STATE TOURNEY TIME: Box Elder girls will be dangerous at state

The Box Elder boys basketball team has made it a habit of making it to the Class C state tournament. This week, the Box Elder girls will return for the first time since 1998, when the Bears won their last state title, and like the boys team, they are out to make it a regular trip.

But more than that, the Bears are focused on the here and now. And after a 21-0 regular season and a second-place finish at the Northern C Divisional, Box Elder believes it has what it takes to compete and win at the state level.

The Bears will find out soon enough, as they are set to take on Broadview-Lavina in the opening round Thursday at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.

“It’s been a long time since we have been to the state tournament,” Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. “So it’s going to be an honor for us to be going back. We know we have work to do from the Belt game and we are going to have to be able to beat teams like that if we want to compete for a state title.”

Rosette hit the nail on the head. If the Bears are going to contend for the state title, they will need to play better than they did against Belt in the Northern C championship game, a game which happens to be Box Elder’s only loss of the season.

“I think that we learned a lot from playing a team like Belt,” Rosette said. “That was a great experience for us and definitely something that we can get better from.”

After getting nearly two weeks to prepare, the Bears will certainly get a chance to show they can beat a big-time team right away, because they will play one in Southern C champion Broadview-Lavina.

One thing that stands out about this year’s state-tournament field, is the fact that there are very few returning teams. Only two teams that made it to state a season ago, are back. And the two teams that met in the championship game, Gardiner, the eventual champion and Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale, both failed to qualify. Belt, which was third a season ago, was the only trophy team to return and the only other returning team is Broadview-Lavina.

The Pirates, who finished second in the Southern C a year ago, won a game at last year’s state tournament, before falling to Belt in loser-out action. Yet, this season, with all five of their starters back, they won the Southern C and look like one of the teams capable of winning the state title.

Alexi Paybe, Brenna Beckett, Tana Allen, Krista Schott and Kyle Schott all started a season ago for the Pirates and those five players along with a solid bench, give Broadview-Lavina one of the deeper, more experienced teams, in Class C basketball.

But, if there is one thing that the Bears have, it’s depth. The team has a loaded starting lineup and a number of key contributors who come off the bench. In the front court, the Bears are led by senior Tyra Gopher, who has turned into one of the most dominant low-post players in Class C.

Surrounding Gopher is an athletic lineup that includes former All-Conference honoree Tia Russell and fellow guards Jude The Boy, Minnie The Boy and Alyssa LaMere. Russell and Jude The Boy are Box Elder’s top perimeter scorers, while LaMere stands out on defense. Minnie The Boy is the point guard, but is also a feisty defender and a skilled 3-point shooter.

“I think that we have the talent to play with anybody,” Rosette said. “We just have to go out and play our best basketball.”

While those five players are vital to the Bears’ success, Box Elder also relies on two bench players to make big contributions and those players are Lillian Gopher and Jaynee Parisian.

If the Bears can get past the Pirates, they would take on the winner of the first game at 12:30 p.m., which pits Arlee, the top team from the Western C and Medicine Lake/Froid, the second seed from the Eastern C, in the semifinals Friday night at 7 p.m.

Belt, which is looking to regain the state title after winning three straight from 2012-2014, is favored to do so and will play Absarokee, the second seed from the Southern C at 7 p.m. Thursday night. The final game of the first day, will take place at 8:30 p.m., and features Plentywood, the top seed from the East, against Seeley-Swan, the second seed from the West.

The consolation game will be held Saturday night at 6:30. The championship game will tip-off at 8. All of the action takes place at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.