Well...it seems like records are going to be thrown out the window this weekend at the State A Boys Tourney, because they sure were at last weekend's Eastern A Divisional at Metrapark, the State venue this week.
All eight of these teams can win. And this should be one of the most exciting tournaments of the "State Season." So without further ado, here we go!
STATE A Boys @ Metrapark:
12:30 p.m. - Ronan (16-5, Northwest #1) v. Butte Central (18-3, Central #2)
2:00 p.m. - Central (8-13, East #1) v. Dillon (17-3, Southwest #2)
6:30 p.m. - Browning (16-4, Central #1) v. Whitefish (13-10, Northwest #2)
8:00 p.m. - Stevensville (12-8, Southwest #1) v. Laurel (14-8, East #2)
Click here for the bracket.
1. Who's the favorite?
I'm going with Browning. The Indians are the highest scoring team in the tournament, pouring in 68 points per game. They're led by D.J. Fish (16.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg), Andrew Spotted Wolf (15.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg), and Jordan Long Time Sleeping (12.9 ppg).
In a tournament where teams are going to need to have more than one scoring option to go to in crunch time, Browning's depth is going to be very important. Since they have three guys who can legitimately put up 20 on any night, the Indians are a scary matchup.
2. Which non-division Champion is most likely to pull an upset?
I'm going with Laurel. The Locomotives fell victim to that #1 seed Eastern A Divisional jinx, losing in their 1st game (the semis) to a red-hot Central Rams squad. Laurel then won three straight elimination games, including a 4-point challenge game win over Sidney on Monday night, to get into the State Tourney for the first time in six years.
Until that loss to Central, Laurel had been 10-0 in the Eastern A. They get a Stevensville team in the 1st round who beat Dillon in the Southwest A Title game behind 29 points from Logan Creech, including 7 three's. To me, that seems more like a game where Stevi caught fire than a sign of a complete team turnaround.
Based on that, I think Laurel is a better team than Stevensville, and has regained their confidence after that Central loss. I think the Locomotives pull the upset.
3. Which Division Champion is most likely to be upset?
Have to go with Stevensville. They have a tough matchup in the 1st round against Laurel, and I just don't see Logan Creech putting up 29 again to pace Stevi to a win. Laurel is more balanced, and has just as much if not more heart and drive than any team in this tourney.
I also believe Butte Central can beat Ronan. The Maroons are making their 4th straight trip to State, and have six guys on the team with State Tournament playing experience. They are very balanced with five guys that can score 15 any time out.
Interesting to note, if you look at records, the only #1 seed with a better record than their #2 seed first round opponent is Browning (16-4) over Whitefish (13-10). So you could argue that three of the first round matchups would not be an upset if all the #2 seeds won. I don't think that's true, but it's interesting to note.
4. Predictions:
First Round: Butte Central over Ronan, Billings Central over Dillon, Browning over Whitefish, Laurel over Stevensville
Friday Loser-Out Games: Dillon over Ronan, Whitefish over Stevensville
Semi-finals: Billings Central over Butte Central (this one should be an electric atmosphere), Browning over Laurel
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Butte Central over Dillon, Laurel over Whitefish
Consolation: Butte Central over Laurel
Championship: Browning over Billings Central
Thursday, February 28, 2008
State B Preview - Boys
Hey everybody! I'm here with your State B Boys preview. Slim already showed us how the Class C is going to go down (or at least what he thinks will happen), so let's set up your Boys B Tourney kicking off today.
STATE B Boys @ Belgrade:
1:00 p.m. - Fairfield (16-7, North #1) v. Forsyth (16-8, East #2)
2:30 p.m. - Three Forks (20-3, South Central #1) v. Missoula Loyola (20-4, West #2)
7:00 p.m. - Seeley-Swan (20-3, West #1) v. Manhattan Christian (13-10, South Central #2)
8:30 p.m. - Columbus (20-3, East #1) v. Shelby (19-4, North #2)
Click here for the full bracket.
1. Who's the favorite?
The beauty about the state tournament is there is no clear-cut favorite. You have four #1 seeds, including four 20-win teams, and a 19-win Shelby squad.
However, I will pick Columbus as the favorite to win this tourney for several reasons.
STATE B Boys @ Belgrade:
1:00 p.m. - Fairfield (16-7, North #1) v. Forsyth (16-8, East #2)
2:30 p.m. - Three Forks (20-3, South Central #1) v. Missoula Loyola (20-4, West #2)
7:00 p.m. - Seeley-Swan (20-3, West #1) v. Manhattan Christian (13-10, South Central #2)
8:30 p.m. - Columbus (20-3, East #1) v. Shelby (19-4, North #2)
Click here for the full bracket.
1. Who's the favorite?
The beauty about the state tournament is there is no clear-cut favorite. You have four #1 seeds, including four 20-win teams, and a 19-win Shelby squad.
However, I will pick Columbus as the favorite to win this tourney for several reasons.
- The Cougars have great tournament experience, finishing third at state last year.
- They are led by a great inside-out combo in Brandon Robbins (19 pts, 9 reb) and Sean Russell (17 pts...maybe the most dangerous shooter in the tournament)
- They are playing their best basketball of the year, beating their 4B District opponents and Eastern B Divisional opponents by an average of 16 points per game.
2. Which non-division Champion is most likely to pull an upset?
Missoula Loyola. The only non-division Champion with 20 wins on the season, Loyola lost in the Western B Championship game to Seeley-Swan by 4 points, and then had to win a challenge game against Thompson Falls to get into State. (They beat Thompson 72-54.)
Loyola is 20-4 on the year and led by a great inside-out presence with point guard Adam Hollenback and forward Caleb DeGroot. If any of the #2 seeds are going to upset the division winners, it will by Loyola. They take on Three Forks, who is 20-3, but who also only beat 13-11 Manhattan Christian by 1 point in the Southern B Title game.
3. Which Division Champion is most likely to be upset?
Following up on the previous question, I have to say Three Forks because of their 1st round matchup. The Wolves are a solid squad, but have the toughest road of any of the top seeds in the tournament, having to take on Loyola in the 1st Round.
Jordan Overstreet and Jared Strickland lead Three Forks by averaging close to 30 combined points per game.
The other #1 seeds: Columbus, Fairfield, and Seeley-Swan, have much easier 1st round matchups, and I don't see any of them being upset. So by default, Three Forks is the choice here.
4. Predictions:
First Round: Fairfield over Forsyth, Missoula Loyola over Three Forks, Seeley-Swan over Manhattan Christian, Columbus over Shelby.
Friday Loser-Out Games: Three Forks over Forsyth, Shelby over Manhattan-Christian
Semi-Finals: Missoula Loyola over Fairfield, Columbus over Seeley-Swan
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Seeley-Swan over Three Forks, Fairfield over Shelby
Consolation: Fairfield over Seeley-Swan
Championship: Columbus over Missoula Loyola
State C Preview - Boys (Guest Blogger)
Hey everyone, Slim here. State is upon us! Here's the Class C Preview.
STATE C Boys @ Butte Civic Center:
11 a.m. - Rocky Boy (15-4, North #2) vs. Big Sandy (11-9, North #3), play-in
12:30 p.m. - Twin Bridges (21-2, West #1) vs. Wibaux (19-4, South #2)
2 p.m. - Winifred (22-0, North #1) vs. Fairview (19-4, East #2)
6:30 p.m. - Plenty Coups (21-1, South #1) vs. Shields Valley (18-4, West #2)
8 p.m. - Rocky Boy-Big Sandy winner vs. Scobey (23-5, East #1)
*This is a unique bracket since the Northern Division sends three teams. For a look at the bracket, click here.
1. Who’s the favorite?
Calling anybody a favorite in the state tournament is naïve. All of these teams deserve to be here, and any one of them can walk away the winner. You probably have to look at the one seeds to try to label a favorite, and, since Winifred is unbeaten, they are probably the choice. Winifred had their struggles in the divisional tournament with both Rocky Boy and Big Sandy, but, until somebody beats them, they have to be considered the favorite.
