Stars reach semis, Harlem wins its last game

After Thursday’s action in 2020 Class B boys and girls state basketball tournaments, the Rocky Boy boys basketball team and the Harlem girls basketball team were in different situations at the Butte Civic Center in Butte Friday but were not aware that their circumstances would become similar later on.

The Ladycats, after falling to Missoula Loyola, faced off against the Colstrip Colts in consolation to continue their state run, in which Harlem beat Colstrip 68-47. Meanwhile, the Stars fell to the Lodge Grass Indians in a semifinal showdown Friday evening 81-54.

Both the Ladycats and Rocky Boy were going to have to fight for a third-place trophy, but the teams would not get that chance, as the Montana High School Association issued a statement Friday night that cancelled the rest of the state basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus concern.

The decision resulted in Lodge Grass and Fairfield being co-champions for the boys side of Class B, while Missoula Loyola and Forsyth share a state championship title on the girls side. In the end, the Stars and Harlem’s hopes of some state hardware were snuffed out unexpectedly.

Before the end, Harlem, who ended their season with a 22-3 overall record, did a great job in holding off the Colts Friday morning in the Butte Civic Center.

The Ladycats opened the game with a dominant performance. L’Tia Lawrence and Taya Trottier made good work with the basketball, sinking shots and locking Colstrip down defensively. Canzas HisBadHorse worked to keep the Colts on the board, but Harlem led 21-6 after the first quarter.

Colstrip added double the amount of points in the second stanza compared to the first, but the Ladycats kept the pace up, with Kailee Henry and Taeshon Schaeffer adding on some points of their own. Harlem dropped 15 points by the end of the first half, leading the Colts 36-18.

After the break, the Ladycats had a big third period on both sides of the ball, Kristyn Kittson and Aria Owens put up buckets, while Harlem as a whole kept Colstrip from running away. The Ladycats racked up 17 points and held the Colts to just eight to stay in the lead 53-26.

From there, the Colts shared the scoring among multiple players, while Harlem kept adding on points to stay ahead throughout. The Ladycats dominated just as much as they did in the first quarter to swipe the win. Lawrence led Harlem with 29 points and Trottier followed behind with 19.

Meanwhile, the Rocky Boy boys, who finished the season with an overall 17-11 record, had to face off against red-hot Lodge Grass in the Class B boys semifinals.

The game started off fairly close. The Indians, led by Damon Gros Ventre, dropped baskets to start off on a good lead, with the Stars keeping up as much as they could. No doubt Blake Cantrell and Joe Demontiney started the showdown off hot, too, but Lodge Grass led 20-16 after the first quarter.

The bout continued to go back-and-forth, as the Indians and Rocky Boy kept racking up buckets to keep the game tight. Malachai Little Nest and Ty Moccasin worked to push Lodge Grass forward, while the Stars fought right back, but the Indians were still up 36-33 at halftime.

But after the intermission, Lodge Grass dominated. The Indians started on fire coming back on the court and locked down Rocky Boy defensively. In the end, Lodge Grass outscored the Stars in the second half 45-21 to snag the win and a share of the Class B boys state title.

At the end of the day, Rocky Boy and Harlem were aiming to push forward in the consolation games to try and win a third-place trophy, but never got the chance with the COVID-19 cancellation by MHSA. Now, the Stars and the Ladycats will graduate some stellar seniors, as they await the next season on the hardwood next year, hoping to make it back to the big dance once again.

BOYS

Lodge Grass 81, Rocky Boy 54 (SF)

RKB 16 17 7 14 – 54

LDG 20 16 23 22 – 81

LDG – Damon Gros Ventre 35; Malachai Little Nest 12; Ty Moccasin 10; Tai'vian Brady 8; Jadence Archilta 6; Anthony Brown 3; Bobby Pease 3; Fred Backbone 2; Kendall Russell 2.

RKB – no stats were reported.

GIRLS

Harlem 68, Colstrip 47 (LO)

HAR 21 15 17 15 – 68

COL 6 12 8 21 –47

HAR – L'Tia Lawrence 29; Taya Trottier 19; Kailee Henry 10; Taeshon Schaeffer 5; Aria Owens 3; Kristyn Kittson 2.

COL – Canzas HisBadHorse 10; Kya Egan 9; Addison Casterline 7; Gracie Bradley 6; Madison BigBack 6; Addison Pontius 4; Jenna Littlebird 2; Baily Egan 2; Tegan Harris 1.