FAIRFIELD — This past Saturday was special for Keeley Bake, a senior on the Montana Tech men's basketball team.
Bake and the Orediggers played against Miles Community College in a scrimmage that took place in the senior's hometown of Fairfield.
"Two months ago I think, like coach (Adam Hiatt) just randomly just slipped it in there, like yeah, we're going to have a scrimmage in Fairfield," Bake told MTN Sports Saturday. "I was like, 'No way, like we've never done anything like that.' So it's super special that, you know, this year we get to finally get up here and play a game."
Montana Tech wanted to honor Bake and the start of his final year by playing the game at his old high school.
"For Keeley to be able to come back home, showcase his team, his program to his hometown and to introduce his brothers on the team now to the people that he grew up with, it's a really special thing for him," said Tech coach Adam Hiatt, who also comes from a small town in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
Like Bake, junior Hayden Diekhans is also from central Montana. The former Fort Benton Longhorn and native of Geraldine said "it's a great opportunity" to have the scrimmage played in a small town.
"It just means the world to a small-town kid to be able to come home and play a college basketball game," Diekhans said. "The excitement in the team was ecstatic to come back to a small town."
Hiatt said this type of scrimmage is "unusual," but he hopes to make more games like this happen in the future.
"It's something that I hope to make more of a regular tradition," Hiatt said. "We've done some off-site games before, but nothing to this caliber."
Another special thing for Bake was the family he had in attendance, but Hiatt said the team sees Bake's family often, regardless of where the game is being played.
"We see them," Hiatt said. "We go down Arizona, they'll be in Arizona. They'll be in Texas. They'll be in Kansas City. They're all over the place, and it's quite amazing that we can now bring the program to them."
This game meant a lot to the community of Fairfield, and Bake said "it's fun to bring a different setting" to the Orediggers.
"Everybody here is pretty tight knit," Bake said. "Tradition's been longstanding here in a different standard, so it's fun to bring a different setting to Montana Tech."
Montana Tech's season officially tips off this Friday in the Montana Western Classic against Walla Walla (Wash.).