2. Which non-Division Champion is most likely to pull an upset?
Wibaux and Rocky Boy. Two of Rocky Boy’s four losses came against Harlem, who fell three points short of qualifying for the State “B” tournament, and a third came at the hands of Winifred. Those are quality losses if such a thing exists. Wibaux is a potential upset team based on how they play. They’re guard oriented, are aggressive defensively, and attack offensively. If they get matched up with a bigger, slow-the-tempo team, they could pull the upset.
3. Which Division Champion is most likely to be upset?
I’ll go with Twin Bridges here, based off of their match-up. I like Wibaux to pull the upset over the Falcons. Scobey is a candidate here, too, but, after playing the morning play-in game, I’m not sure Rocky Boy will have enough energy to knock off a one seed.
4. Predictions:
First Round: Rocky Boy over Big Sandy (play-in), Wibaux over Twin Bridges, Winifred over Fairview, Plenty Coups over Shields Valley, Scobey over Rocky Boy.
Friday Loser-Out Games: Twin Bridges over Big Sandy, Rocky Boy over Shields Valley, Fairview over Twin Bridges
Semi-Finals: Winifred over Wibaux, Plenty Coups over Scobey
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Rocky Boy over Wibaux, Scobey over Fairview
Consolation: Rocky Boy over Scobey
Championship: Winifred over Plenty Coups
*If the bracket goes this way, Saturday night at the Butte Civic Center will be incredible. The Rocky Boy-Scobey rematch is very intriguing, as both teams will have played a morning game this time around, and it will be Rocky Boy’s fifth game in three days. And the State Championship, wow! Plenty Coups was the consensus number one team all year long before stumbling in the district championship, after which Winifred assumed the top position. These two teams play really similar styles, except Winifred is a little more careful with the ball. The game creates incredible individual match-ups (Winifred’s Brian Foran against Plenty Coups’ Alton Smart Enemy and Winifred’s D.J. Dyer against Plenty Coups’ J.D. Blaine).
STATE C Boys @ Butte Civic Center:
11 a.m. - Rocky Boy (15-4, North #2) vs. Big Sandy (11-9, North #3), play-in
12:30 p.m. - Twin Bridges (21-2, West #1) vs. Wibaux (19-4, South #2)
2 p.m. - Winifred (22-0, North #1) vs. Fairview (19-4, East #2)
6:30 p.m. - Plenty Coups (21-1, South #1) vs. Shields Valley (18-4, West #2)
8 p.m. - Rocky Boy-Big Sandy winner vs. Scobey (23-5, East #1)
*This is a unique bracket since the Northern Division sends three teams. For a look at the bracket, click here.
1. Who’s the favorite?
Calling anybody a favorite in the state tournament is naïve. All of these teams deserve to be here, and any one of them can walk away the winner. You probably have to look at the one seeds to try to label a favorite, and, since Winifred is unbeaten, they are probably the choice. Winifred had their struggles in the divisional tournament with both Rocky Boy and Big Sandy, but, until somebody beats them, they have to be considered the favorite.
2. Which non-Division Champion is most likely to pull an upset?
Wibaux and Rocky Boy. Two of Rocky Boy’s four losses came against Harlem, who fell three points short of qualifying for the State “B” tournament, and a third came at the hands of Winifred. Those are quality losses if such a thing exists. Wibaux is a potential upset team based on how they play. They’re guard oriented, are aggressive defensively, and attack offensively. If they get matched up with a bigger, slow-the-tempo team, they could pull the upset.
3. Which Division Champion is most likely to be upset?
I’ll go with Twin Bridges here, based off of their match-up. I like Wibaux to pull the upset over the Falcons. Scobey is a candidate here, too, but, after playing the morning play-in game, I’m not sure Rocky Boy will have enough energy to knock off a one seed.
4. Predictions:
First Round: Rocky Boy over Big Sandy (play-in), Wibaux over Twin Bridges, Winifred over Fairview, Plenty Coups over Shields Valley, Scobey over Rocky Boy.
Friday Loser-Out Games: Twin Bridges over Big Sandy, Rocky Boy over Shields Valley, Fairview over Twin Bridges
Semi-Finals: Winifred over Wibaux, Plenty Coups over Scobey
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Rocky Boy over Wibaux, Scobey over Fairview
Consolation: Rocky Boy over Scobey
Championship: Winifred over Plenty Coups
*If the bracket goes this way, Saturday night at the Butte Civic Center will be incredible. The Rocky Boy-Scobey rematch is very intriguing, as both teams will have played a morning game this time around, and it will be Rocky Boy’s fifth game in three days. And the State Championship, wow! Plenty Coups was the consensus number one team all year long before stumbling in the district championship, after which Winifred assumed the top position. These two teams play really similar styles, except Winifred is a little more careful with the ball. The game creates incredible individual match-ups (Winifred’s Brian Foran against Plenty Coups’ Alton Smart Enemy and Winifred’s D.J. Dyer against Plenty Coups’ J.D. Blaine).
Eastern B Divisional Preview - Girls
While the boys Class A, B, and C State Tourneys get underway today, the B and C girls are just at the divisional stage. Slim already joined us with a Southern C preview, and in Class B, it's the Eastern B that concerns us most.
Eastern B Divisional – Girls @ Red Lodge – Thurs.-Sat. (Top two advance)
Here are your 1st Round Girls matchups for the Eastern B Divisional @ Red Lodge:
12:30 p.m. – Columbus (16-4, 4B #1) v. Broadus (10-10, 3B #4)
2:15 p.m. – Huntley Project (12-10, 4B #3) v. Baker (10-10, 3B #2)
6:15 p.m. – Colstrip (15-5, 3B #1) v. Red Lodge (9-12, 4B #4)
8:00 p.m. – Shepherd (18-2, 4B #2) v. Lame Deer (7-12, 3B #3)
1. Who's the favorite?
Unlike the boys side, this is a very loaded Divisional as Columbus, Shepherd, and Colstrip all could win this tournament. All three have the talent to beat anyone on any given night. Columbus is coming off a huge District win in which they played their best basketball all season.
Shepherd has the best record of all three (18-2) and is the only one of the three to have an overall winning record against the other two (1-1 v. Colstrip...2-1 v. Shepherd). However, they lost their last meeting with each team (Colstrip on the last weekend of the reg. season and Shepherd in the 4B Title game).
Colstrip's only loss in the last month was to Class A power Miles City, and the Fillies are playing very well coming into the Eastern B. But they will have to play their best ball to beat Shepherd and Columbus on a neutral court (that will without a doubt have more Columbus and Shepherd fans due to proximity).
2. Non-District Champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
Definitely Shepherd. It was a mild upset Saturday night when Columbus beat the Fillies in the 4B title game, let alone beat them as badly as they did. That was only Shepherd's second loss of the year, against 18 wins, including 2 earlier victories over the Lady Cougs (it's always hard to beat a team three times in a row). The Fillies have a great inside-out game with guard Whitney Baustadt and forward Jillian Stanek. That combo can be very dangerous to any team Shepherd comes up against.
3. District Champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
I'm gonna go with Colstrip based on the fact that their likely 2nd round opponent is Shepherd, whereas Columbus' will either be Huntley Project or Baker, two teams Columbus should easily beat.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
I have to go with Columbus and Shepherd as the two teams most likely to move on. Columbus is playing better than anyone else, and their 1-2 punch of Hannah Counter and Megan Patterson is good enough to carry them even if the rest of the team has an off night.
As for Shepherd, I think they've got the motivation (lost in State Championship last year) and the talent to overcome their less-than-stellar play over the last two weeks. They will have to if they are going to get by Colstrip, who is playing very well and already owns a 4-point win over Shepherd in the regular season.
