There’s a new No. 1 in the MontanaSports.com high school boys basketball power rankings.
Hardin, the defending Class A state champion, is back atop the rankings after getting a hard-fought win over rival Billings Central at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark. The Bulldogs and Rams have now split on the season after playing for last year’s state championship. Billings Central slid from No. 1 last week to No. 2 this week. Browning, Hamilton and Butte Central kept their spots at Nos. 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
The defending Class B state champion, Bigfork, is also on the move. The Vikings are back into the rankings at No. 5, replacing Poplar, which fell out of the top five after losing to Class C Fairview. Unbeatens Colstrip and Big Timber still top the Class B poll, with Missoula Loyola and Deer Lodge filling the Nos. 3 and 4 spots.
Neither the Class AA nor Class C poll saw any movement this week, though Billings West got two big wins in Class AA. The fifth-ranked Golden Bears swept No. 2 Great Falls High and No. 3 Great Falls CMR at the Golden Dome last weekend to tighten the Eastern AA race. Missoula Hellgate is Class AA’s top-ranked team, and Bozeman is fourth.
Manhattan Christian, Arlee, Melstone, Scobey and Chinook kept their positions in the Class C rankings.
The complete MontanaSports.com high school boys basketball power rankings, as voted on by members of the MTN Sports team, are below. To view last week’s rankings, please click here.
For the girls polls, please click here.
Class AA
1. Missoula Hellgate (11-1)
2. Great Falls High (11-2)
3. Great Falls CMR (10-3)
4. Bozeman (9-3)
5. Billings West (8-5)
Class A
1. Hardin (15-1)
2. Billings Central (13-2)
3. Browning (15-1)
4. Hamilton (14-2)
5. Butte Central (14-2)
Class B
1. Colstrip (17-0)
2. Big Timber (16-0)
3. Missoula Loyola (14-2)
4. Deer Lodge (13-2)
5. Bigfork (13-2)
Receiving votes: Fairfield (12-4), Poplar (14-3), Lodge Grass (12-4).
Class C
1. Manhattan Christian (16-0)
2. Arlee (15-1)
3. Melstone (15-1)
4. Scobey (15-0)
5. Chinook (16-0)
Receiving votes: Twin Bridges (16-0), Great Falls Central (15-1), Fort Benton (15-1).
