GREAT FALLS — It’s semifinal Friday at the Northern C tournament in Great Falls.
Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine topped Big Sandy in the first game of the evening to advance to Saturday’s championship game.
District 8C rivals Roy-Winifred and Belt played in the other semifinal, with Roy-Winifred winning 58-46.
Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine 53, Big Sandy 31
DGSG's core of young veterans led the way in a 53-31 win over Big Sandy in the Northern C semifinals on Friday.
Sophomore Briella Becker scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead her team, while freshmen twins Ella and Emma Smith added nine and eight points respectively. That trio has been starting and starring for the Bearcats since they were eighth graders.
A slow first half for both teams saw DGSG fall behind 11-7 after the first quarter before outscoring the Pioneers 13-2 in the second quarter for a 19-13 lead at halftime. The offense picked up for DGSG in the second half on the way to a comfortable win.
Big Sandy was led by Eva Yeadon, an MSU-Northern commit, with 15 points on 4-of-21 shooting. The Pioneers only managed 11 field goals on 53 shots.
It was a measure of revenge for the Bearcats who missed out on the co-op’s first state tournament berth in 2024 after losing to Big Sandy in a Northern C challenge game.
DGSG moves to Saturday’s 7 p.m. championship game against Roy-Winifred, where a win would give the Bearcats a No. 1 seed at the state tournament in Butte.
Big Sandy moves to the consolation bracket to face Chester-Joplin-Inverness at 8 a.m.
Roy-Winifred 58, Belt 46
The Roy-Winifred girls will are one win away from winning a fourth consecutive Northern C title after a 58-46 win over 8C rival Belt in the semifinals on Friday.
The Red Raiders struggled to find a rhythm in the first quarter, falling behind 18-8 after eight minutes. But Roy-Winifred outscored Belt 23-9 in the second quarter to take control of the game.
Lyla Ewen led all scorers with 23 points in in the win, with teammate Isabella Edwards adding 17 for the Red Raiders. Aaliyah Gaylord scored 13 to lead the Huskies with Dezirae Goodman and McKenzie Pogany each pitching in 11 in the loss.
The Red Raiders dominated the boards, out-rebounding Belt 35-18. After winning both regular season contests, Roy-Winifred avenged a loss to Belt in the District 8C semifinals.
Saturday will be a rematch of the 2024 Northern C title game between Roy-Winifred and Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine at 7 p.m., the Red Raiders lost both regular season contests to the Bearcats.
Belt will face Fort Benton in the consolation bracket at 9:30 a.m.