Eastern B Divisional – Girls @ Red Lodge – Thurs.-Sat. (Top two advance)
Here are your 1st Round Girls matchups for the Eastern B Divisional @ Red Lodge:
12:30 p.m. – Columbus (16-4, 4B #1) v. Broadus (10-10, 3B #4)
2:15 p.m. – Huntley Project (12-10, 4B #3) v. Baker (10-10, 3B #2)
6:15 p.m. – Colstrip (15-5, 3B #1) v. Red Lodge (9-12, 4B #4)
8:00 p.m. – Shepherd (18-2, 4B #2) v. Lame Deer (7-12, 3B #3)
1. Who's the favorite?
Unlike the boys side, this is a very loaded Divisional as Columbus, Shepherd, and Colstrip all could win this tournament. All three have the talent to beat anyone on any given night. Columbus is coming off a huge District win in which they played their best basketball all season.
Shepherd has the best record of all three (18-2) and is the only one of the three to have an overall winning record against the other two (1-1 v. Colstrip...2-1 v. Shepherd). However, they lost their last meeting with each team (Colstrip on the last weekend of the reg. season and Shepherd in the 4B Title game).
Colstrip's only loss in the last month was to Class A power Miles City, and the Fillies are playing very well coming into the Eastern B. But they will have to play their best ball to beat Shepherd and Columbus on a neutral court (that will without a doubt have more Columbus and Shepherd fans due to proximity).
2. Non-District Champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
Definitely Shepherd. It was a mild upset Saturday night when Columbus beat the Fillies in the 4B title game, let alone beat them as badly as they did. That was only Shepherd's second loss of the year, against 18 wins, including 2 earlier victories over the Lady Cougs (it's always hard to beat a team three times in a row). The Fillies have a great inside-out game with guard Whitney Baustadt and forward Jillian Stanek. That combo can be very dangerous to any team Shepherd comes up against.
3. District Champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
I'm gonna go with Colstrip based on the fact that their likely 2nd round opponent is Shepherd, whereas Columbus' will either be Huntley Project or Baker, two teams Columbus should easily beat.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
I have to go with Columbus and Shepherd as the two teams most likely to move on. Columbus is playing better than anyone else, and their 1-2 punch of Hannah Counter and Megan Patterson is good enough to carry them even if the rest of the team has an off night.
As for Shepherd, I think they've got the motivation (lost in State Championship last year) and the talent to overcome their less-than-stellar play over the last two weeks. They will have to if they are going to get by Colstrip, who is playing very well and already owns a 4-point win over Shepherd in the regular season.
Southern C Divisional Preview - Girls (Guest Blogger)
Hey everyone. It's Slim once again. As the Class A, B, and C boys get their state tournaments underway today, many of the girls are only getting to their Divisionals.
In Class C, the divisional that concerns us is the Southern C, taking place in Miles City.
SOUTHERN C DIVISIONAL MATCHUPS (GIRLS) @ Miles City:
1:30 p.m. – Ekalaka (20-1, 4C #1) vs. Absarokee (12-7, 6C #2)
3 p.m. – Harlowton (17-2, 5C #1) vs. Roberts (7-12, 6C #3)
6:30 p.m. – Joliet (13-4, 6C #1) vs. Plevna (15-6, 4C #3)
8 p.m. – Wibaux (15-4, 4C #2) vs. Ryegate (7-14, 5C #2)
1. Who’s the favorite?
It’s hard to overlook Ekalaka’s 20-1 record. Harlowton looked tough during the district tournament, and Joliet has put together a nice little win streak. The favorite has to come from those three teams, and since I haven’t seen Ekalaka play, this is a tough call for me. I like Harlowton a little better than Joliet. Bailey Snelling is an incredible freshman, and they do have some upperclassman leadership. I’ll take the Lady Engineers as the favorite, with Ekalaka and Joliet following close behind.
2. Non-district champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
Plevna beat Joliet to open the season, but Joliet looks to be a different team now. Plevna, though, is one of the teams I can see pulling an upset or two. The other team is Wibaux. Wibaux has won all three meetings this season with Plevna, so I like Wibaux against every team in the division except for Ekalaka and Harlowton.
3. District champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
This has to be Joliet. They have won 13 in a row, but I don’t think this team is as strong as the other district winners—Harlowton and Ekalaka. Joliet got lucky in that they don’t have either one of the other one seeds on their side of the bracket. It’s not an upset if Harlowton or Ekalaka knocks off the other, which is going to happen in the semi-finals. I don’t think Joliet makes it to the Championship, so they’re my pick to be upset.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
Round One: Ekalaka over Absarokee, Harlowton over Roberts, Joliet over Plevna, and Wibaux over Ryegate
Friday Loser-Out Games: Absarokee over Roberts, Plevna over Ryegate
Semi-Finals: Harlowton over Ekalaka, Wibaux over Joliet
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Ekalaka over Plevna, Joliet over Absarokee
Consolation: Ekalaka over Joliet
Championship: Harlowton over Wibaux
*Challenge: Ekalaka over Wibaux
*Harlowton and Ekalaka represent the Southern C at the State Tournament.
In Class C, the divisional that concerns us is the Southern C, taking place in Miles City.
SOUTHERN C DIVISIONAL MATCHUPS (GIRLS) @ Miles City:
1:30 p.m. – Ekalaka (20-1, 4C #1) vs. Absarokee (12-7, 6C #2)
3 p.m. – Harlowton (17-2, 5C #1) vs. Roberts (7-12, 6C #3)
6:30 p.m. – Joliet (13-4, 6C #1) vs. Plevna (15-6, 4C #3)
8 p.m. – Wibaux (15-4, 4C #2) vs. Ryegate (7-14, 5C #2)
1. Who’s the favorite?
It’s hard to overlook Ekalaka’s 20-1 record. Harlowton looked tough during the district tournament, and Joliet has put together a nice little win streak. The favorite has to come from those three teams, and since I haven’t seen Ekalaka play, this is a tough call for me. I like Harlowton a little better than Joliet. Bailey Snelling is an incredible freshman, and they do have some upperclassman leadership. I’ll take the Lady Engineers as the favorite, with Ekalaka and Joliet following close behind.
2. Non-district champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
Plevna beat Joliet to open the season, but Joliet looks to be a different team now. Plevna, though, is one of the teams I can see pulling an upset or two. The other team is Wibaux. Wibaux has won all three meetings this season with Plevna, so I like Wibaux against every team in the division except for Ekalaka and Harlowton.
3. District champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
This has to be Joliet. They have won 13 in a row, but I don’t think this team is as strong as the other district winners—Harlowton and Ekalaka. Joliet got lucky in that they don’t have either one of the other one seeds on their side of the bracket. It’s not an upset if Harlowton or Ekalaka knocks off the other, which is going to happen in the semi-finals. I don’t think Joliet makes it to the Championship, so they’re my pick to be upset.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
Round One: Ekalaka over Absarokee, Harlowton over Roberts, Joliet over Plevna, and Wibaux over Ryegate
Friday Loser-Out Games: Absarokee over Roberts, Plevna over Ryegate
Semi-Finals: Harlowton over Ekalaka, Wibaux over Joliet
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Ekalaka over Plevna, Joliet over Absarokee
Consolation: Ekalaka over Joliet
Championship: Harlowton over Wibaux
*Challenge: Ekalaka over Wibaux
*Harlowton and Ekalaka represent the Southern C at the State Tournament.
Review: Southern C Divisional - Boys (Guest Blogger)
Hey everybody, it's Slim again, your resident Class C Basketball expert.
This has to be disappointing for Bridger. They lost two regular season games all year and were finally able to get over the hump against Plenty Coups in the district championship. However, Plenty Coups is going to the state tournament as a one seed, and Bridger’s season came to an end.
Bridger drew a tough match-up in the semi-finals where they played Wibaux. I was really impressed with what I saw from Wibaux and can see them making some noise at the state tournament. What they lack in height and size they make up for with quickness and aggressiveness. They have two attack-minded guards in Travis Bertelsen and Jeff Bakken. Those two are fearless. They attack the rim with reckless abandon and are not easily intimidated by bigger opponents.
