I was there when the hoops stopped

In my time watching and covering sports, there are things I have seen and things I have yet to see. I remember sports being canceled because of poor weather, travel restrictions and other complications. But, in my brief time as a sports writer, I have never seen something like what happened last weekend, when the coronavirus tore through the Montana sports world.

And I had a front row seat for it at the Class A state tournament in Billings.

I remember the first moment I saw the press release by the Montana High School Association. I was heading back from the aftermath of the Havre High girls basketball game versus the Billings Central Rams semifinal game last Friday night at First Interstate Bank Arena at the Metra in Billings.

I had not pulled out my phone yet when heading back to the hotel, but then it buzzed consistently, which to me usually indicated something major had happened on Twitter. That's when I saw the tweet from Victor Flores of 406 Sports, which had the statement from MHSA Executive Director Mark Beckman.

"As such, the Montana High School Association has no choice but to cancel the remainder of our state basketball tournaments," Beckman said in the release. "Though this is not the result that the MHSA wants, the Association will designate the winners of tonight's semi-final as co-state champions."

At that moment, at 9 p.m., my brain had to reread that part. MHSA canceled the state tournament? Woah.

I relayed the information to our photographer after processing it. There was a mix of reactions. In my case, it was both surprising, but expected. I was surprised because there was no indication of any positive cases in Montana yet, so it hit different. But at the same time, I expected it to happen, as it was the rational decision that any executive would make.

What followed was a span of many texts and phone calls with a variety of people, one of them being Havre High School Activities Director Dennis Murphy. I needed a quote from him regarding the cancellation of the state tournament.

"We've been following the recommendation of the CDC and the medical personnel in Montana," Murphy said. "The association has been in contact with them each day and obviously, we've come to a point where it was time, we need to cancel this tournament. It's unfortunate, but it's based on what's going around, it's the right thing to do."

After receiving that quote, I worked to finish my gamer that was due that night, which as many have likely already read, detailed the game between the Blue Ponies and the Rams, as well as the end of the basketball season due to COVID-19 concerns.

The rest of that night, I sat in my hotel office chair, scrolling through Twitter, looking for more information, reactions and perspectives.

I saw both sides of the coin. There were folks that knew it was coming and respected the tough decision Beckman had to make, some were cold about the cancellation, wanting to just finish the tournaments that were already started. But nothing prepared me to hear the Class C state basketball fan's and the Hellgate High School boys basketball teams' reactions.

I watched those videos on Twitter. The first being the Class C reaction. I remember the booing, cursing and disappointment in the decision. It was so loud that the announcement was being drowned out multiple times. I felt those fans' pain, but I knew there was no other safe choice at the time.

Then came the series of Hellgate videos. The first being the reaction of the end of the Hellgate High boys' basketball season. There were tears, hugs and an eerie mix of angry and stunned silence. The next was the Knights claiming their personal trophy of the hoop net, while Montana State University officials were trying to stop the young men.

That night felt so surreal to me. Before 9 p.m., everything was entirely different.

When I first arrived at the Metra, it was exactly how I remembered from the years I had been there before. The Metra was packed, loud and was bursting with excitable energy. It was a great feeling to be back there again after being absent for what felt like so long. And it was exciting to be covering my first state tournament.

Things were running behind game-wise though, as the Browning High and Butte Central High boys were still in the first half of its semifinal showdown. I managed to find a courtside seat to watch the game and prep my notes for the Havre versus Billings Central bout next.

Then came along an older gentleman, whose name I cannot remember now, but he was a Native American media photographer. The amusing thing was, I had unintentionally taken his seat. But that mishap led to an eventful conversation throughout the second boys semifinal game.

The reason I bring this up was because I remember briefly chatting with him about the coronavirus. We both shared a our views about the virus.

Then came the Ponies game against the Rams. I had watched these girls for a long time, from previous years to this season. On top of that, I've watched them fall to Billings Central twice in the last two years, whether it was in person or through a stream of the game. Regardless, I was excited for another great game.

I remember watching Mya Hansen an Olivia Moten-Schell battling it out with Kyndall Keller and Sadie Filius. I saw offenses stutter and defenses triumph for most of the opening moments in the game. There were missed free throws, sweet shots from the corner and powerful drives to the basket.

It was so much to take in. Before my time with the Havre Daily News, I was just a fan in the stands. That Friday night, I saw a different sideof state. I realized how rowdy I was in the stands back then, noticed the passion that these fans had for their teams and I saw how the coaches, especially HHS head coach Dustin Kraske, reacted to the situations at hand.

In that moment, I felt at home in a way, even if I was at the Metra for a different purpose. I may have been in a different seat, for a different reason and had a job to do at the end of the day, but everything felt right in that moment. I watched the Havre High cheerleaders power through their performance with no music and listened to the bands play on.

After halftime, I remember the struggles that both the Ponies and the Rams had. Havre could not get a field goal in the net, while Billings Central had mishaps with turning over the ball. Then those final eight minutes happened, where the Rams took over the game and the Ponies tried to take it back but fell short in the end.

Going back and interviewing Kraske and gathering information about Havre's next game from Murphy was the last exchange I thought I would have that night regarding basketball. I was prepared to head back to my hotel room and write out the gamer with time on my side, remembering what Kraske relayed to me about the bout between his team and the Rams.

"We fought hard tonight," Kraske said. "But Billings Central had us all the way through the game."

Boy was I wrong. The chaos that unfurled after those moments, at 9 p.m., have already been told. Even now as I write this story, I still have no true grasp on just how much I witnessed something historic unfolding right in front of me. I was so unaware that when MHSA canceled the state tournaments, that last weekend would go down in history.

But now, I understand just how much COVID-19 rapidly changed the Montana sports world. It was as quick as a snap of a finger, but instead of half the world's population being erased, it was the hopes and hard work of the players, roars of the fans and memories of many being wiped away.

I look back and I see the world of sports disappear. It was heartbreaking, worrying and overall, unnerving. Do not misunderstand, I know just how much canceling the state tournaments was more beneficial for the health and welfare of the people, but at the time, laying in my hotel bed, it all felt incomplete.

At the end of the day, March 13, 2020, will go down in history as an abrupt halt to Montana sports. The moments I witnessed and shared with others will be a part of that history. Covering the Class A state tournament amid the coronavirus situation was a surreal experience and though many will remember last weekend as a bleak day for Montana sports, I will look back and appreciate that time, where I watched many things rise and fall on and off the court.

And now, sports of all kinds are on hold. It's not just the state tournaments. But for me, as a sports writer, when I look back on all of this, it will all have began in those crazy few hours I spent inside the Metra on March 13, 2020.