GREAT FALLS — Opening up the Northern C divisional tournament was the Belt Huskies and Fort Benton Longhorn girls.
A tightly-contested matchup through the first three quarters, but the Longhorns had a four-point advantage heading into the final frame. Aaliyah Gaylord was able to bring the Huskies within two, but Fort Benton caught fire in the fourth and ran away with it, winning 48-36.
Emerson Giese posted 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks for the Longhorns. Kylee Permann finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists for the Huskies.
The next girls game featured the Augusta Elks and the defending state champs, Roy-Winifred Outlaws.
The Outlaws used a big second quarter to jump out to a 35-8 lead. Laynee Elness pulled her weight by scoring 21 points in the first half. The Outlaws went on to win 57-18, securing their spot in Friday’s semifinals.
The first boys game of the tournament saw Big Sandy take on Great Falls Central. The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, but Great Falls Central fought back to even the score at 14 after the first eight minutes.
Big Sandy outscored the Mustangs 25-8 in the second quarter, propelling them to a 17-point half time lead and they never looked back as they went on to win 71-50. Braydon Cline powered the Pioneers with 25 points in the first half and finished with 32. Great Falls Central was led by Austin Armstrong with 12 points and nine rebounds. Deegan Duffy and Relic Smith added 10 points each for the Mustangs.
The final game of the day matched Belt with Dutton-Brady for a spot in the semifinals. Diamondbacks would get on the board first with a jumper from Aidan Reeve but that would be their only lead on the day. The Huskies opened up the game in the first quarter going up 23-2, propelling them to a dominant 76-17 win. Huskies were led by Reese Paulson with 14 points.
Another eight-game schedule will begin Thursday morning at 8 a.m.
