State High School BB Tourneys

[John K]

Who are you picking to take home the hardware this weekend and next, at the state basketball tourneys? I went to the Northern C tourney last Friday night, because my hometown Sunburst Refiners played in the consolation game, which they won. They finished 24-1, but that was only good enough for 3rd place in the toughest division in the state. I was very impressed with Box Elder, who beat Belt by 12 in the championship game, in a matchup of the last two state champs. Frankly, Belt was probably fortunate to keep it that close, because Box Elder is really good. They won their opener at State yesterday by a score of 83-26. It's crazy to win a game at State by 57 points, even in Class C. If not for the running clock for most of the 2nd half, they probably would have won by at least 70. I would be shocked if they don't win boys State C.

You have to figure that either Fairfield or Malta will probably win girls State B (they've combined to win the last 8 state titles). Choteau looks to be a good bet to repeat as boys B champs, and Havre may be the favorite at the boys A tourney. I have no idea who the favorites are at the girls State A. Belt should also be tough on the girls side in Class C. I don't know much about the B and C teams in other parts of the state, but the Northern Division has been pretty dominant for many years in both boys and girls, in both B and C. I haven't followed AA as closely as I normally do. but it looks like defending champ Skyview, Bozeman, and Hellgate may be the teams to beat for the boys, with Bozeman, West, and Sentinel being the favorites for the girls. I have no clue how the East compares to the West this season, but it seems like in recent years, the East has generally been stronger in boys, while the West has had an edge in girls. I'd like to hear other people's opinions, especially those who follow teams from other parts of the state.