BILLINGS — It looked like history was repeating itself for one half of the Southern B boys basketball divisional championship game Saturday night. Then Colstrip decided to rewrite it.
Last year, the Colts entered the Southern B undefeated, looking like a legitimate state title threat, when Three Forks changed all that with a 60-42 opening-round win. The Colts were once again undefeated entering Saturday’s rematch, as the Wolves jumped out to a 22-15 halftime lead. Colstrip, though, found its game in the second half on its way to a 43-40 win to enter the State B tournament at 23-0.
Three Forks went on a 16-2 run, mainly in the second quarter, to threaten the Colts’ perfection. Colter Miller led all scorers with 16 points, while Bryce Olsen added 10. Colstrip began to chip away at the lead in the third, capped by a Kellen BigHead 3 moments before the buzzer to pull the Colts within 32-31. They then scored 10 of the first 12 points in the fourth to take the lead for good.
BigHead and JT Baer led the Colts with 11 points each, while Kobee BigBack added 10 and Bo Vocu scored eight in a balanced effort. The Colts again took care of the ball well, committing just nine turnovers while Three Forks had 15.
Colstrip will be the South’s No. 1 seed at the State B boys tournament in Belgrade from March 6-8, a non-typical Wednesday-through-Friday schedule. Three Forks will be No. 2, while Big Timber earned the No. 3 seed earlier in the day.
