George Ferguson Column: 9C tournament gets better and better

Two new teams, a new schedule and more exciting games. That was what the 2015 District 9C tournament was about heading into last Wednesday.

But even with all the changes, it was really as if nothing had changed — because no matter what, the 9C tournament is special. It’s special to the players, the fans, the schools, and it’s extremely special to Havre.

And make no mistake, this past week was indeed a special one at the Havre High gymnasium.

First and foremost, the week was particularly special to the two 9C champions, the Box Elder boys and the Fort Benton-Geraldine girls. Box Elder became the first 9C boys team to win three straight 9C titles since the great Big Sandy Pioneers’ teams of the 2008-2010. It’s a wonderful accomplishment, and this time next February, the Bears and head coach Jeremy MacDonald will be gunning for fourth straight 9C title — something that hasn’t been done since KG did it nearly two decades ago.

And while it was FB-G’s first 9C championship, it was no less special. Around Thanksgiving, the girls of Fort Benton and Geraldine were unsure of what kind of basketball season, if any, they were going to have. And yet, Friday night, they became 9C champions.

To the players all over the 9C, that’s what it’s all about. From Turner to Hays-Lodge Pole and all the schools in between, all of the kids dream of winning the 9C championship, and that dream came true for Box Elder and Fort Benton-Geraldine this weekend.

But it’s not just the champions that make this tournament what it is. It’s all of the kids and coaches who pour their hearts into this one great weekend in Havre. Every boy and every girl puts everything they have on the line, win or lose, and that’s what makes the 9C tournament the great tourney that it is.

Of course, the 9C wouldn’t be what it is without the great fans either. Towns like Chester, Rudyard and Big Sandy completely shut down during 9C week. Folks from all over the Hi-Line and Havre area descend on the HHS gymnasium and make the four days and nights inside it an electric atmosphere. So, to all the fans who attended the 9C tournament this past week — job well done. None of this would be possible without all of you.

There’s plenty of people behind the scenes that make the 9C tournament so great, too. Dennis Murphy, and all of the Havre High administration work diligently to open the HHS doors to the 9C and help make it such a great event. They deserve to be commended. So, too, does Chinook Activities Director Paula Molyneaux. She’s in charge of the tournament itself, and she does an incredible job of making the week run so well and making it such a great event for the schools, the players and the fans.

And I would like to send a personal thank you to North Star Activities Director Brian Campbell. With him running the stats all week, he certainly made our job as journalists a heck of a lot easier. And to the all the volunteers and the people who pitched in to make this week so great, thank you to all of you, too.

Yes, everyone deserves a pat on the back after such a great tournament. The 9C has always been a great week, and it’s always been one of the crown jewels of Havre’s sports landscape. And this year’s tournament proved that 9C week is better than ever.

So, after one amazing week of basketball in Havre, thank you. And we’ll see all of you back in the corral next February.