FRENCHTOWN — Charlo and Twin Bridges will meet in the semifinal round of the Western C girls basketball divisional tournament after both teams earned first-round wins Thursday at Frenchtown High School. Charlo eked out a 56-52 win over Philipsburg, while Twin Bridges rolled to a 64-19 win over Lincoln.
In the second session, West Yellowstone jumped out to an early lead on Hot Springs en route to a 45-22 win. White Sulphur Springs closed the session with a 47-29 victory over Seeley-Swan.
Charlo 56, Philipsburg 52
Charlo and Philipsburg played a close, entertaining game to tip off the Western C tournament, but Charlo ultimately pulled away late for the 56-52 win. The Vikings will next play Twin Bridges at 3:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.
The Vikings and Prospectors were locked in a close game for the duration Thursday, with the teams tied at 10-10 at the end of the first quarter and 24-24 at halftime. Charlo took a small advantage in the third quarter, outscoring Philipsburg 20-16 in the frame. That four-point margin proved to be the difference, as the teams again played even in the fourth quarter.
Sheadon Kain sparked the Vikings in the second half. After scoring just two first-half points, she scored 13 points in the third quarter on her way to finishing with a game-high 19. Seeley McDonald added 14 points for Charlo, and Brielle Zemple had 12.
Ramsey Smith and Montannah Piar each scored 16 points to lead Philipsburg, which will play Lincoln at 9:30 a.m. Friday in a loser-out game.
Twin Bridges 64, Lincoln 19
Twin Bridges made quick work of its first-round game against Lincoln in the Western C divisional tournament, jumping out to a 24-3 lead by the end of the first quarter en route to a 64-19 win.
Turning pressure defense into quick offense, the Falcons built the early lead and never looked back. Allie Dale scored eight first-quarter points on her way to a game-high 17. Kyle Pancost and Emma Konen each added 12 points for Twin Bridges. Eight different Falcons scored in the game.
For Lincoln, Krymzen Dempster scored six points and Remi Deitz and Hailey Smith each had five. The Lynx will play Philipsburg in a loser-out game at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
Twin Bridges, which won the District 12C championship last week, will meet Charlo in a semifinal game at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
West Yellowstone 45, Hot Springs 22
West Yellowstone became the third team to earn a place in the semifinal round of the Western C divisional tournament with a 45-22 win over Hot Springs Thursday.
The Wolverines used a balanced offensive effort and stingy defense to build a 20-4 lead by the end of the first quarter and coasted from there. West Yellowstone, the No. 2 seed from District 12C, was led by Ari Spence with 12 points. Brookelyn Hales added 10 points, and Grace Dawkins had eight.
West Yellowstone will next play Seeley-Swan or White Sulphur Springs in the semifinal round. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday.
Hot Springs, the second seed from District 14C, falls into loser-out play and will meet Seeley-Swan at 11 a.m. Friday.
White Sulphur Springs 47, Seeley-Swan 29
Jules Feddes and Natalie Fisher scored 13 points each to pace White Sulphur Springs, which built an early lead and never let up in its 47-29 win over Seeley-Swan.
After leading 11-3 after the first quarter, White Sulphur Springs extended it to a 27-8 lead by halftime to surge into the semifinals. Kendra Manger added 10 points for the Hornets.
Lillion Boyde scored put in a team-high 12 points for Seeley-Swan.
