HELENA — The Helena High and Capital boys basketball teams will play their first of two crosstown games this season Friday night. Both teams enter the game 4-0 in Western AA conference play.
“Every time we play the other side of town, there’s a little extra motivation,” Helena head coach Brandon Day said at Thursday's practice. “The reality is that it’s another tough conference game. Our conference is very tough this year, and this is no exception. The Bruins will be ready to go, so we got to make sure we show up and are ready to play.”
The Helena High side said it's looking forward to having this crosstown matchup in its home gym.
“I mean, I like it a lot, our gym,” said Helena senior guard Jaxan Lieberg. “I just feel like we practice here a lot, so I just feel more comfortable here. It’s a big game for us, so it’s nice that we get to have it here, where we’re more comfortable.”
Ahead of this season, the Class AA’s playoffs were changed to eliminate the divisional tournament.
“The biggest thing this year is without the divisional tournament, every conference game matters,” said Day. “And this is a big one with both of us being 4-0 in conference.”
MTN Sports also caught up with the Capital Bruins at their practice Thursday afternoon.
“Yeah, certainly no need for extra motivation,” Capital head coach Guy Almquist said of Friday night’s game. “But, if you’re a competitor, these are the games you want to play in. You grow up in Helena wanting to play in crosstown games. And now that their opportunity is here, you want to take advantage of it. And the fact that both teams are playing really well right now adds a little to it.”
The Capital High side said it's looking forward to the crosstown game’s atmosphere.
“Well, yeah, obviously it means a lot,” said Capital senior guard Dylan Almquist. “Bragging rights are on the line. Everyone’s going to be rowdy, everyone’s going to be ready to go, probably going to be more physical, going to be harder to hear each other. Loose balls, you got to fly around and make plays when they matter.”
Guy Almquist said he’s most looking forward to “watching the kids enjoy the moment.”
“They put so much work in,” Almquist said of his players. “Not just during the season, but in the offseason, so when you get to this moment, you want to enjoy it, and that’s what we’ll tell the kids, is make sure you take a second to just understand the position you’re in and appreciate it. And as a coach, I think that’s something I realize the longer I’m in this, the more I relish."
