The Drummond and West Yellowstone girls will play for the Class C Western divisional title on Saturday, while the West Yellowstone and Manhattan Christian boys will do the same.
BUTTE, Mont. — The finals of the Western C divisional tournament on Saturday are set, following Friday night’s semifinal matches.
In the girls’ bracket, unbeaten Drummond will take on West Yellowstone, while the West Yellowstone boys will play Manhattan Christian for the Western C title.
The Drummond girls leaned into a defensive effort in their semifinal game against Shields Valley, holding the Rebels to just seven points in the second half of a 39-22 victory. The Lady Trojans are seeking their first state tournament appearance since 2013 and first state title since 1992.
“We came in, everyone was jumping up and down,” senior guard Kimber Parsons said. “Some of the girls were crying. Everyone was really happy.”
“We’ve had the goal of making it to state for the entire season, so it’s something we’ve been working for the whole season,” Parsons continued.
West Yellowstone, meanwhile, is looking to make back-to-back state tournament appearances after breaking a 26-year drought last season.
The Lady Wolverines dominated Charlo 54-23 on Friday behind Talia Spence’s 15 points and 10 assists.
As for the West Yellowstone boys, the Wolverines are trying to reach to the state tournament for the first time in their school history.
They beat Lincoln in Friday’s semifinal match, jetting out to a 16-2 first-quarter lead, eventually finishing victorious by a 46-36 final score.
“So many emotions were going through my head, like, ‘We did it,’ but we’ve got one more game to play,” freshman Austin Hales said. “So, we’ve got to get back together and stay focused for whoever we play next.”
The Wolverines will play Manhattan Christian for the fourth time this season, as the Eagles, who have appeared in each of the past 11 Class C state tournaments, defeated previously unbeaten St. Regis 47-31.
Saturday’s Western C finals will take place at 6 p.m. (girls) and 7:30 p.m. (boys). The top two finishers from each bracket will advance to the Class C state tournament in Missoula in March. The victor of each title match will be one of those sent to state, while the loser may still reach the state tournament as well, pending the results of the consolation bracket.