BILLINGS — No school in Montana history has ever had a better Eastern AA basketball season than the 2019-20 Billings West Golden Bears. Both the boys and girls teams completed undefeated conference runs Saturday, finishing a perfect 12-0 in the Eastern AA after earning weekend sweeps over Great Falls CMR and Great Falls High.
GIRLS
The West girls used a late second-quarter run to take the lead for good against Great Falls High Saturday, running away to a 55-37 win at the Golden Dome. The Bison led 16-15 at the midway point of the second, until Laiten Lantis hit back-to-back 3-pointers for West, including a four-point play on the second one, to give the Bears a 22-16 lead they would never give up.
Lantis scored 10 points in the game, while Willa Albrecht led the team with 11. Morgan Sunchild led the Bison with 10.
West finishes the regular season 15-3 overall.
BOYS
West overcame a four-point halftime deficit, taking the lead after a run late in the third quarter on its way to a 53-47 win in Great Falls.
The Bears (17-1) have won 16 games in a row, with their only loss coming in the second game of the season to undefeated Missoula Hellgate, 59-46.
NEXT: Both West teams will be No. 1 seeds at the Eastern AA Divisional tournament, set for March 5-7 at Alterowitz Gym on the campus of MSU Bilings. Brackets for both tournaments are below.
