After a big weekend that saw them notch impressive wins over visiting Great Falls High and Great Falls CMR, the Billings West boys climbed to No. 3 in the Class AA boys basketball coaches poll.
The Golden Bears, who were ranked fifth last week, defeated then-No. 3 CMR 76-69 on Friday and No. 2 GFH 64-61 on Saturday. The Bison maintained their old on that No. 2 ranking, but the Rustlers slid to fifth ahead of Tuesday’s crosstown game in the Electric City.
Missoula Hellgate still sits atop the coaches poll with nine first-place votes. Bozeman is slotted fourth, while Missoula Sentinel, Billings Skyview and Helena High also received votes.
Hellgate’s girls, meanwhile, made their debut in the rankings, coming in at No. 5 after a solid 60-39 win over Kalispell Glacier. Helena High, the two-time defending state champion and lone undefeated team in Class AA, is still ranked first, receiving six of eight first-place votes this week. Helena Capital, Billings West and Butte sit in the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 spots, respectively. Bozeman was ranked fifth last week but fell into the “receiving votes” category after being leapfrogged by the Knights.
The complete Class AA coaches polls are below. Coaches submitted their ballots to MTN Sports, excluding their own teams from the rankings. Five points were rewarded for a first-place vote, four for a second-place vote, three for a third-place vote, two for a fourth-place vote and one for a fifth-place vote.
Class AA boys basketball coaches poll — Feb. 5, 2019
- Missoula Hellgate (11-1) — 45 points (9 first-place votes)
- Great Falls High (11-2) — 35 (1)
- Billings West (8-5) — 23
- Bozeman (9-3) — 21
- Great Falls CMR (10-3) — 18
Receiving votes: Missoula Sentinel (8-4), Billings Skyview (7-6), Helena High (7-5).
Class AA girls basketball coaches poll — Feb. 5, 2019
- Helena High (12-0) — 34 points (6 first-place votes)
- Helena Capital (11-1) — 30 (2)
- Billings West (12-1) — 23
- Butte (10-3) — 12
- Missoula Hellgate (8-4) — 11
Receiving votes: Bozeman (7-5).
Previous polls can be found below:
