy, and it actually began two years ago when Box Elder lost to Belt in the state championship game in Great Falls.

"This team is all about resiliency," Rosette added. "Sure, we hit a couple of bumps at districts and divisionals, but I think it only motivated these girls more. After each of those losses, these girls came back and had the best weeks of practice all season. They could have gotten down and cried about it, but instead, it motivated them, and even in this tournament, it was tough, but they just weren't going to be denied this. They really went out and earned this. I'm so proud of them."

The Bears earned everything Saturday night. One of the bumps in the road this season was a loss to WGR in the Northern C two weeks ago. But in the rematch, the Bears showed who the superior team was.

Box Elder started the game with a Gopher layup straight off the opening tip, but early threes from Piper Johnson kept things close at 12-10 after the first quarter. From there however, the Bears took full control.

Box Elder ripped off a 7-0 run capped by a big six points by sophomore reserve Maia Henderson, and that run catapulted the Bears to a 23-15 at the break. The run turned into a 14-2 run early in the third, as Cecilia Vielle scored twice in the paint, and Maddie Wolf Chief put in a runner. That run put the Bears ahead 35-25 after three, and when Vielle and Gopher scored back-to-back layups midway through the fourth. The Bears led by 15 points and the state title was theirs, as Box Elder's large fan contingent chanted Go Bears Go, for the final two minutes of the game. Box Elder was in full control, and salted the game away with a Gopher breakaway layup and several free throws n the closing minute.

"It feels so good," Vielle, a transfer from Centerville said. "I sacrificed a lot to come here and do this. But it's all so worth it. These girls are amazing. I wouldn't want to be a part of any team but this one."

Vielle finished the game with a double-double, 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Gopher led the way with 13 points, overcoming two early fouls along the way. Wolf Chief was spectacular driving to the basket, and adding eight point, while Henderson, who joined her father Scott and older brother Trey as state champions, chipped in with eight. However, as good as Box Elder was on the offensive end, Saturday night, like it has been all season long, defense and rebounding were the keys, as Box Elder dominated the Rams on the boards, and held them to just 27 percent shooting for the night. Johnson did finish with a game-high 15 points, while the Rams hit seven threes, but, the Bears' defense, and their hunger to beat the Rams after losing to them in the title game, carried them through to a dominant defensive performance.

"We work hard on the little things, defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball," Rosette said. "And we did that tonight. The only game we got out-rebounded all season long was against Winnett at divisionals. We were mad about that, and I thought the girls came out and really worked hard on defense and on the boards, and that was a huge difference in this game."

Defense also played a key role in Box Elder getting to the championship game. One night after Nikayla Anderson's thrilling overtime 3-pointer to give the Bears an opening-round win over Twin Bridges, Box Elder clamped down on Froid-Lake, after trailing 12-7 early. In the next three quarters, the Bears outscored the Redhawks 47-29 to reach the title game. In that win, Gopher poured in a game-high 17 points, while Vielle scored 14 and had her second double-double of the tournament.

But Friday night's win over Froid-Lake only set the stage for the Bears' history-making performance against WGR Saturday night. It was a game in which the Bears trailed just once, and the Rams never really threatened in the second half. But more than that, it was a game in which Box Elder's long, sometimes hard climb to the top, finally ended. It was a game in which all of the hard work paid off.

"I'm so proud of my team," Gopher said. "When I looked up at the scoreboard, I was just like, finally. We did it. We worked for this. I'm just so proud and happy for my team, and for our community."

Hard work is, in the end, what got Box Elder to the top. The Bears have endured a lot over the years, despite piling up win-after-win, they watched the Box Elder boys win two state titles, and watched Northern C rival Belt run away with state championships and Northern C titles for what must have seemed like forever. But the Bears never strayed from their ultimate goal, and Saturday night, they delivered the state championship Bears fans and players have been waiting for a long time.

"These girls are an incredible group," Rosette said. "They have sacrificed a lot to get here. They put in the time in the gym, in the weight room and in the summer. They have never stopped working for this. They never gave up on their dream, and tonight, they realized that dream. It's special, a special moment for them and our community.

"I'm just so happy," Anderson added. "I couldn't ask for a better way for my basketball career to end. This is something everybody's going to remember forever. This is something we'll always have. We'll always be able to say we were state champions."

LADY BEARS MINE GOLD IN THE HISTORIC MINING CITY

Box Elder 54, Froid-Lake 41, SF

Froid 12 6 9 14 – 41

Box Elder 7 13 14 20 – 54

Froid – Sydney Labatte 6, Tawnee Robertson 6, Morgan Mason 6, Mackenzie Dethman 11, Haley Labatte 5, Sydney Dethman 7. Totals 15-51 4-7.

Box Elder – Eve The Boy 7, Maddie Wolf Chief 4, Lilly Gopher 17, Joelnell Momberg 4, Cecilia Vielle 14, Nikayla Anderson 8. Totals 23-46 5-9.

3-pointers – S. Labatte, Robertson 2, M. Dethman 2, H. Labatte, S. Dethman; The Boy, Gopher, Vielle. Fouls – Froid 12, Box Elder 8.

Box Elder 52, WGR 34, 1st

WGR 10 5 10 9 - 34

Box Elder 12 11 12 17 - 52

WGR - Sydney Browning 10, Brynn Jolma 4, Piper Johnson 15, Kendra Murnion 2, Katie Zimmerman 3.

Box Elder - Eve The Boy 6, Maddie Wolf Chief 9, Lilly Gopher 13, Joelnell Momberg 3, Ceceliz Vielle 10, Nikayla Anderson 3, Maia Henderson 8.