CHURCHILL – The Gardiner boys basketball team and West Yellowstone girls team are each one step closer to the state tournament. Both took care of business during Monday night’s challenge games in the District 11C tournament to advance to the divisional round being played in Butte starting Thursday.
The Gardiner boys kicked off the win-or-go-home matchup against White Sulphur Springs. Behind Clancy Thomas’ 17 points, the Bruins defeated the Hornets 72-35. Gardiner opened the first quarter with a 21-2 run and never looked back, never trailing in the contest.
“Big relief and you can start planning on the next step. Right now you are afraid to jinx yourself, so you’re kind of just holding there,” said Bruins head coach Wendy Thomas. “But it feels great. I’m sure it’s a huge relief off the boys’ shoulders, off my shoulders.”
The same story is true for West Yellowstone, which never trailed in its 55-39 win over Shields Valley on Monday at Manhattan Christian’s Memorial Events Center. Emmie Collins paced the Wolverines with 14 points off the bench.
The Rebels’ Mollie Engle had an amazing performance in her final high school game of her career. The senior posting a double-double, leading all scorers with 24 points and 18 rebounds.
