Lady Bears go back-to-back

GREAT FALLS -- For the past few weeks, the Roy-Winifred Outlaws have been on a magical run, taking them from fourth place in their district all the way to the Class C girls state championship game.

However, Saturday night at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, the Box Elder Bears made sure the clock finally struck midnight on the Outlaws Cinderella run as the defending state champions used a flurry of first-half 3-pointers to grab a 16-point lead on their Northern C rival.

From there, the Bears salted away their second straight state championship as clutch free throws and defense helped wrap up a 48-42 win.

"This is the best feeling," Box Elder senior Lillian Gopher said. "You can't ask for anything more as a basketball player."

While the Bears grabbed an early lead against Roy-Winifred in the Northern C championship game a week ago in Great Falls, it was nothing compared to Box Elder's hot start Saturday night in the state championship.

Gopher, a senior, roared out of the gates with a 3-pointer, an assist and a jumper. That effort, as well as a triple by Joelnell Momberg helped the Bears build a 19-8 lead at the end of the first quarter following an 8-0 run that closed the opening stanza.

"That's what we do," Box Elder head coach Joel Rosette said. "We want to come out and attack and go up-tempo and we were able to get off to a hot start and hit some shots early."

In the second quarter, the stellar outside shooting continued for Box Elder as freshman Kyla Momberg hit from deep. Then, with just a few minutes before the half, Gopher knocked down another trey, giving the Bears a 31-15 advantage as she scored her 11th point of the opening half.

At that point, it looked as though the Bears might run away with things. But, the Outlaws regained their composure and a 3-pointer from Olivia Geer helped Roy-Winifred overcome 20 turnovers to trail 31-22 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Outlaws continued their comeback and when Geer knocked down another 3-pointer, the Box Elder lead was cut to six at 31-25. Yet, as they did all night and seemingly all tournament, the Bears had the answer.

First, Joelnell Momberg hit a mid-range jumper, which was followed by a tough make from Gopher. That pushed the lead to 10 and when Kyla Momberg hit her second three of the night, the lead was back to 38-25, forcing Roy-Winifred to take its fourth timeout with 3:36 left in third.

A 5-point spurt by the Outlaws that featured a 3-point play by Dyauni Boyce cut the lead back to single digits. Two Sarah Parisian free throws in the final minute of the third made it 40-30 Box Elder heading to the fourth quarter but it was still far from over.

"This was a tough game," Rosette said. "This was not a cakewalk. Roy-Winifred played a really great game and we really had to work hard defensively to close it out. They got the momentum and we wanted to try and get it back."

In the final eight minutes, the game continued to tighten. Box Elder suddenly went cold and on the other end, Boyce scored four more points to get the Outlaws within four. A bucket by Madeline Heggem at the 2:13 mark got Roy-Winifred within two points at 40-38.

With its lead shrinking, Box Elder didn't panic. The Bears tried to milk the clock and burned nearly a minute before Sarah Parisian was fouled. Parisian, who hit the game-winning three against Turner last week at the Northern C, stepped to the line and made two huge free throws, which put the Bears back up four.

"I am a good free throw shooter," Parisian said. "So I had confidence that I could step up and make it. But really, I am proud of all of us. We all stepped up and it's just hard to describe how this feels right now."

Then, following some key stops, Joelnell Momberg, Gopher and Eve The Boy all made all went 2-for-2 at the line to wrap up the 48-42 win, a victory which clinched a second straight state championship for the Bears.

"I am just so proud of these girls," Rosette said. "They embodied everything you would want in a basketball team. They showed toughness, heart, determination and they did something that made history. No team in Box Elder history, boys or girls has ever won two championships in a row, so that was incredible for this team to come together and do that."

Gopher led the way for the Bears with 15 points in the championship game. Joelnell Momberg added 13 and Kyla Momberg also pitched in with eight. Boyce and Heggem each scored 14 and 12 points respectively in the loss.

"It feels great," Joelnell Momberg said of the second state title. "I don't even know what to say, that's how great it feels. I am just so proud of all my teammates."

Box Elder finished the 2018-19 season with a 25-2 record and with the win, the Box Elder girls became the first team in school history to win back-to-back state championships in any sport.