Entering the final weekend of the Class AA regular season, the defending girls basketball state champion has company at the top of the rankings.
Helena High, which has won the past two State AA titles, suffered its first loss of the season last week — a 34-31 setback to Kalispell Glacier — opening the door for Helena Capital and Billings West to nab first-place votes in the Class AA girls basketball coaches poll. The Bengals (15-1) still top the rankings, edging out Capital (15-1) and West (15-1), but this week marked the first week that all three teams received first-place votes. Bozeman (11-5) and Kalispell Glacier (10-6) rounded out the top five.
On the boys side, Missoula Hellgate (15-1) maintained its stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking, as coaches gave the Knights seven first-place votes. Teams from the Eastern AA — Great Falls High (13-3), Bozeman (12-4), Billings West (10-6) and Great Falls CMR (11-5) — complete the top five. The Bison received the eighth and final first-place vote.
The complete Class AA coaches polls are below. Coaches submitted their ballots to MTN Sports, excluding their own teams from the rankings. Five points were rewarded for a first-place vote, four for a second-place vote, three for a third-place vote, two for a fourth-place vote and one for a fifth-place vote.
Class AA boys basketball coaches poll — Feb. 19
1. Missoula Hellgate (15-1) — 35 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Great Falls High (13-3) — 29 (1)
3. Bozeman (12-4) — 19
4. Billings West (10-6) — 13
5. Great Falls CMR (11-5) — 9
Receiving votes: Billings Skyview (10-6), Missoula Sentinel (11-5), Helena Capital (8-8).
Class AA girls basketball coaches poll — Feb. 19
1. Helena High (15-1) — 33 points (5 first-place votes)
2. Helena Capital (15-1) — 29 (2)
3. Billings West (15-1) — 25 (1)
4. Bozeman (11-5) — 12
5. Kalispell Glacier (10-6) — 10
Receiving votes: Missoula Hellgate (10-6), Butte (12-4).
Previous polls can be found below:
Feb. 12, 2019 — No polls
Feb. 5, 2019
Jan. 29, 2019
Jan. 22, 2019
Jan. 16, 2019
Jan. 8, 2019
