BILLINGS — A battle of Class AA powerhouse teams tilted in favor of Billings West on Thursday night as the Golden Bears swept boys and girls basketball action at Billings Skyview.
The Bears, ranked No. 3 in MTN Sports' latest boys power poll, led 19-16 at the end of a low-scoring first half, then broke it open in the third quarter for a 43-31 win.
With the victory, West (12-4, 9-2) clinches the Eastern AA regular season championship. Plagued by turnovers, top-ranked Skyview (12-4, 8-3) fell for just the fourth time this season.
West's top-ranked girls continued their dominant run with a 65-56 win over the Falcons in Thursday's late game. The Bears jumped out to an 11-2 lead and kept that separation through most of the night.
West (16-1, 11-1) is qualified for next month's state tournament in Bozeman. Skyview's girls (10-7, 8-4) travel to Senior Friday for a 7 p.m. tip off with the boys opening at 5:30 p.m.
Click the video above for Thursday's doubleheader highlights.
