GREAT FALLS — Montana Tech and Carroll will meet for the Frontier Conference men's basketball championship after both teams earned thrilling one-point wins Friday at Four Seasons Arena.
Top-seeded Tech got past rival Montana Western 83-82 in Friday's first semifinal, and second-seeded Carroll rallied past Providence 93-92 in the second semifinal.
Montana Tech 83, Montana Western 82
Ifeanyi Okeke tipped in the go-ahead basket with five seconds remaining to help No. 1-seeded Montana Tech get past Montana Western 83-82 in a thriller.
After trailing 43-33 early in the second half, the Bulldogs rallied to take a 46-44 lead on a 3-pointer by Michael Haverfield. The teams stayed within six points of each other the rest of the way, with Abi Adebo giving Western an 82-81 lead with just over 30 seconds remaining.
On Tech's next possession, star Asa Williams drove to the basket and missed a layup. Okeke got the offensive rebound and missed the initial put-back attempt before tipping in his second try to send the Orediggers to the championship game.
Okeke had 10 points and six rebounds, while Williams had a team-high 20 points. Hayden Diekhans (11 points), Caleb Bellach (10) and Michael Ure (10) also finished in double figures for the Orediggers.
Western was led by Haverfield, who finished with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a 4 of 6 mark from 3-point range. Adebo added 14 points, Quincy Tayler had 13 and Jalyn Stepney had 12.
Carroll 93, Providence 92
James Lang hit a deep buzzer-beating 3-pointer to help Carroll complete a comeback for a 93-92 win over Providence.
The Argos led by as many as 16 points in the game and still held an 85-71 advantage with 3:18 to play. But the Saints, led by Kendall Moore, quickly scored eight unanswered points to get back within 85-79 with two minutes to play.
Carroll continued to chip away over the final moments. With time winding down and Providence leading 90-88, Providence's Jaylin Reed drove in for what would have been a game-sealing layup.
Carroll's Andrew Cook delivered a hard foul, which Reed took exception to and earned a technical foul. Reed made both of his free throws for the shooting foul, and Carroll's Lang sank two free throws for the technical foul to make the score 92-90 in favor of Providence with three seconds left.
From under the Argos' basket, Carroll inbounded the ball to Lang, who took two dribbles and pulled up from about 30 feet. His shot found the bottom of the net, sending Carroll into a frenzied celebration and into the championship game.
Moore poured in a game-high 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including a 4 for 6 effort from 3-point range for the Saints. Cook added 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Lang had 19 points and five rebounds.
Providence was led by Davien Harris-Williams with 28 points, Reed with 24, Jake Olsen with 18 and Sam Vining with 13. Harris-Williams also had six rebounds and five assists.
