Page 65 - Flathead Beacon // 3.12.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
SPORTS MARCH 12, 2014 | 65

Bigfork Making a

Run at Perfection

Vikings tip-of Class B state tournament in

Bozeman on Thursday

Bigfork’s Christian Evans (33) battles Plains’ Wyatt Winebrenner earlier this season.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON

By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
STATE B

For 23 games this season, the Big- BRICK BREEDEN FIELD HOUSE, BOZEMAN
Columbia Falls’ Winter Kemppainen (24) shoots over Frenchtown’s Vanessa Stavish (15) during
the Northwestern A Divisional championship game two weeks ago. fork Vikings have been peerless. Now THURSDAY
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
the boys are hoping to keep it that way Noon – Joliet (17-9) vs. Bigfork (23-0)
Top-Ranked Wildkats Look for three more games.
1:30 p.m. – Huntley Project (19-3) vs. Malta (17-6)
The Class B state championship 6:30 p.m. – Glasgow (20-3) vs. Boulder (21-3)
tournament tips of Thursday in Boz- 8 p.m. – Columbus (18-5) vs. Florence-Carlton (13-10)
eman with eight teams vying for the
to Follow Boys’ Example
title. Bigfork, Glasgow and Huntley FRIDAY
Project are the three tops seeds from 6:30 p.m. – Bigfork-Joliet winner vs. Huntley Project-Malta win-
ner
the west, north and south divisions, re- 8 p.m. – Glasgow-Boulder winner vs. Columbus-Florence-Carlton
Columbia Falls girls roll into Class A state spectively.
winner
The top-ranked Vikings open ac-
tournament in Great Falls
tion against Joliet (17-9), the fourth SATURDAY
seed from the south, at noon on Thurs- 8:30 p.m. – Championship
day.
title game came in 1983, when Bigfork
Hamilton, the top seed from Southwest- Huntley Project (19-3) takes on lost to Conrad 75-74.
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
ern A, takes on Miles City, the No. 2 from the two-time defending state champs, This year’s bracket features a few
Riding a 12-game win streak, the Co-
the East, at 2 p.m. Laurel, the top team Malta (17-6), at 1:30 p.m. Boulder (21- new contenders. Among the ield of
lumbia Falls girls roll into this week’s from the East, squares of against Ana- 3) opens action against Glasgow (20-3) tournament teams, only Malta and
Class A state basketball tournament in conda, the No. 2 team from Southwest- at 6:30 p.m. Columbus (18-5) takes on Huntley Project (2007) have won a
Great Falls hoping to duplicate the boys’ ern A, at 6:30 p.m. Havre, the No. 1 from Florence (13-10) at 8 p.m.
championship in the last decade. Malta
success. The Wildkats (19-1) are enjoy- Central A, plays Frenchtown at 8 p.m.
Joliet lost to Boulder, 49-39, in the outlasted Wolf Point 66-62 in overtime
ing one of the best seasons in program Laurel defeated Billings Central 33- third-place game of the Southern B last year, and defeated Manhattan 67-
history and will try to claim the team’s 31 in last year’s title game.
divisional tournament. Huntley Proj- 62 in the 2012 title game.

irst state championship since 1983, ect beat Columbus 44-35 in the divi- Of the current alignment, no team
when Columbia Falls was in Class AA.
sional championship. Boulder ousted from the West has won a Class B boys
It would be a monumental achieve- STATE A
Forsyth, the No. 2-ranked team in the basketball state championship since
ment for head coach Cary Finberg, who state, at the divisional tournament.
1987, when Plains edged Wolf Point,
could become the irst in Montana his- FOUR SEASONS ARENA, GREAT FALLS
Bigfork is chasing history and seek- 85-81.
tory to win two championships in the THURSDAY
ing its irst basketball championship. Follow latheadbeacon.com for
same season. Finberg guided the boys to 12:30 p.m. – Columbia Falls (19-1) vs. Belgrade (9-13) The school’s lone appearance in the
live results from the tournament.
2 p.m. – Hamilton (17-3) vs. Miles City (12-9)
its ifth title last weekend in Great Falls, 6:30 p.m. – Laurel (16-4) vs. Anaconda (12-9)
and returns this week seeking more 8 p.m. – Havre (14-6) vs. Frenchtown (15-6)
hardware. Finberg already became the BIGFORK IS CHASING HISTORY AND SEEKING ITS FIRST
irst coach to win two divisional titles FRIDAY
in the same night when Columbia Falls 6:30 p.m. – Columbia Falls-Belgrade winner vs. Hamilton-Miles City BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP. THE SCHOOL’S LONE
swept the Northwestern A tournaments winner
in Kalispell two weeks ago.
8 p.m. – Laurel-Anaconda winner vs. Havre-Frenchtown winner
APPEARANCE IN THE TITLE GAME CAME IN 1983,
The Wildkats open tournament ac- SATURDAY
8 p.m. - Championship
WHEN BIGFORK LOST TO CONRAD 75-74.
tion against Belgrade, the No. 2 seed
from Central A, at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.