Ultimately, though, the Longhorns were just outmatched by Plenty Coups in the district championship. Again, Alton Smart Enemy impressed. The Warriors are just a completely different team with him on the floor. It starts on the defensive end. He provides a big interior presence that affects shooters, and he’s able to use his size to gather up defensive rebounds. He instantly gets the break started with incredible outlet passes. There was one instant in the championship game where he grabbed a defensive rebound, and, with the ball above his head, threw a two-handed outlet pass 75 feet. Their offensive sets seem to be much more organized and effective with him on the floor, as well. He gives the Warriors a low-post option when necessary, but can work out of the high-post effectively, too. In order to beat Plenty Coups, you have to be able to limit Smart Enemy’s effectiveness.
Both of these teams have a chance to make some noise at the state tournament in Butte, which begins Thursday at the Civic Center.
This has to be disappointing for Bridger. They lost two regular season games all year and were finally able to get over the hump against Plenty Coups in the district championship. However, Plenty Coups is going to the state tournament as a one seed, and Bridger’s season came to an end.
Bridger drew a tough match-up in the semi-finals where they played Wibaux. I was really impressed with what I saw from Wibaux and can see them making some noise at the state tournament. What they lack in height and size they make up for with quickness and aggressiveness. They have two attack-minded guards in Travis Bertelsen and Jeff Bakken. Those two are fearless. They attack the rim with reckless abandon and are not easily intimidated by bigger opponents.
Ultimately, though, the Longhorns were just outmatched by Plenty Coups in the district championship. Again, Alton Smart Enemy impressed. The Warriors are just a completely different team with him on the floor. It starts on the defensive end. He provides a big interior presence that affects shooters, and he’s able to use his size to gather up defensive rebounds. He instantly gets the break started with incredible outlet passes. There was one instant in the championship game where he grabbed a defensive rebound, and, with the ball above his head, threw a two-handed outlet pass 75 feet. Their offensive sets seem to be much more organized and effective with him on the floor, as well. He gives the Warriors a low-post option when necessary, but can work out of the high-post effectively, too. In order to beat Plenty Coups, you have to be able to limit Smart Enemy’s effectiveness.
Both of these teams have a chance to make some noise at the state tournament in Butte, which begins Thursday at the Civic Center.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Review: Eastern A Divisional - Girls
Well that went *Almost* as expected. Miles City and Glendive, the clear-cut best two teams in the Eastern A, advanced to State (although the Lady Devils pulled off what I consider a mild upset over the Cowgirls in the title game).
Kalli Stanhope (Glendive guard) is the best player in this Division, no questions asked. She has a killer instinct that not many players can match, and then you put her deadly shooting into that equation...and you have a dangerous player who makes any upset possible. The Lady Devils just seem to have figured out how to beat Miles City, handing the otherwise dominant Cowgirls their only two losses of the year, both in slow-down, drag-out games in which the final scores were about 45-37.
Glendive is not the most athletic team, they are not the tallest teams, but they might be the smartest team in the field. They know how to win, and that can be just as, if not more important in big tournaments than any of that natural ability.
In the 3rd place game, Sidney beat Central by 3 points, 51-48, although Central might have had the most exciting 15 seconds of the year in the final seconds of that game to make it much closer than it should have been...
Lady Rams guard Austin Hanser came up with a steal at about half-court and fed it ahead to Kylie Medicine Horse for the easy lay-up. Then, in a play reminiscent of Larry Bird, Hanser stole the inbounds on the baseline while going out-of-bounds and immediately through it to Medicine Horse underneath to make it a 1-point game with 3 seconds to play. The Rams would end up losing the game, but the play was incredible.
And since Miles City already beat Sidney in the semis, no challenge game was needed to determine this year's Eastern A Girls State participants.
Congrats to Glendive and Miles City. Good luck!
Kalli Stanhope (Glendive guard) is the best player in this Division, no questions asked. She has a killer instinct that not many players can match, and then you put her deadly shooting into that equation...and you have a dangerous player who makes any upset possible. The Lady Devils just seem to have figured out how to beat Miles City, handing the otherwise dominant Cowgirls their only two losses of the year, both in slow-down, drag-out games in which the final scores were about 45-37.
Glendive is not the most athletic team, they are not the tallest teams, but they might be the smartest team in the field. They know how to win, and that can be just as, if not more important in big tournaments than any of that natural ability.
In the 3rd place game, Sidney beat Central by 3 points, 51-48, although Central might have had the most exciting 15 seconds of the year in the final seconds of that game to make it much closer than it should have been...
Lady Rams guard Austin Hanser came up with a steal at about half-court and fed it ahead to Kylie Medicine Horse for the easy lay-up. Then, in a play reminiscent of Larry Bird, Hanser stole the inbounds on the baseline while going out-of-bounds and immediately through it to Medicine Horse underneath to make it a 1-point game with 3 seconds to play. The Rams would end up losing the game, but the play was incredible.
And since Miles City already beat Sidney in the semis, no challenge game was needed to determine this year's Eastern A Girls State participants.
Congrats to Glendive and Miles City. Good luck!
Review: Eastern A Divisional - Boys
Wow! Who lit the fire under Central?!?
The Rams came into the 6-team tourney as the 5th seed with a 5-13 record. Granted, they were 4-6 in conference and 2nd place Sidney was only 6-4, but Central had just not shown that they could overcome their turnover and offensie woes to warrant such a run!
Big congrats to 1st year head coach Sheldon Hanser who has his boys playing with an unbelievable intensity and passion. I remember being at a Rams practice at the beginning of the season, and seeing the entire team run stairs...over and over again...and turning to Richie and saying, "Can you believe how much conditioning these guys are doing?!?"
Now, Central is one of the most athletic teams in the State and has hit their stride at the perfect time.
As for the other Eastern A Team going to the State Tourney...it's Laurel, who wins their challenge game over Sidney 45-41 in Miles City Monday night. The Locomotives, who went into the tourney as the undefeated #1 seed, fell victim to the 1-seed jinx (told ya!), and lost their semi to that very hot Central team on their way to the title.
Luckily enough for Laurel, Central's run continued through the title game by beating Sidney, giving the Locomotives, who got a hard-fought victory over Hardin in the 3rd place game, the opportunity to challenge Sidney on Monday Night. And big props to Laurel and coach Pat Hansen for regrouping and winning a very tough game over a solid Eagles squad.
So congrats Central and Laurel...you live to fight another day. Tomorrow in fact...
Your boys State A kicks off at the Metra tomorrow afternoon: Central plays Dillon @ 2:00 pm, and Laurel plays Stevensville in the night contest @ 8:00 pm.
The Rams came into the 6-team tourney as the 5th seed with a 5-13 record. Granted, they were 4-6 in conference and 2nd place Sidney was only 6-4, but Central had just not shown that they could overcome their turnover and offensie woes to warrant such a run!
Big congrats to 1st year head coach Sheldon Hanser who has his boys playing with an unbelievable intensity and passion. I remember being at a Rams practice at the beginning of the season, and seeing the entire team run stairs...over and over again...and turning to Richie and saying, "Can you believe how much conditioning these guys are doing?!?"
Now, Central is one of the most athletic teams in the State and has hit their stride at the perfect time.
As for the other Eastern A Team going to the State Tourney...it's Laurel, who wins their challenge game over Sidney 45-41 in Miles City Monday night. The Locomotives, who went into the tourney as the undefeated #1 seed, fell victim to the 1-seed jinx (told ya!), and lost their semi to that very hot Central team on their way to the title.
Luckily enough for Laurel, Central's run continued through the title game by beating Sidney, giving the Locomotives, who got a hard-fought victory over Hardin in the 3rd place game, the opportunity to challenge Sidney on Monday Night. And big props to Laurel and coach Pat Hansen for regrouping and winning a very tough game over a solid Eagles squad.
