Stars earn Class B All-State

Boys basketball in the Northern B was as good as it gets this season. With yet another state champion coming out of the Northern B in Wolf Point, as well as great teams like Shelby, Rocky Boy and Cut Bank to name a few, this year was as good as ever on the Hi-Line.

And this past week, several local players from the Northern B were honored for this past season.

Rocky Boy seniors Lesin Oats and Garrett Lafromboise were both named Class B All-State for the 2010-11 season. The Stars were again magical, going 19-5 and finishing in a tie for fifth at the Northern B tournament. Oats and Lafromboise combined to average nearly 28 points per game, while Lafromboise averaged a double-double, including pulling down 10 rebounds per outing.

Both players were selected first-team all-conference in the 1B, along with Chase Ballantyne and Chase White of Shelby, Fairfield's Colby Hardin and Cut Bank's Lighthizer. Ballantyne was also a Class B All-State selection.

In the 2B, it was a tough year for a young Harlem Wildcat's squad, and while no players earned all-conference honors this season, the all-conference lists for the 2B were indicative of just how good the league was. The the first team was made up of two Wolf Point, three Malta and one Poplar player.

Earning Class B All-State honors from the 2B were Jacob Bauer and Jesse Driftwood, both seniors from state champion Wolf Point, as well as Malta senior Daine Stiles and Poplar's Avery Young.

District 1B

All-State nominations

Chase Ballantyne, Shelby; Leisin Oats, Rocky Boy; Garrett Lafromboise, Rocky Boy.

First Team

Chase Ballantyne, 6-2 sr, Shelby; Leisin Oats, 5-10 sr, Rocky Boy; Garrett Lafromboise, 6-5 sr, Rocky Boy; Colby Hardin, 5-10 sr, Fairfield; Chase White, 6-3 sr, Shelby; J.J. Lighthizer, 5-11 sr, Cut Bank.

Second Team

Ben Moerkerke, 6-7 jr, Conrad; Dylan Smith, 6-1 sr, Cut Bank; Isaac Howard, 6-3 jr, Choteau; Kyle Berkram, 5-1'0 sr, Cut Bank; Trace Brady, 5-10 jr, Fairfield; Graham Grubb, 6-3 sr, Conrad.

District 2B

First Team

Jacob Bauer - SR - Wolf Point; Kendall Denham - SO — Malta; Jesse Driftwood - SR - Wolf Point; Jarvis Graham - SR — Malta; Dane Stiles - SR — Malta; Avery Young - JR — Poplar.

Second Team

Kyle Boos - JR — Malta; Taylor Buckles - JR — Poplar; Chaz Gordon - JR — Glasgow; Matt McCoy - SR — Plentywood; Rob Nyby - JR — Plentywood; Mechiah Zilkoski - SO - Wolf Point.

All-State

Jacob Bauer - SR - Wolf Point; Jesse Driftwood - SR - Wolf Point; Dane Stiles - SR — Malta; Avery Young - JR — Poplar.