Three 9C squads ready to battle in Great Falls

It's going to be a long week. It's going to feel different in so many ways. But the Northern C Divisional Girls Basketball Tournament is as exciting as it gets and that won't be any different.

Starting today at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, three District 9C teams will try to navigate their way through arguably the toughest bracket in all of Class C girls basketball.

And the action starts this afternoon with the upstart Box Elder Bears (10-7) taking on Cascade, the third-place team from the 10C in the opening game of the tournament. The Bears are returning to Great Falls after a one-year absence, after they finished third at last week's 9C. Box Elder, led by stars Kyla Momberg and Angela Gopher are a real dark-horse pick this week after they've really started to click in the second half of the season.

Head coach Jerome Gopher won't let his team look ahead, instead just focusing on the Badgers (12-6), who beat Simms by one point in overtime to reach the Northern C.

"Just one game at a time, one tournament at a time," Gopher said. "We feel as long as we get to divisional, as long as we still have a chance, we'll be fine."

The winner of today's game will face 8C champion Roy-Winifred Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. The Outlaws (12-1) outlasted Belt in the 8C chipper and are led by Madeline Heggem, Cadence Tilleman and Megan Bergum among others.

The top half of the bracket also includes the Fort Benton Longhorns, who were shocked by North Star in the 9C championship game. Still, Fort Benton will be a team to beat this week in Great Falls, with the talents of Aspen and Emerson Giese, Maci Molinario and perhaps the deepest bench in the field. The Longhorns (17-2) open the tournament Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Valier (15-4). The Panthers, coached by former Big Sandy great Michelle Beck, have had a huge season, and with just one senior, their future looks to be very bright, starting with this week's tourney in Great Falls.

Fort Benton, though, will be ready to go, especially after the stunning OT loss in the 9C championship game.

"I think we're going to be hungry. I think we can learn a lot and come back ready to play," Head coach Cassie Pimperton said.

The bottom half of the bracket includes the Knights (14-3) who take on Geraldine-Highwood today at 3:30. North Star's run to Great Falls has been spectacular, but the Knights aren't just happy to be at the Four Seasons Arena for the first time in three years, they're there to win.

"We're just going to come in and keep playing the same ball we know how to play," North Star head coach Jen Wendland said.

And that ball has been really good, led by Jade Wendland, Laynie Sattoriva and Kenidee Wolery, all of which averaged double digits at the 9C. But the trio isn't alone. North Star goes 10 deep, and the Knights are really on a roll.

North Stars' opponent, the Rivals, is the long shot story of the Northern C, after going just 4-7 in the regular season. The Rivals won three times, including a two-point win over Tri-City to reach Great Falls with a 7-8 record.

The winner of the North Stars/Rivals game will face either Augusta or Belt in the semifinals. The Huskies (13-2) were upset in the 8C chipper but will still be one of the favorites this week, as they always are under head coach Jeff Graham. The Huskies are always talented, with the likes of Lindsey Paulson and others leading this year's team. Meanwhile, Augusta (14-3) won the 10C for the second straight year, behind the strong play of 6-0 stars Olivia Isakson and Dayna Mills, as well as guard Lilly Smock.

The game between Belt and Augusta is set for Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. with the semifinals taking place Thursday at 6 and 8:30 p.m. The girls loser-out games will be held Wednesday at 8 a.m. Thursday at 8 and 10:30 a.m., Friday at 1 and 3:30 p.m., and the consolation game is slated for Saturday at 1 p.m. The girls championship will take place Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and if a challenge game is needed, it will be played Monday at 3:30 p.m.

Of course, there are two spots at the Class C state tournament on the line this week in Great Falls. The Northern C starts Tuesday and runs through Saturday at the Four Seasons Arena.

The Class C state tournament will be held March 10-13 at Lockwood High School in Billings.