GREAT FALLS — Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale and Twin Bridges opened the Class C girls basketball state tournament Thursday with convincing wins at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.
The Mavericks topped Roberts 72-45 and the Falcons rolled over Big Sandy 57-38 to advance to the semifinal round. Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale and Twin Bridges will play a semifinal game at 6 p.m. Friday. That game will be a rematch of the 2023 State C title game. Roberts and Big Sandy will meet in a loser-out game at 9:30 a.m.
In the other half of the bracket Melstone topped Plentywood 45-39, while Roy-Winifred handled White Sulphur Springs 60-34 to advance to the semifinals.
Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale 72, Roberts 45
The undefeated Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale Mavericks used a big third quarter to pull away from Roberts in a 72-45 win, advancing to the State C semifinals for a fourth consecutive season.
After a competitive first half saw the Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale holding just a 30-28 lead, the Mavericks exploded in the third quarter outscoring the Rockets 25-5 in the frame before cruising to a win in the final eight minutes. The Mavericks outscored the Rockets 42-15 in the second half.
Rocky Mountain College signee Paige Wasson led the Mavericks with 25 points and five steals in the win. Montana State commit Teagan Erickson posted a big stat line with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Bailee McColley added 12 points off the bench and Shelbi Labrie scored 10 points.
Roberts was led by Montana State signee Taylee Chirrick with 23 points on 7-of-23 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. Chirrick had 16 first half points to keep the game close. Laynee Holdbrook scored 14 points for the Rockets in defeat.
Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale will face Twin Bridges in the semifinals, 6 p.m. on Friday. The two teams played earlier in the season, with the Mavericks winning 53-41 - their smallest margin of victory this season. Roberts will head to the consolation bracket to face Big Sandy.
Twin Bridges 57, Big Sandy 38
Allie Dale scored 23 points, including 19 in the first half to help (1W) Twin Bridges roll to an easy 57-38 win over (2N) Big Sandy in the first round of the State C tournament.
Dale was 8-of-18 from the field and added nine rebounds and five steals in the win. Ayla Janzen scored 10 points, while Kyle Pancost recorded nine points and 15 rebounds. Eva Yeadon led the Pioneers with 19 points, but Big Sandy only shot 12-of-47 from the field for a 25.5% clip.
Twin Bridges outrebounded Big Sandy 42-29, and held the Pioneers to just 10 points in the first half.
The win sets up a rematch with Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale in the State C semifinals at 6 p.m. on Friday. The Mavericks handed the Falcons their only loss of the season back in December. The two teams faced off in the 2023 State C title game, with Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale winning 59-26.
Big Sandy moves to the consolation bracket to face Roberts at 9:30 a.m.
Melstone 45, Plentywood 39
Three players scored in double figures for (1S) Melstone, which survived a back and forth game against (2E) Plentywood for a 45-39 win.
Plentywood jumped out to a 8-0 lead in the first quarter, before the Broncs closed the gap to trail 16-15 after the first eight minutes. The Wildcats went ice cold in the second quarter, going scoreless for over sevwn minutes before a three in the final 30 seconds. The Broncs led 45-39 at the break.
Both teams went back and forth in the second half before Melstone made timely buckets down the stretch to preserve the win.
Savannah DeJaegher led all scorers with 14 points for Melstone. Maggie Eike added 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals while Emma Myhre scored 12 points. Mallory Tommerup led Plentywood with 10 points while Audrey Sampsen and Paityn Curtiss contributed nine points apiece.
Melstone will face (1N) Roy-Winifred in Friday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal, while Plentywood moves to the consolation bracket to take on White Sluphur Springs at 11 a.m.
Roy-Winifred 60, White Sulphur Springs 34
Roy-Winifred’s Isabelle Heggem and Laynee Elness have been making deep runs at the State C tournament since they were freshmen. So it’s not surprising that they combined to lead the Outlaws to a 60-34 win over White Sulphur Springs in the first round on Thursday.
Elness scored a game high 21 points and swiped four steals in the win, while Heggem recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Outlaws held the Hornets scoreless in the first quarter, 19-0 after eight minutes and pushed the lead to 23-0 before White Sulphur scored its first points.
As a team, the Outlaws had 21 steals and forced 28 turnovers. Roy-Winifred had 27 points off turnovers over the course of the game.
Kendra Manger had 13 points to lead the Hornets. Julianna Feddes added 12 points and eight rebounds, but White Sulphur Springs shot just 28.2% from the field. The Hornets are making their first trip to the State C tournament since 2005. The Outlaws have advanced to the semifinals in each of the past six seasons, with two state titles to show for it.
The Outlaws draw Melstone in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m., while White Sulphur Springs will try to keep its season alive in the consolation bracket against Plentywood.