So congrats Central and Laurel...you live to fight another day. Tomorrow in fact...
Your boys State A kicks off at the Metra tomorrow afternoon: Central plays Dillon @ 2:00 pm, and Laurel plays Stevensville in the night contest @ 8:00 pm.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Eastern A Divisional Preview - Girls
Just like the boys, most of the girls Eastern A teams have not been on the court for about 10 days. So tonight and tomorrow should be very interesting to see who's able to shake off the rust...and who's not.
Girls (Top two advance)
Here are tonight's 1st Round Girls matchups @ Metrapark:
#4 Sidney (13-6) v. #5 Hardin (5-14) - 2:00 PM
#3 Billings Central (14-5) v. #6 Laurel (2-17) - 6:00 PM
#1 Miles City (17-1...9-1 in the Eastern A) - Bye
#2 Glendive (15-2...9-1 in the Eastern A) - Bye
1. Who's the favorite?
Miles City. Your defending State Champions have shown they are still the team to beat for the Class A State crown. The Cowgirls not only went 9-1 in the Eastern A...but were 4-0 against Class AA (2 wins each v. West and Senior). The two wins over West are especially impressive as the Lady Bears are tied for 2nd in the Eastern AA at 8-2. But the Cowgirls most impressive perforamce came in a 110-26 destruction of Hardin a month ago at home. That is an insane amount of points to put up against anybody, much less a conference opponent.
Now to be fair, the Cowgirls had to win a coin flip over Glendive to get the #1 seed in the Eastern A Tourney as both teams finished conference play at 9-1. And Glendive was the only team to beat Miles City during the season (a 43-36 win at home). However, Miles City is the better team and should win this tournament.
2. Non-Conference Champ with best chance to win Divisional?
This has to be Glendive, even though they technically were Co-Champs of the Eastern A. Led by Kalli Stanhope, Glendive is the only team this year who was able to shut down the high-powered Cowgirls over four quarters and get a victory. These two teams are a level above the rest of the conference.
BUT....
If I had to choose someone else becides those two teams, I would say Central has the best chance to pull off the major upset. The Lady Rams have come a lot farther than anyone predicted they would at the beginning of the season. Under the guidance of 1st year head coach Kathje (pronouned like Kathy) Dalton, Central started the seaosn off 6-0 and finished with a very respectable 5-5 record in the Eastern A, good for the #3 seed after a coin flip win over Sidney.
If the young Rams (only 1 senior) put it all together behind Kylie Medicine Horse, Austin Hanser, and the Chilton twins (Brenna and Shae), they have the best shot at pulling the upset.
With that said...it would be one of the biggest shocks of the season if Glendive and Miles City didn't meet for the title.
3. Eastern A Divisonal Tourney Predictions:
Here is how I think the bracket will unfold over the next three days:
Thursday 1st Round Games: Sidney over Hardin...Central over Laurel
Friday Semifinals: Miles City over Sidney...Glendive over Central
Saturday Consolation: Central over Sidney
Saturday Championship: *Miles City over Glendive
*Central cannot challenge Glendive since they already played in the semis, so Miles City and Glendive will advance to State.
Girls (Top two advance)
Here are tonight's 1st Round Girls matchups @ Metrapark:
#4 Sidney (13-6) v. #5 Hardin (5-14) - 2:00 PM
#3 Billings Central (14-5) v. #6 Laurel (2-17) - 6:00 PM
#1 Miles City (17-1...9-1 in the Eastern A) - Bye
#2 Glendive (15-2...9-1 in the Eastern A) - Bye
1. Who's the favorite?
Miles City. Your defending State Champions have shown they are still the team to beat for the Class A State crown. The Cowgirls not only went 9-1 in the Eastern A...but were 4-0 against Class AA (2 wins each v. West and Senior). The two wins over West are especially impressive as the Lady Bears are tied for 2nd in the Eastern AA at 8-2. But the Cowgirls most impressive perforamce came in a 110-26 destruction of Hardin a month ago at home. That is an insane amount of points to put up against anybody, much less a conference opponent.
Now to be fair, the Cowgirls had to win a coin flip over Glendive to get the #1 seed in the Eastern A Tourney as both teams finished conference play at 9-1. And Glendive was the only team to beat Miles City during the season (a 43-36 win at home). However, Miles City is the better team and should win this tournament.
2. Non-Conference Champ with best chance to win Divisional?
This has to be Glendive, even though they technically were Co-Champs of the Eastern A. Led by Kalli Stanhope, Glendive is the only team this year who was able to shut down the high-powered Cowgirls over four quarters and get a victory. These two teams are a level above the rest of the conference.
BUT....
If I had to choose someone else becides those two teams, I would say Central has the best chance to pull off the major upset. The Lady Rams have come a lot farther than anyone predicted they would at the beginning of the season. Under the guidance of 1st year head coach Kathje (pronouned like Kathy) Dalton, Central started the seaosn off 6-0 and finished with a very respectable 5-5 record in the Eastern A, good for the #3 seed after a coin flip win over Sidney.
If the young Rams (only 1 senior) put it all together behind Kylie Medicine Horse, Austin Hanser, and the Chilton twins (Brenna and Shae), they have the best shot at pulling the upset.
With that said...it would be one of the biggest shocks of the season if Glendive and Miles City didn't meet for the title.
3. Eastern A Divisonal Tourney Predictions:
Here is how I think the bracket will unfold over the next three days:
Thursday 1st Round Games: Sidney over Hardin...Central over Laurel
Friday Semifinals: Miles City over Sidney...Glendive over Central
Saturday Consolation: Central over Sidney
Saturday Championship: *Miles City over Glendive
*Central cannot challenge Glendive since they already played in the semis, so Miles City and Glendive will advance to State.
Eastern A Divisional Preview - Boys
While the B and C schools have District tournaments directly after their regular seasons, the Class A Boys and Girls take about 10 days to 2 weeks off during that stretch. So by the time Divisionals come around, teams are hoping their time off doesn't show on the court.
That's what the Eastern A is praying for tonight as the Boys and Girls Divisionals kick off at Metrapark. With 6 teams in each division, the top get byes, while the #3 and #6 seeds square off, as well as the #4 and #5 seeds.
Boys (Top two advance)
Here are todays 1st Round boys matchups @ Metrapark:
#4 Glendive (10-9) v. #5 Billings Central (6-13) - 4:00 PM
#3 Hardin (10-7) v. #6 Miles City (1-17) - 8:00 PM
#1 Laurel (11-7...10-0 in Eastern A) - Bye
#2 Sidney (11-7) - Bye
1. Who's the favorite?
This may seem like a slam dunk answer. Laurel is 10-0 in the Eastern A, and no one else is any better than 6-4. And don't get me wrong, I am saying Laurel is the favorite, but there are a few reasons to doubt the Locomotives.
First of all, the Eastern A is always one of the most athletic divisions in all of Class A, maybe in all of Montana. The schools are big enough to produce a lot of quality players, even if the team's record doesn't show it. Hardin, Sidney, Glendive, and Central all are good enough to beat any one of the others teams in this bracket, including Laurel.
Secondly, there has been a #1 seed jinx in the past in this tournament. It seems like the Bye actually hurts a lot of teams, because the #1 seed has lost their semifinal game quite a few times over the past few years. That's obviously not something Laurel can control, but it's somethin to think about. Like I mentioned, these teams have not played a game in two weeks, so to get that first one under your belt can help the lower seeds mesh while Laurel will be going in cold.
With all that said, Laurel is the favorite to win this bracket, but I would not be surprised if they get upset in the finals.
2. Non-Conference Champ with best chance to win Divisional?
Of the teams other than Laurel, I believe Hardin has the best chance to come out of this tourney as the Divisional Champ. Hardin is probably the quickest team in this bracket, and will run you out of the gym if you're not careful. The Bulldogs struggle when you slow the game down, and thus only came out of the regular season with a 5-5 conference record. But if the Bulldogs get it going, they can be very dangerous.
