Lilly the Legend

When she was a freshman, Lilly Gopher was part of a team that advanced to the Class C state girls basketball tournament.

That season, the Box Elder Bears made it all the way to the state championship game before falling to Belt. That game was inside the Four Seasons Arena and the tournament was the true coming out party for Gopher, who has gone on to do some incredible things during her four-year high school career.

That career, which will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest in the history of Box Elder girls basketball, will come to a fitting end if Gopher and the Bears can reach the state championship game again and defend the championship they won last season at the Butte Civic Center over Winnett-Grass Range.

While winning a state championship would be the highlight of just about any career, it tops a laundry list of achievements for Gopher, who has been racking up accolades at a ridiculous pace over the past four seasons.

During her freshman and sophomore seasons, the Bears won back-to-back District 9C championships. They also went undefeated in the regular season in the 9C in each of the last two seasons, before losing in the championship game the last two years to Fort Benton in the district tournament.

Despite losing to the Longhorns in the 9C championship game last season, the Bears conquered Belt in the Northern C semifinals and clinched a berth at the state tournament for Gopher and company. Then, after falling in the Northern C championship to Winnett-Grass Range, the Bears got revenge and she scored 13 points after making 5-of-7 shots in a 52-34 win.

On top of being part of two district championship teams, three teams that went to state and four teams that went to divisionals, Gopher has also earned individual honors in each of her four seasons playing in Box Elder. As a freshman, she earned All-Conference honors and will become a four-time All-Conference selection at the end of this season.

Gopher has also been named All-State in each of the past two seasons and during all four of her seasons, the Bears have been legitimate state title contenders. Beyond all that, her scoring prowess is evidenced by her eclipsing the 1,000 point mark earlier this season.

Gopher has been a three-sport athlete for the Bears, standing out in track and volleyball for Box Elder, in addition to helping the girls basketball team find so much success.

Regardless of what happens this weekend at the state tournament, it will be strange to watch the Bears play without Gopher next season but before anyone needs to think about that, she and the Bears have one last chance to add to their legacies.

Gopher and the Bears will head to the Four Seasons Thursday night when they will take on Ekalaka in the quarterfinals. Tip-off time is set for 8 p.m. and before her team heads to Great Falls to open the state tournament, the Havre Daily News caught up with her for five questions.

HDN: What will it be like going back to Great Falls for the state tournament?

Gopher: "It's kind of like deja vu because my first experience at state was at the Four Seasons. We know the floor, we are super excited to play at the state tournament close to home and we are expecting a lot of support and fans."

HDN: What have you enjoyed the most about playing for Box Elder?

Gopher: "There's so many to chose from, but I think my favorite would have to be making strong friendships with my teammates. All of them are like my sisters and we could trust eachother and it's a bond that I'll cherish forever."

HDN: What was your favorite moment or game with the Bears?

Gopher: "I think my favorite memory and game would have to be when my team and I won state against Winnett-Grass Range last season, just looking up at that scoreboard in Butte in the last two minutes of that game was the best feeling ever. Oh yeah, and being on the bottom of the dogpile was pretty funny."

HDN: What is the one thing you are most proud of during your career?

Gopher: "When I hit 1,000 point club this year, it was a huge accomplishment. I didn't even know I was that close until my coach mentioned it to me and I was like 'Whoa really, it doesn't even feel like it."

HDN: What is going to be the key for you guys defending your title this weekend?

Gopher: "We just got to execute the game plan. We have to hustle, play defense, and execute on both ends of the floor, and last but not least we have to play with heart and leave everything we got on the floor because it's now or never. My team has fought through a lot of adversity these last few weeks; loss of family, sicknesses (strep, cold, pneumonia, bronchitis) and injuries. But this week we know we all have to give 110 percent every game."