CHURCHILL -- The Manhattan Christian boys and girls basketball teams find themselves back in familiar territory as both Eagles squads won their District 11C semifinals matchups on Friday night to advance to Saturday's championship games. The Eagles boys dominated White Sulphur Springs 85-28, while the MCHS girls used a strong defensive performance to down Shields Valley 41-12.
The Manhattan Christian boys will face Gardiner in the championship, while the MCHS girls will meet West Yellowstone for a chance at the title. Recaps from the semifinals can be found below.
Boys
Gardiner 68, West Yellowstone 62 (OT)
West Yellowstone trailed the at the end of every quarter until the fourth when it forced overtime. The Wolverines got a game-high 25 points from Mack Hauck, while Luke Stermitz was the leading scorer for Gardiner, scoring 19 points and adding 14 rebounds. The Bruins had four players in double figures, while Hauck was the only Wolverine to reach double figures. The boys 11C championship takes place Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Manhattan Christian 85, White Sulphur Springs 28
White Sulphur Springs scored the first points of the game, but it was all Manhattan Christian after that. The Eagles steamrolled the Hornets 85-28. Sam Davis led the Hornets with seven points. It was the Josiah Amunrud show in the first half for MCHS, as he scored 19 points and would finish the game with 26. The Eagles play Gardiner for the championship on Saturday.
Girls
Manhattan Christian 41, Shields Valley 12
Just like the boys game, the Manhattan Christian girls pulled away early and never looked back, winning 41-12. Kiersten Van Kirk was the leading scorer for Manhattan Christian with 10 points and six rebounds. Shields Valley didn’t have a single player reach three points. Manhattan Christian plays in the championship against West Yellowstone on Saturday.
West Yellowstone 55, Gardiner 49 (OT)
In what was the nail-biting game of the day, West Yellowstone defeated Gardiner in overtime 55-49. The Wolverines were down 13-2 early in the first half, but they stormed back to lead 20-17 at half. Down 46-38 with just more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines once again stormed back to force overtime and keep themselves alive for the 11C championship. They pulled away quickly to start the extra minutes, out-scoring Gardiner 9-3. Gardiner’s Josie Thomas had a game-high 17 points, and Danna Ochoa lead West Yellowstone with 14. The Wolverines take on Manhattan Christian for the championship at 6 p.m. Saturday.