3. Eastern A Divisional Tourney Predictions:
Here is how I think the bracket will unfold over the next three days:
Thursday 1st Round Games: Central over Glendive...Hardin over Miles City
Friday Semifinals: Laurel over Central...Hardin over Sidney
Saturday Consolation: Central over Sidney
Saturday Championship: *Laurel over Hardin
*Central will challenge Hardin since they did not play in the tourney, but I believe Hardin will win. Thus, Laurel and Hardin will advance to State.
That's what the Eastern A is praying for tonight as the Boys and Girls Divisionals kick off at Metrapark. With 6 teams in each division, the top get byes, while the #3 and #6 seeds square off, as well as the #4 and #5 seeds.
Boys (Top two advance)
Here are todays 1st Round boys matchups @ Metrapark:
#4 Glendive (10-9) v. #5 Billings Central (6-13) - 4:00 PM
#3 Hardin (10-7) v. #6 Miles City (1-17) - 8:00 PM
#1 Laurel (11-7...10-0 in Eastern A) - Bye
#2 Sidney (11-7) - Bye
1. Who's the favorite?
This may seem like a slam dunk answer. Laurel is 10-0 in the Eastern A, and no one else is any better than 6-4. And don't get me wrong, I am saying Laurel is the favorite, but there are a few reasons to doubt the Locomotives.
First of all, the Eastern A is always one of the most athletic divisions in all of Class A, maybe in all of Montana. The schools are big enough to produce a lot of quality players, even if the team's record doesn't show it. Hardin, Sidney, Glendive, and Central all are good enough to beat any one of the others teams in this bracket, including Laurel.
Secondly, there has been a #1 seed jinx in the past in this tournament. It seems like the Bye actually hurts a lot of teams, because the #1 seed has lost their semifinal game quite a few times over the past few years. That's obviously not something Laurel can control, but it's somethin to think about. Like I mentioned, these teams have not played a game in two weeks, so to get that first one under your belt can help the lower seeds mesh while Laurel will be going in cold.
With all that said, Laurel is the favorite to win this bracket, but I would not be surprised if they get upset in the finals.
2. Non-Conference Champ with best chance to win Divisional?
Of the teams other than Laurel, I believe Hardin has the best chance to come out of this tourney as the Divisional Champ. Hardin is probably the quickest team in this bracket, and will run you out of the gym if you're not careful. The Bulldogs struggle when you slow the game down, and thus only came out of the regular season with a 5-5 conference record. But if the Bulldogs get it going, they can be very dangerous.
3. Eastern A Divisional Tourney Predictions:
Here is how I think the bracket will unfold over the next three days:
Thursday 1st Round Games: Central over Glendive...Hardin over Miles City
Friday Semifinals: Laurel over Central...Hardin over Sidney
Saturday Consolation: Central over Sidney
Saturday Championship: *Laurel over Hardin
*Central will challenge Hardin since they did not play in the tourney, but I believe Hardin will win. Thus, Laurel and Hardin will advance to State.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Southern C Divisional Preview - Boys (Guest Blogger)
Hey all! Slim here once again as your resident Class C basketball blogger. Districts have come and gone, with some very exicting games I might add...so that means Divsionals have arrived!
In South-Central Montana...it's the Southern C that concerns us. The Girls Southern C doesn't get under until next week, so I'll just give you a boys preview, as the Boys tip-off tomorrow.
Southern C Boys at Billings Shrine – Thurs.-Sat.
12:30 p.m. – Plevna (15-4, 4C #1) vs. Plenty Coups (19-1, 6C #2), first round
2 p.m. - Broadview-Lavina (18-4, 5C #1) vs. Park City (13-7, 6C #3), first round
6:30 p.m. – Bridger (18-2, 6C #1) vs. Ekalaka (10-11, 4C #3), first round
8 p.m. – Harlowton (16-5, 5C #2) vs. Wibaux (18-3, 4C #2), first round
1. Who’s the favorite?
I’ve got to go with Plenty Coups here even though they lost in the district championship to Bridger. I haven’t seen the 4C teams play, so it’s tough for me to really make an educated prediction. Wibaux beat Plevna twice during the regular season, but lost the district championship. Plenty Coups did the same thing with Bridger. I haven’t seen anything from the 5C to suggest that those teams are on par with the other districts, so I’ll take Plenty Coups and can see a repeat of the District 6C Championship in the Divisional final.
2. Non-district champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
Plenty Coups is the simple choice, but I wouldn’t call it an upset if they won. That being said, I don’t see any of the other non-champions pulling an upset. On paper, Wibaux appears to be the best 2 seed in the tournament, but I don’t see them beating Bridger. That leaves us with three potential district championship rematches on Saturday: Plenty Coups versus Bridger in the Division Championship, and, in loser-out games, Wibaux versus Plevna and Harlowton versus Broadview-Lavina. The 2 seeds could each win those match-ups, but I’ll only take Plenty Coups over Bridger and Wibaux over Plevna as “upsets.”
3. District champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
The district champions are Plevna, Broadview-Lavina, and Bridger. I think Plevna and Broadview-Lavina both lose to Plenty Coups, and I do see Bridger advancing to the Division Championship. As I said earlier, Plenty Coups winning any game is not an upset, but if Bridger were to lose before the championship, that would be an upset. Wibaux could knock off the Scouts in the semi-finals, but that’s the only potential upset I see.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
I’ll do you one better and predict the entire bracket:
Round One: Plenty Coups over Plevna, Broadview-Lavina over Park City, Bridger over Ekalaka, and Wibaux over Harlowton.
Friday Loser-Out Games: Plevna over Park City and Harlowton over Ekalaka
Semi-Finals: Plenty Coups over Broadview-Lavina and Bridger over Wibaux
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Broadview-Lavina over Harlowton and Wibaux over Plevna
Consolation: Wibaux over Broadview-Lavina
Championship: *Plenty Coups over Bridger
*Plenty Coups and Bridger advance as Wibaux cannot challenge the Scouts.
Stay tuned next week for my Girls Southern C Preview!
In South-Central Montana...it's the Southern C that concerns us. The Girls Southern C doesn't get under until next week, so I'll just give you a boys preview, as the Boys tip-off tomorrow.
Southern C Boys at Billings Shrine – Thurs.-Sat.
12:30 p.m. – Plevna (15-4, 4C #1) vs. Plenty Coups (19-1, 6C #2), first round
2 p.m. - Broadview-Lavina (18-4, 5C #1) vs. Park City (13-7, 6C #3), first round
6:30 p.m. – Bridger (18-2, 6C #1) vs. Ekalaka (10-11, 4C #3), first round
8 p.m. – Harlowton (16-5, 5C #2) vs. Wibaux (18-3, 4C #2), first round
1. Who’s the favorite?
I’ve got to go with Plenty Coups here even though they lost in the district championship to Bridger. I haven’t seen the 4C teams play, so it’s tough for me to really make an educated prediction. Wibaux beat Plevna twice during the regular season, but lost the district championship. Plenty Coups did the same thing with Bridger. I haven’t seen anything from the 5C to suggest that those teams are on par with the other districts, so I’ll take Plenty Coups and can see a repeat of the District 6C Championship in the Divisional final.
2. Non-district champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
Plenty Coups is the simple choice, but I wouldn’t call it an upset if they won. That being said, I don’t see any of the other non-champions pulling an upset. On paper, Wibaux appears to be the best 2 seed in the tournament, but I don’t see them beating Bridger. That leaves us with three potential district championship rematches on Saturday: Plenty Coups versus Bridger in the Division Championship, and, in loser-out games, Wibaux versus Plevna and Harlowton versus Broadview-Lavina. The 2 seeds could each win those match-ups, but I’ll only take Plenty Coups over Bridger and Wibaux over Plevna as “upsets.”
