Harlem boys and girls basketball ready for state tournament

The postseason has been more than kind to Harlem basketball fans as both the Harlem boys and girls basketball teams have qualified for this week's Class B State Tournament in Bozeman. It is the first time that both the boys and girls basketball teams will be heading to the state tournament the same year so local basketball fans are excited.

"It's huge for the community and it's huge for the younger generations that they see that and I hope that the younger kids, feed off of it," Harlem girls head coach Brandon Trottier said. "A lot of community members are really happy and really proud of these girls and boys."

The Harlem girls basketball team will begin the tournament tonight at 5 p.m. with a game against Thompson Falls. The Thompson Falls Blue Hawks enter the tournament with a 16-8 record and are coming off a second-place finish in the Western B Divisionals.

The Blue Hawks have been led by the likes of Ellie Baxter and Avery Burgess this postseason. In the Western B Divisionals, Baxter averaged 16.7 points a game while Burgess averaged seven points a contest.

The Harlem Wildcats are 6-12 on the year but have momentum as they finished second in the Northern B Divisionals. Several Wildcats had strong postseasons to help lead Harlem to a state berth. Taya Trottier continued her strong season as she averaged 24.7 points a game at divisionals. Chloe Messerly and Emma Billmayer also played well at divisionals as they each averaged 7.7 points a contest. While the Wildcats have a losing record this year, Brandon Trottier believes the Wildcats' recent play has them feeling confident.

"I was just telling these girls that our next goal is to win everything," Trottier said. "We have a really good chance the way we're playing basketball right now."

If Harlem wins its opening game of the tournament, the Wildcats will play either Colstrip or Glasgow, who will play each other today at 3:30 p.m. The Colstrip Fillies should be one of the favorites in the tournament as they have a 22-1 record and they won the Southern B Divisionals. The Glasgow Scotties have a 16-8 record and they finished third in the Northern B Divisionals.

The state tournament began this morning with a game between Malta and Columbus. The Malta M-Ettes are more than capable of making a deep run this weekend as they have a 19-2 record and just won the Northern B Divisionals. The Columbus Cougars have a 15-8 record and finished second in the Southern B Divisionals.

The winner of that game will then face either Bigfork or Jefferson, who played each other this morning. The Bigfork Valkyries should be another favorite in the tournament with their 22-1 record and Western B Divisional championship. But the Jefferson Panthers are a more than capable opponent as they have a 21-3 record and are coming off a third-place finish in the Southern B Divisionals.

This weekend has many tough teams competing for a state title. With so many contenders, it would be easy to overlook the Harlem Wildcats because of their losing record. However, Trottier's squad is more than used to that by now.

"A lot of people counted these girls out when they believed in themselves and I think that really helped them push through," Brandon Trottier said. "Even though we got beat this past Saturday, they still have that confidence that they can do really well and bring some hardware back to Harlem."

The Harlem boys basketball team will get things started with a game against Eureka tonight at 8 p.m. The Eureka Lions enter the tournament with an 11-13 record but they qualified for state after finishing second in the Western B Divisionals. Gavin Bates has played strong for the Lions lately as he averaged 22 points a game at divisionals.

The Harlem Wildcats enter the tournament with a 13-7 record after placing second in the Northern B Divisionals. At divisionals, R.J. Ramone got rolling for the Wildcats as he averaged 22.7 points a game. Daniel Lawrence also has been steady lately with 14 points a contest over his last three games. With the way they played at divisionals, LeValdo feels confident heading into this weekend.

"We've been playing good and we're peaking at the right time," LeValdo said. "I expect to take that into this tournament this weekend and play some exciting and relentless basketball."

If Harlem wins its opening game of the tournament, the Wildcats will play either Lodge Grass or Shelby who will play each other tonight at 6:30 p.m. The Lodge Grass Indians should be one of the favorites in their tournament as they have a 20-1 record and are coming off a Southern B Divisional title. The Shelby Coyotes have a 17-7 record and they qualified for state after finishing third in the Northern B Divisionals.

The state tournament began this afternoon with a game between Malta and Three Forks. LeValdo believes the Three Forks Wolves should be a favorite in the tournament as they have a 19-5 record and they finished second in the Southern B Divisionals. But the Malta Mustangs should provide a battle as they won the Northern B Divisionals and have a 13-9 record.

The tournament will continue this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. with a game between Bigfork and Manhattan. The Bigfork Valkyries have a 15-8 record and they won their last six games to take first in the Western B Divisionals. The Manhattan​ Tigers qualified for state after placing third in the Southern B Divisionals and they have a 16-6 record.

The Harlem Wildcats have narrowly missed the state tournament the past few seasons, so they want to make the most out of this opportunity. LeValdo believes his seniors will be extra motivated as they have always wanted a shot at a state title.

"My seniors, they've been putting in the work since about fourth or fifth grade for this opportunity that we have now," LeValdo said. "I think that gives us plenty of motivation to do what we need to do."

The Harlem girls basketball team will begin the state tournament tonight at 5 p.m. at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University in Bozeman. The Harlem boys basketball team will then play Eureka tonight at 8 p.m.