Longhorns bust out of the Corral

Aspen Giese knew that the District 9C girls championship game between Fort Benton and Box Elder might come down to a last-second shot. She also knew, that if it did, she wanted to be the one to take it. Even if she had to wait until overtime.

It took an offensive rebound for Giese to get the shot that she wanted, but with her team down by one to Box Elder, she got the ball up and into the basket, before time expired. The bucket gave the Longhorns a 62-61 win over Box Elder, as well as the 9C championship, Fort Benton's second in the last four years. When it hit the bottom of the net, pandemonium reigned inside Havre's HHS gymnasium Saturday night.

"I tried to get position," Giese said. "I was thinking if it goes in, it goes in, but I want to be there for the rebound. I saw it go up and then I got it and completely chucked it up and it managed to go in and I just kind of blacked out after that.

"It feels great to finally beat Box Elder after so many competitive games," Leah Gannon said. "I couldn't believe it. I thought it was over when we took the last shot. Then, Aspen put it in and I just started crying."

Giese's game-winning shot was incredible. But she wouldn't have gotten the chance without her 3-point shot with 40 seconds left in overtime that got Fort Benton back within one at 61-60,

"That was a big shot," Fort Benton head coach Cassie Pimperton said. "Giese, she is resilient. She just doesn't stop. None of the girls stop. She's a good kid. She works a lot. Her teammates do a lot to get her the ball."

Lily Gopher used a layup and two free throws to put the Bears up 61-57, but the triple from Giese trimmed it to one. Then, with 13 seconds remaining, Box Elder missed two free throws. On the other end, McKenna Hanford got the first shot up, but it missed, yet Giese got the board and beat the buzzer, leaving Box Elder, the two-time champions of the 9C and the top-ranked team in Class C girls basketball, stunned. It was the Bears' (20-1) first loss of the season. They will head to Great Falls as the second seed from the 9C.

"I am really proud of our kids," Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. "They battled. We came back and gave ourselves a chance to win. It just came down to a last-second shot. We made one against them a couple weeks back, this time, they made one. That's how it goes sometimes."

In the early going, it looked like Box Elder was headed for a third straight 9C title, as it burst out of the gates and grabbed a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. But in the second, Giese started to take over. She scored a total of 14 points in the stanza, starting with a slew of mid-range jumpers. She also connected on a pair of 3-pointers and at the half, the Longhorns led 32-28.

In the third quarter, Fort Benton continued to separate itself. Gannon knocked down a shot from deep, then Giese was fouled on a three and made all three free throws to give the Longhorns a 50-41 advantage at the start of the fourth quarter.

Yet with time running out, Box Elder finally put together a run. The Bears ripped off an 8-0 spurt that was capped with a triple from Sarah Parisian, who got Box Elder within one point at 50-49. Giese answered with two, but the Bears responded with six straight points. Cecilia Vielle scored to give them the lead and Joelnell Momberg pushed it to three points in the final minute of regulation, before McKenna Hanford banked in a 3-point shot to tie the score at 55-55. Box Elder got two shots to try to win the game, but both narrowly missed.

"These kids are just resilient," Pimperton said. "They just work. They work, they work. Every day in practice, we try to make it harder on them in the game and they just don't stop. They are a fun team."

In the extra session, Box Elder scored five of the first seven points, but Giese scored the final five, sealing the win and the championship for Fort Benton.

"The last time, they won on a last second shot," Giese said. "And I was thinking last night, if that happens, I want the ball. I just can't believe that this happened, but I am so happy."

Giese scored 26 points in the win for the Longhorns, making 9-of-14 attempts. She also added four rebounds, three steals and three assists. Hanford pitched in with 11 points and six rebounds. Gannon also scored seven points in addition to nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

"It's crazy," Hanford added. "It's so exciting, we have been working so hard for this."

Box Elder got a team-high 21 points from Gopher, who also grabbed eight rebounds, five steals and two assists. Vielle also had a stellar outing, finishing with 18 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks.

To get to Saturday night, both Box Elder and Fort Benton had to win Friday night in the semifinals. Box Elder took on Chester-Joplin-Inverness and roared out of the gates with a 20-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. At the half, the Bears were up 33-14 and they would go on to win 67-27. Vielle had 19 points in the win for the Box Elder. Gopher and Momberg each had 14. Korrin Harmon led CJI with seven points.

Fort Benton took on third-seeded Turner in its semifinal game, but in their matchup the Longhorns fell behind early and the Tornadoes jumped out to an 18-11 lead. Fort Benton outscored Turner 17-5 in the second quarter. Yet, the Tornadoes were down just seven heading into the fourth quarter, when the Longhorns outscored them 23-8 to put the game away. Giese led the way with 20 for Fort Benton. McKenzie Clark added 13 and Hanford had 11. Shyan Krass had 14 points to pace Turner. Sarah Billmayer finished with 13.

Both teams advanced to the Northern C Divisional Tournament this week in Great Falls. Fort Benton will play Tri-Cities Wednesday at 7 p.m. Box Elder will face Great Falls Central Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Fort Benton, which won its second district title in four years, is now 19-2.

"It's just sweet," Pimperton said. "Box Elder is a great team and it very well could have been them hitting the last second shot. Those are the games we want. Great teams and good players hit big shots to win them."

An Instant Classic

Fort Benton 62, Box Elder 61, OT, 1st

Fort Benton 9 23 12 13 5 -- 62

Box Elder 13 15 16 11 6 -- 61

Fort Benton - Cassie Knack 4, McKenzie Clark 3, Aspen Giese 26, Abby Clark 4, Maci Molinario 2, Megan Clark 5, Leah Gannon 7, McKenna Hanford 11. Totals 22 10-16 62.

Box Elder - Sarah Parisian 6, Eve The Boy 4, Maddie Wolf Chief 6, Lillian Gopher 21, Joelnell Momberg 6, Cecilia Vielle 18. Totals 23 11-21 61.

3-pointers: A. Giese 3, L. Gannon 2, McKenzie Clark 1, Megan Clark 1, McKenna Hanford 1, Sarah Parisian 2, M. Wolf Chief 1, L. Gopher 1. Total fouls: Fort Benton 15, Box Elder 15. Fouled out - Joelnell Momberg, Abby Clark.