BILLINGS — The Billings Skyview Falcons are still digesting the thrilling finish to their latest boys state basketball title — and are in no hurry to stop.
“I’ll go back and watch those clips, and it just brings back that fun emotion of winning that ‘ship,’” said Skyview junior Tayshaun Williams.
Swept at the hands of crosstown rival Billings West during the regular season, the Falcons answered every punch thrown their way on title night to beat the Bears by a single basket, 48-46.
The day after thei= victory, Skyview head coach James Bulluck shared a lighthearted moment with his wife: “We woke up, grabbed some coffee and breakfast, then sat on the couch and rewatched the game,” he said.
Bulluck, a Skyview alumn, knows all about championships. He was a starter on Rocky Mountain College’s 2009 NAIA national championship team and was an assistant coach for Skyview’s first girls basketball title. Now he can add this boys championship to his résumé.
“Listen, I’m blessed. With Rocky, I just got to spend the one year there — I transferred in for that. It was great to do that as a player. And it was great to be part of (former coach Brent) Montague’s staff with the girls. None of this stuff happens if the players don’t buy in. So for them to buy in and keep fighting, I’m just very blessed to have that success,” Bulluck said.
Williams echoed the sentiment about his coach: “He’s really a player’s coach. He’s there for you on the court, he's there for you off the court.”
Skyview's championship culmination boiled down to a defensive stand with under 10 seconds left. Just before, Bulluck delivered this in his team's huddle: "It was simple for me. I just said, ‘Look, you’ve got one stop away … one rebound away from being a state championship team,’” he explained.
Williams chimed in, saying, “All year, we’ve relied on our defensive principles. So, we huddled up and said we’ve just got to stay true to it one more time.”
And they did. When Tayshaun hauled in the final rebound, he fired to a streaking Zakai Ownes for a dunk. It was after the game’s final horn — but the rim-rattler still resonates.
“I saw him up there, so I just threw it up, and it was definitely an exclamation mark for the win,” Williams said.