3. District champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
The district champions are Plevna, Broadview-Lavina, and Bridger. I think Plevna and Broadview-Lavina both lose to Plenty Coups, and I do see Bridger advancing to the Division Championship. As I said earlier, Plenty Coups winning any game is not an upset, but if Bridger were to lose before the championship, that would be an upset. Wibaux could knock off the Scouts in the semi-finals, but that’s the only potential upset I see.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
I’ll do you one better and predict the entire bracket:
Round One: Plenty Coups over Plevna, Broadview-Lavina over Park City, Bridger over Ekalaka, and Wibaux over Harlowton.
Friday Loser-Out Games: Plevna over Park City and Harlowton over Ekalaka
Semi-Finals: Plenty Coups over Broadview-Lavina and Bridger over Wibaux
Saturday Loser-Out Games: Broadview-Lavina over Harlowton and Wibaux over Plevna
Consolation: Wibaux over Broadview-Lavina
Championship: *Plenty Coups over Bridger
*Plenty Coups and Bridger advance as Wibaux cannot challenge the Scouts.
Stay tuned next week for my Girls Southern C Preview!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Q2 Charity Basketball!
Hey everybody! I know this is late notice, but Scott Breen, Dianne Baker, and myself are playing in a charity basketball game tonight at Lockwood Middle School, and you all should come out to watch and support the Lockwood PTA.
The game is a Media Celebrities v. Lockwood Teachers showdown, and has been going on annually for about 6 years. The event rasies money for the Lockwood PTA, and I've been told is a ton of fun.
This will be my first year in the event, but Scott has played many times and he says it's a fun night to come see.
The fun starts tonight at 7:00, once again at Lockwood Middle School.
Come show your support and watch the Q2 Crew "Hoop-It-Up" on the hardwood!
The game is a Media Celebrities v. Lockwood Teachers showdown, and has been going on annually for about 6 years. The event rasies money for the Lockwood PTA, and I've been told is a ton of fun.
This will be my first year in the event, but Scott has played many times and he says it's a fun night to come see.
The fun starts tonight at 7:00, once again at Lockwood Middle School.
Come show your support and watch the Q2 Crew "Hoop-It-Up" on the hardwood!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Eastern B Divisional Preview - Boys
First of all, congrats to all the teams who made it out of districts and have qualified for the Divisional Tourneys around the state. You all are only one step shy of achieveing that pre-season goal of getting to the State Tournament.
Here in South-Central Montana...the Class B focus shifts to the Eastern Divisional, made up of the top 4 teams from the 3B and the top 4 from the 4B.
The Girls' Eastern Divisional doesn't get under way until next week...so I'll just give you the boys preview now, as they tip off in Colstrip tomorrow.
Eastern B Divisonal - Boys @ Colstrip - Thurs.-Sat.
Here are your 1st Round Boys matchups for the upcoming tourney @ Colstrip, Feb. 21-23:
Columbus (18-2) v. St. Labre (5-15)
Huntley Project (13-7) v. Forsyth (14-6)
Shepherd (15-4) v. Baker (7-13)
Colstrip (9-12) v. Red Lodge (6-15)
1. Who's the favorite?
Columbus is a big favorite to runaway with this Divisional, much like they did at this past week's 4B District Tourney. Sean Russell looks like the best player in Class B right now, and the Cougars are clicking on all cylinders. They are a combined 8-1 against the other 7 teams in the Eastern Divisional.
2. Non-District champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
The Shepherd Mustangs. The only team with a win over Columbus during the regular season (a 51-47 in Shepherd), the Mustangs have all the tools to make a title run. They're very athletic, and along with the Columbus victory, have proven they can beat anyone with a solid 15-4 overall record, including wins in 12 of their last 13 games.
3. District Champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
My apologies to the Colts, but it has to be Colstrip. And not just by default. Colstrip played very well to win the 3B on their home floor, but they played over their heads. The Colts came into the District Tourney with a 4 and 6 conference record, and a 9 and 12 record overall...and this time they're facing much better competition. There is no doubt that they have the tools to make a push (as they showed this week), but I think they'll lose their 2nd game after beating Red Lodge.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
I think Columbus will win the Eastern Divisional, winning all three games by double digits. So the battle will be for second, where I think the 4B will make a clean sweep. But I'm not sure whether it will be Shepherd or Huntley Project who makes it. My hunch tells me Shepherd, but if the Devils' Eric Buer has a better Divisional than District Tourney, watch out for HP.
Stay tuned for the Eastern B Girls Preview next week!
Here in South-Central Montana...the Class B focus shifts to the Eastern Divisional, made up of the top 4 teams from the 3B and the top 4 from the 4B.
The Girls' Eastern Divisional doesn't get under way until next week...so I'll just give you the boys preview now, as they tip off in Colstrip tomorrow.
Eastern B Divisonal - Boys @ Colstrip - Thurs.-Sat.
Here are your 1st Round Boys matchups for the upcoming tourney @ Colstrip, Feb. 21-23:
Columbus (18-2) v. St. Labre (5-15)
Huntley Project (13-7) v. Forsyth (14-6)
Shepherd (15-4) v. Baker (7-13)
Colstrip (9-12) v. Red Lodge (6-15)
1. Who's the favorite?
Columbus is a big favorite to runaway with this Divisional, much like they did at this past week's 4B District Tourney. Sean Russell looks like the best player in Class B right now, and the Cougars are clicking on all cylinders. They are a combined 8-1 against the other 7 teams in the Eastern Divisional.
2. Non-District champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?
The Shepherd Mustangs. The only team with a win over Columbus during the regular season (a 51-47 in Shepherd), the Mustangs have all the tools to make a title run. They're very athletic, and along with the Columbus victory, have proven they can beat anyone with a solid 15-4 overall record, including wins in 12 of their last 13 games.
3. District Champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?
My apologies to the Colts, but it has to be Colstrip. And not just by default. Colstrip played very well to win the 3B on their home floor, but they played over their heads. The Colts came into the District Tourney with a 4 and 6 conference record, and a 9 and 12 record overall...and this time they're facing much better competition. There is no doubt that they have the tools to make a push (as they showed this week), but I think they'll lose their 2nd game after beating Red Lodge.
4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:
I think Columbus will win the Eastern Divisional, winning all three games by double digits. So the battle will be for second, where I think the 4B will make a clean sweep. But I'm not sure whether it will be Shepherd or Huntley Project who makes it. My hunch tells me Shepherd, but if the Devils' Eric Buer has a better Divisional than District Tourney, watch out for HP.
Stay tuned for the Eastern B Girls Preview next week!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Review: Local C District Tourneys (Guest Blogger)
Hey everybody! Slim here...
Casey already gave you a review of the local B District Tourneys, so I'm here to review the Class C action in town over the past week...the 5C and 6C Tourneys.
For the 5C boys, Broadview-Lavina beat Melstone in the Championship in what I considered a minor upset. Melstone now has to play Harlowton in a challenge game on Monday to decide which of the teams earns the trip to the Southern Divisional Tournament. In the 6C, which was played last weekend, Bridger (1), Plenty Coups (2), and Park City (3) advanced to the Divisional Round.
For the 5C girls, Harlowton beat Reed Point-Rapelje to take home the district crown. Reed Point-Rapelje now plays Ryegate in a challenge game. In the 6C, Joliet (1), Absarokee (2), and Roberts (3) advanced.
1. Best boys team you saw in the local districts?
Even though Bridger pulled the upset of Plenty Coups in the District Championship, the Warriors should still be the team to beat in the Southern Division. They are an athletic team built on a solid inside-out game. They have a legitimate post presence in Alton Smart Enemy, and they can surround him with good shooters and ball handlers. Defensively, when they implemented their press, Bridger struggled to move the ball downcourt. The Warriors have quick hands and aggressively chase the ball. Bridger is a very, very good team, but I think Plenty Coups is just a little bit stronger overall.
