Box Elder falls to Winnett-Grass Range to get 2nd at Northern C

GREAT FALLS -- The Box Elder girls basketball team notched a season-defining win over Belt Friday night at the Northern C Divisional tournament, but Saturday night, in the championship game, the Bears didn't have the same fire and against Winnett-Grass Range it cost them.

The other thing that cost the Bears, was an 11-of-26 shooting day at the free throw line, including a number of misses in the final minutes that proved to be the difference. While the Bears struggled at the charity stripe, the Rams excelled, making 15-of-18 from the line in a 56-47 win Saturday in Great Falls at the Four Seasons Arena.

"I am happy that we are going to state," Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. "But I am very disappointed with how we played. We didn't have a lot of intensity and we missed 15 free throws."

Despite the loss and the second-place finish, Box Elder will make its second trip in three years to the Class C state tournament, which starts March 8 in Butte at the Butte Civic Center. Winnett-Grass Range will be the top seed out of the Northern C and Belt, the defending Class C state champions, will have to settle for third, even with a 22-1 record. The Huskies could have challenged WGR if Box Elder had won. Instead, their run at a third consecutive state title comes to an end.

The Lady Bears fell behind 14-12 at the end of the first quarter and at the break, they trailed the Rams 26-20. Yet, in the third quarter, Box Elder started to make a run. First, Maddie Wolf Chief drained a 3-pointer. Then, 3-point plays by Wolf Chief and Vielle put the Bears up 36-33 with 2:43 left in the third quarter. However, the lead wouldn't last.

Going into the fourth quarter, Box Elder held a two-point advantage, but that's when the Bears went cold. Winnett-Grass Range held Box Elder to nine points over the final eight minutes, while scoring 20 points on the other end to claim the Northern C championship.

Box Elder (22-2) got 14 points and three rebounds in the loss from Vielle. Joelnell Momberg also pitched in with 14. Sydney Browning and Brynn Jolma both scored 14 in the win for the Rams. Taylor Stahl also contributed with 10 points.