Glacier High School’s boys basketball team is back in the Class AA state tournament, but this time in a new position: the top seed.
The Wolfpack earned Western AA’s No. 1 seed after finishing 14-6 overall and a conference-best 10-2 in league games. They are riding an 11-game winning streak.
Glacier faces Eastern No. 4 C.M. Russell at 5 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the tournament, held in Butte March 10-12.
The Flathead High School Braves are also returning to state. They play Eastern No. 1 Bozeman at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
The other first-round games scheduled for Thursday are Missoula Hellgate against Billings Skyview at 9 a.m. and Billings West against Missoula Sentinel at 3:30 p.m.
Both girls teams at Flathead and Glacier lost their play-in games and do not advance to the state tournament, which is also held March 10-12 in Butte.
Thursday’s lineup of first-round girls games is Missoula Sentinel against C.M. Russell at 12 p.m.; Bozeman against Helena at 1:30; Billings West against Missoula Big Sky at 6:30; and Helena Capital against Butte at 8.
At the Class B boys tourney in Great Falls on March 10-12, Bigfork is the Western B second seed and faces Huntley Project at 8 p.m. Thursday.
The other first-round games are Florence-Carlton against Broadus at 12:30 p.m.; Columbus against Shelby at 2; and Wolf Point against Whitehall at 6:30.
The Class C boys tourney is on March 10-12 in Bozeman. Thursday’s first-round games are Arlee against St. Labre or Absarokee at 12:30; Dutton/Brady against Fairview or Froid/Medicine Lake at 2; Joliet against Drummond at 6:30; and Scobey/Opheim against Power at 8.