We have great hoops around here, and we will be there for as much as we possibly can

If you saw our coverage of the District 9C tournament last week, and we hope you did, then you know, we really enjoy bringing you the most comprehensive high school hoops coverage we can.

Of course, with the 9C right in our backyard, we’re able to do that pretty well, in my humble opinion. And I would be remise if I didn’t say, last week’s coverage of the 9C tourney didn’t come without the help of many, including Havre High activities director Dennis Murphy, Chinook AD Paula Molyneaux and North Star AD Brian Campbell. Those three always help us so much, and in general, do such a great job of making the 9C the amazing week that is.

Now though, we march forward with tournament season, and, from here, things get a bit tricky because no longer are the tournaments just down the street from our offices, or from where I live. No, they now spread out across Montana, and, as much as we can, we will spread out, too.

This week, much of live coverage will be centered at the Northern C, for multiple reasons. First, it’s where six local teams are playing, and secondly, it’s a tournament that allows us to drive back and forth. In other words, it’s the closest and most convenient.

Having said that, just know, especially all our Havre High fans, we will still have full coverage of the Eastern A this week. We will have photos and stories and comments, and everything that goes with covering such a huge event. We will do the same for the Northern B in Malta, too.

Obviously, as sports editor, I wish we could cover every single tournament game of every single team that represents our coverage area — but that’s just not reality. I would love to cover the Eastern A fulltime, because, the Havre Blue Ponies are one of the main focal points of our sports section, and they always will be. But that’s not always feasible either, and honestly, another reason why is because of how good they are.

We know we will be heading to Billings to cover the Havre High girls for state, and very much hope the Blue Pony boys will be there, too. So you see, because teams like the Havre girls are so good, there’s another method to our madness, as in, covering state tournaments in two weeks is a big priority, so we must plan accordingly.

In fact, this basketball season, and many in recent years, we’ve had to cover for sure two, and sometimes three state tournaments on the same weekend, and this year is no different. Havre, Harlem, Fort Benton, those are just three of our schools that we know are really, really good and are going to go deep into the final weekend of the season. And we’ll be there for it all. It’s a lot of work, a lot of driving and a lot of logistics, especially for a staff of just three, but I consider myself lucky that I cover an area with so much good high school basketball — and it makes it all worth it in the end.

So, as basketball tournaments continue this week, we will do our very best to cover every single team in our coverage area, whether we’re physically at the tournament or not. We will make sure our coverage is as comprehensive and in depth is it can be, and we will do our very best to bring it all to you.

So stay tuned, basketball fans, because this next couple of weeks, they’re going to be a lot of fun.