STATE TOURNEY TIME: Bears standing on the brink of Class C history

For one year now, the Box Elder boys basketball team has been waiting for the Class C state tournament — and finally, this week in Great Falls, it has arrived and so has the Bears' chance to cement their status as a Class C dynasty.

There have been a lot of teams that have won state tournaments, but winning multiple titles, and especially winning two in three years, is a much different animal.

And if the Bears are able to achieve it and finish with an incredible record of 76-3 over three years, then few could deny that their run, is one of the greatest Class C hoops in Montana has ever seen.

“If we can make this happen, it will be one of the best runs,” Box Elder head coach Jeremy MacDonald said. “We have had some teams that have gone back-to-back or won three in a row, so there have been some historical runs. Last year, we missed an opportunity to get three in a row — we thought we had a shot — but if we can get two out of three state championships, that would give us three losses over a three-year span. That’s up there with some great historical runs.

“We recognize that this is a special group of kids,” he added. “They have just put in so many hours and not just playing basketball. It has been in the weight room, giving up their summer vacations or going out for football. During the fall, they were either lifting weights or practicing for football and they had a special run there too. These guys have been in big games and big situations. They are prepared and as long as we can get them locked in for those three games in Great Falls, we look we have a good shot at going 3-0.”

While the Bears know what's at stake, they also know that they are going to have to overcome seven other, very good teams, in order to achieve their ultimate goal. The first team Box Elder will face is Reed Point-Rapelje. The game will tip off thursday at the Four Seasons Arena at 6:30 p.m.

The Renegades, who were a surprise qualifier for the state tournament after upsetting Plenty Coups in the semifinals of the Southern C Divisional before losing to Terry in the championship and finishing second, will have their hands full with a Box Elder team that comes into the tournament with a record 23-1.

“They (Renegades) pulled a couple of upsets to get to the state tournament,” MacDonald said. “They have a couple of good scorers and they have some size. But for us, it’s really going to be about tempo. Teams at state are going to want to slow down the pace of play. We want to speed it up.”

The Bears, who haven't lost since December, are on a 21-game winning streak and are fresh off an impressive victory in the Northern C championship game over Belt, the defending Class C state champion. Yet, after losing to Highwood in the first round of the 2015 Northern C, the Bears have learned to take things one game at a time.

"Right now, I am just focused on the state tournament, on the first round," Box Elder guard Brandon The Boy said. "I am glad that we are back at the state tournament. We have worked really hard to get back to this point. After what happened last year, we are still really hungry and our goal is to win a state championship, but we have to take care of business in the first round and that's the only thing that matters right now."

One thing the Bears have going for them is the fact that The Boy might be the best player in Class C basketball right now. The senior was stellar throughout the regular season and during both the 9C and Northern C tournaments.

The Boy performed well in each game of both tournaments, but where he really stood out was in the championship game of each as he scored 31 points in the district championship and 25 in the divisional championship. And while his 25 points against Belt was impressive, the fact that he turned it over just once against the vaunted Belt press, was impressive in its own right.

The Boy is a great point guard, but he is also surrounded with a team as talented as any in the state. All-State forward Jerrod Four Colors is playing some of his best basketball and is fresh off a performance against Belt that saw him score 20 points, grab five rebounds and notch five blocks.

The presence of Four Colors inside is a major weapon for the Bears, as is the group of dangerous shooters on the perimeter that includes Jake Jones, Pernell Morsette and Shane Ketchum. Coming off the bench for Box Elder are a number of other players good enough to start for most teams. They include Tristan Bernard, Trey Henderson, Pete Azure and Elias Duran.

“This has really been a year in the making,” MacDonald said. “We have been looking forward to this and working for this since last year at the Northern C.”

Coming in, the Bears are among the favorites to win it all, especially on the heels of their win over Belt. Yet the Huskies, who are still the defending champs, have the players, such as Koltin Haugrose and Matt Metrione needed to contend and more than enough depth. Arlee, which was the runner up in 8-Man football, is also loaded and a serious threat to play for it all Saturday night.

“Us (Bears), Belt and Arlee are probably the three favorites,” MacDonald said. “But Mon-Dak has also been to the state tournament the past few years. We played them in the championship game two years ago, so there could be some historical matchups in the semifinals.”

Arlee, the top seed from the West, will open the tournament against Culbertson in the first game Thursday at 12:30 p.m. Terry, the champion of the Southern C, will play Belt right after at 2 p.m. Then, the Bears will play RPR at 6:30 p.m., followed by Westby-Grenora, the Eastern C champion, (Mon-Dak) taking on Manhattan Christian at 8 p.m.

If Box Elder wins Thursday, it would play either Westby-Grenora or Manhattan Christian Friday at 8 p.m. The championship game will be Saturday night at 8. All games will be played inside the Four Seasons Arena.