Harlem girls go back to state

More basketball teams compete on many different courts, but along the Hi-Line, the 2020 Northern B Divisional girls tournament was going down in the Shelby High School Gymnasium in Shelby last weekend. There, the Harlem Wildcats and the Rocky Boy Morning Stars looked to continue the postseason push.

In the case of the Wildcats and Harlem head coach Marlin Lawrence, they punched their ticket to the 2020 State Class B girls tournament set for Thursday through Saturday in the Butte Civic Center in Butte as the No. 3 seed from the north. Meanwhile, the Rocky Boy head coach Duane Gopher and the Morning Stars saw their season end with a tough two-loss outing.

The Wildcats claimed the spot at state after beating the Glasgow Scotties 67-49 Saturday in the consolation championship. Harlem opened the game sharp, quickly putting up 16 points and holding Glasgow to 10 to lead after one. Then, the Wildcats broke out in a huge 26-point second stanza to lead big 40-19 at the half. Harlem wrapped up the game with 27 points in the second half to grab the win for a state berth. L’Tia Lawrence led the Wildcats with 20 points and Taya Trottier followed with 16.

But before that game, Harlem had to survive a loser-out battle against the Wolf Point Wolves Saturday morning. The Wildcats took down the Wolves 63-37, with each quarter above 10 points, the third period seeing 21 from Harlem. Lawrence once again led the Wildcats with 22 points, but this time Kailee Henry followed with 16. What sent Harlem to the consolation bracket was a tough, 53-45 loss to the Shelby Coyotes Friday night in the semifinals. The Wildcats would keep pace with the Coyotes throughout the first three stanzas, but Shelby pulled away in the fourth quarter to move on to the Northern B championship. Lawrence put up 16 for Harlem against the Coyotes, with Trottier dropping 14.

The Wildcats did punch their spot in the semifinals with a Thursday victory over the Choteau Bulldogs 66-46, with Henry putting up a massive 23-point game to lead Harlem.

Unfortunately for the Morning Stars, they fell short in two close bouts, putting their season at an end. The first loss came Thursday against the Malta M-Ettes 56-36. Rocky Boy pushed to stay with the M-Ettes, but Malta ran away in the second half to pull away with the win. Jaynah Gopher led the Morning Stars with 10 points and Kristen LaMere came after with seven points.

Then, Rocky Boy lost in a barn-burner with Wolf Point 49-47, ending their season. The Wolves kept a steady lead throughout the first half, while the Morning Stars worked hard to cut the lead. Rocky Boy dropped 16 points in the third period to inch closer and 12 in the fourth to get back in the game, but Wolf Point escaped in the end. Gopher led the Morning Stars with 16 points, while LaMere and Sasha Coffee both racked up 10 points each.

Next up, Harlem will open their state competition against Loyola Sacred Heart, the No. 1 seed from the Western B, in the quarterfinals Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the Butte Civic Center in Butte for the 2020 State Class B girls tournament. This is Harlem's second straight trip to state.

Northern B

at Shleby

Harlem 67, Glasgow 49 (3rd)

Harlem 16 24 10 17 – 67

Glasgow 10 9 9 21 – 49

HAR: L'Tia Lawrence 20; Taya Trottier 16; Kailee Henry 13; Gabi Bell 8; Taeshon Schaeffer 5; Aria Owens 4; Alaynee Hawley 1.

GLA: Riley Noser 11; Abe Nielsen 11; Anika Peters 7; Laura Ross 6; Taylor Pederson 4; Tyann Graham 3; Keely Fossum 3; Davyn Myrick 2; Daley Aune 2.

Harlem 63, Wolf Point 46 (LO)

Wolf Point 9 14 6 17 – 46

Harlem 15 13 21 14 – 63

WFP: Mya Fourstar 18; Hamaynie Campbell 9; J'Elle Garfield 9; Jaylee Azure 4; Tori Nyguard 2; Katelyn MacDonald 2; Josie Kolsted 2.

HAR: L'Tia Lawrence 22; Kailee Henry 16; Taya Trottier 11; Aria Owens 7; Gabi Bell 6; Taeshon Schaeffer 1.

Shelby 53, Harlem 45 (SF)

Shelby 22 10 11 10 – 53

Harlem 20 11 10 4 – 45

SHBY: Maddison Underdal 17; Kendall Anderson 12; Brogan McAllister 11; Bailey Johnson 8; Brielle Aklestad 5.

HAR: L'Tia Lawrence 16; Taya Trottier 14; Kailee Henry 6; Kristyn Kittson 4; Gabi Bell 3; Taeshon Schaeffer 2.

Wolf Point 49, Rocky Boy 47 (LO)

Rocky Boy 11 8 16 12 – 47

Wolf Point 15 13 9 12 – 49

RKB: Jaynah Gopher 16; Kristen LaMere 10; Sasha Coffee 10; Jeralyn Parker 8; J'Leanna Raining Bird 3.

WFP: Mya Fourstar 22; J'Elle Garfield 9; Jaylee Azure 7; Hamaynie Campbell 5; Josie Kolsted 4; Tori Nyguard 2.

Harlem 66, Choteau 46

Choteau 11 13 11 11 – 46

Harlem 20 17 15 14 – 66

CHT: Ada Bieler 18; Christine Funk 11; Nicole Krone 8; Abby McCollom 5; Jessie Henderson 2; Emma Gunderson 2; Savannah Duroeher 1; Lila Bradley 1.

HAR: Kailee Henry 23; L'Tia Lawrence 13; Taya Trottier 10; Gabi Bell 6; Alaynee Hawley 4; Kristyn Kittson 4; Aria Owens 3; Taeshon Schaeffer 3.

Malta 56, Rocky Boy 36

Malta 10 13 17 16 – 56

Rocky Boy 7 12 9 8 – 36

MAL: Kylee Nelson 10; Justine Lamb 9; Carly Garfield 8; Allie Kunze 8; Kelbe Denham 7; Maddie Williamson 7; Addy Anderson 5; Kylie Hunter 2.

RKB: Jaynah Gopher 10; Kristen LaMere 7; Jeralyn Parker 6; Sasha Coffee 4; Ella Moore 4; J'Leanna Raining Bird 3.