GREAT FALLS — Winnett-Grass Range and Belt will meet in the District 8C title game Saturday after earning victories in hard-fought games Friday night. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m.
Winnett-Grass Range 78, Centerville 59
The first half consisted of multiple lead changes and ties, but it was the Rams who took a 34-29 lead into the locker room.
WGR opened the game up in the third quarter, taking a 12-point lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Hazen Arntson. Not long after that, Centerville's Cole Noble put in back-to-back triples himself and brought the Miners back within four.
The Rams pushed their lead back to 11 in the fourth following an and-one from Jace Bantz. They pushed their lead to as much as 16 before a 3-pointer from Luke Kelley cut it down to 70-57. But it was too late for the Miners as WGR put the game away and moved on to the championship.
Belt 55, Roy-Winifred 52
A very tightly contested first half saw both teams get hot from downtown late in the second quarter. Belt’s Reese Paulson knocked down two of them in the final minutes of the half to make the score even at 26-26 at halftime.
Belt built a seven-point lead going into to final quarter, leading 41-34. After trailing for most of the second half, Kellen Heggem gave the Outlaws a 52-50 lead inside of two minutes.
With under a minute to go and tied 52-52, Ethan Triplett scored a layup that gave the Huskies a two-point lead. Roy-Winifred went for the win on its final possession but a 3-point attempt by Gunner Knox was off the mark.
