BILLINGS — The State C boys basketball tournament wrapped up first-round action Thursday morning with Twin Bridges and Fort Benton advancing to the semifinals.
Check out the photo gallery from Day Two here.
(2W) Twin Bridges 63, (1S) Bridger 40
Twin Bridges entered Thursday's game with a chip on its shoulder after last year's first-round loss sent the Falcons to the consolation bracket.
On a mission to not repeat history, the Falcons jumped ahead early and never looked backed on Thursday, cruising past Bridger 63-40 in a first-round game at the Class C boys basketball state tournament at Lockwood.
Twin Bridges utilized a full-court press for most of the game, which translated to a series of points off turnovers, including a 10-2 run to start the second quarter.
Charlie Kruer led the Falcons with 17 points, followed by Tate Smith with 15 and Matthew Kaiser with 14.
Bridger had two players finish in double digits: Baylor Pospisil (15 points) and Jace Weimer (12).
Twin Bridges will play (1N) Fort Benton in the State C semifinals Friday at 7:30 p.m.
(1N) Fort Benton 46, (2E) Froid-Medicine Lake 39
Froid-Medicine Lake and Fort Benton took Thursday's first-round game down to the wire.
With 43.5 seconds left on the clock, Froid-Medicine Lake's Brett Stentoft nailed two free throws to tie the game at 37 and force overtime. From there, Fort Benton would control the extra session en route to a 46-39 win.
Javonne Nesbit scored the first two points in overtime to give Froid-Lake a 39-37 lead with 2:47 remaining. However, Fort Benton answered back on its following possession with a go-ahead 3-pointer from Jace Thompson on the right wing. The Longhorns never looked back, pulling out the victory and advancing to Friday's semifinal round.
Fort Benton significantly improved its shooting percentage in the second half, which played a major role in its third-quarter comeback. The Longhorns more than doubled their field goal efficiency, shooting 52% in the second half. They finished just 4 of 21 in the first (19%).
Hayden Diekhans led the Longhorns with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Froid-Medicine Lake's Colt Miller finished with a team-high 14 points.
Fort Benton will play (2W) Twin Bridges Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the State C semifinals.