2. Best girls team you saw in the local districts?
Joliet, winners of 14 straight, could be considered the favorite heading into Divisionals, but don’t sleep on Harlowton. I was very impressed with what I saw from the Lady Engineers. In the Championship against Reed Point-Rapelje, Harlowton shot the ball extremely well. Bailey Snelling is a freshman point guard who leads the team with a maturity beyond her years. The rest of the team provides more experience, which could prove vital during the next tournament.
3. Best individual boys performer?
I didn’t actually get to watch any of the 5C boys games, so this opinion is a little biased. Bridger epitomizes the team concept—no one player stood out above the rest—so I can’t choose a Scout as the best individual performer. From what I saw, Alton Smart Enemy of Plenty Coups impacted the games more than anybody else. He’s 6’6”, so he typically has a size advantage underneath, and he uses it well. He crashes the offensive glass and gets easy baskets that way, but his teammates also look for him on the break and posting up. His largest impact is on the offensive end, but his size does force opponents to alter their shots on the other end. Defense isn’t his strongest area, but he does rebound well and help his team get out on the break with good outlet passes.
4. Best individual girls performer?
Three girls come to mind for this question: Bailey Snelling from Harlowton, Cindy Kern from Joliet, and Jessie Studiner from Absarokee. All three are the unquestioned leaders of their teams, and the team goes as they go. Kern and Studiner went head-to-head in the District 6C Championship. Studiner put up better individual numbers, but Kern got the win, which has to be taken into consideration when analyzing performances. I have to call Snelling the best individual performer, though. She’s an incredible shooter and sees the floor really well, especially for a freshman. She’s a solid ball handler and a good passer, but she also knows when to take the shot herself. She plays with a toughness and an attitude that motivates and inspires her team.
Stay tuned for my local Class C Divisional Preview coming up!
Casey already gave you a review of the local B District Tourneys, so I'm here to review the Class C action in town over the past week...the 5C and 6C Tourneys.
For the 5C boys, Broadview-Lavina beat Melstone in the Championship in what I considered a minor upset. Melstone now has to play Harlowton in a challenge game on Monday to decide which of the teams earns the trip to the Southern Divisional Tournament. In the 6C, which was played last weekend, Bridger (1), Plenty Coups (2), and Park City (3) advanced to the Divisional Round.
For the 5C girls, Harlowton beat Reed Point-Rapelje to take home the district crown. Reed Point-Rapelje now plays Ryegate in a challenge game. In the 6C, Joliet (1), Absarokee (2), and Roberts (3) advanced.
1. Best boys team you saw in the local districts?
Even though Bridger pulled the upset of Plenty Coups in the District Championship, the Warriors should still be the team to beat in the Southern Division. They are an athletic team built on a solid inside-out game. They have a legitimate post presence in Alton Smart Enemy, and they can surround him with good shooters and ball handlers. Defensively, when they implemented their press, Bridger struggled to move the ball downcourt. The Warriors have quick hands and aggressively chase the ball. Bridger is a very, very good team, but I think Plenty Coups is just a little bit stronger overall.
2. Best girls team you saw in the local districts?
Joliet, winners of 14 straight, could be considered the favorite heading into Divisionals, but don’t sleep on Harlowton. I was very impressed with what I saw from the Lady Engineers. In the Championship against Reed Point-Rapelje, Harlowton shot the ball extremely well. Bailey Snelling is a freshman point guard who leads the team with a maturity beyond her years. The rest of the team provides more experience, which could prove vital during the next tournament.
3. Best individual boys performer?
I didn’t actually get to watch any of the 5C boys games, so this opinion is a little biased. Bridger epitomizes the team concept—no one player stood out above the rest—so I can’t choose a Scout as the best individual performer. From what I saw, Alton Smart Enemy of Plenty Coups impacted the games more than anybody else. He’s 6’6”, so he typically has a size advantage underneath, and he uses it well. He crashes the offensive glass and gets easy baskets that way, but his teammates also look for him on the break and posting up. His largest impact is on the offensive end, but his size does force opponents to alter their shots on the other end. Defense isn’t his strongest area, but he does rebound well and help his team get out on the break with good outlet passes.
4. Best individual girls performer?
Three girls come to mind for this question: Bailey Snelling from Harlowton, Cindy Kern from Joliet, and Jessie Studiner from Absarokee. All three are the unquestioned leaders of their teams, and the team goes as they go. Kern and Studiner went head-to-head in the District 6C Championship. Studiner put up better individual numbers, but Kern got the win, which has to be taken into consideration when analyzing performances. I have to call Snelling the best individual performer, though. She’s an incredible shooter and sees the floor really well, especially for a freshman. She’s a solid ball handler and a good passer, but she also knows when to take the shot herself. She plays with a toughness and an attitude that motivates and inspires her team.
Stay tuned for my local Class C Divisional Preview coming up!
Review: Local B District Tourneys
Phew! What a week as District Basketball came and went (almost...two local C challenge games tomorrow) with a bang. Locally...we were able to see 3 District tourneys around the Magic City...the 4B, the 5C, and the 6C...Slim will be along shortly to talk about the local C tourneys. Right now though...I'll just review the 4B.
District 4B
1. Best Boys team you saw in the local districts?
Columbus stole the show at Rocky this week as they ran over their competition on their way to the 4B title. Sean Russell & Co. jumped out to a 41-15 halftime lead in the title game against Huntley Project, and coasted their way to a 64-46 win. Columbus is very athletic and, more importantly, very long at all their positions. The Cougars also have 6 seniors that will make them a tough team to beat at divisionals.
2. Best Girls team you saw in the local districts?
Once again, Columbus is the easy pick here. The Dynamic Duo of Hannah Counter and Megan Patterson makes the Lady Cougs a very tough team to defend...since you can't concentrate on shutting just one down. The other will kill you. They too breezed through the 4B Tourney, including a big win over a Shepherd Fillies squad who beat Columbus twice in the regular season. Columbus was too good last night however, and coasted to a 12-point win. The Lady Cougs will be a huge factor at Divisionals.
3. Best Individual Boys Performer?
Columbus Guard Sean Russell. The Senior took over the title game against Huntley Project, and was completely unguardable on the offensive end. Russell has a very good shooting touch, making 7-12 from the arc, and 10-15 overall, on his way to 31 points and 7 rebounds in only 28 minutes. Up until last night, HP's Eric Buer was the most impressive player I had seen, but Russell's game last night can not be ignored.
4. Best Individual Girls Performer?
Columbus Guard Hannah Counter. One half of the Lady Cougs' Dynamic Duo (along with 5'11" Forward Megan Patterson), Counter is a very strong guard that opposing players cannot shut down in one-on-one situations. She has very good body control, and rebounds at an extremely high rate for a guard (10 rebounds in last night's title game). She has a game like Jason Kidd, but with a better shot (15 points on 4-9 FG, 7-10 FT). A very smart point gaurd that can do everything well.
Stay tuned for Slim's review of the two Class C District Tourneys! And preview of the local B and C Divisionals!
District 4B
1. Best Boys team you saw in the local districts?
Columbus stole the show at Rocky this week as they ran over their competition on their way to the 4B title. Sean Russell & Co. jumped out to a 41-15 halftime lead in the title game against Huntley Project, and coasted their way to a 64-46 win. Columbus is very athletic and, more importantly, very long at all their positions. The Cougars also have 6 seniors that will make them a tough team to beat at divisionals.
2. Best Girls team you saw in the local districts?
Once again, Columbus is the easy pick here. The Dynamic Duo of Hannah Counter and Megan Patterson makes the Lady Cougs a very tough team to defend...since you can't concentrate on shutting just one down. The other will kill you. They too breezed through the 4B Tourney, including a big win over a Shepherd Fillies squad who beat Columbus twice in the regular season. Columbus was too good last night however, and coasted to a 12-point win. The Lady Cougs will be a huge factor at Divisionals.
3. Best Individual Boys Performer?
Columbus Guard Sean Russell. The Senior took over the title game against Huntley Project, and was completely unguardable on the offensive end. Russell has a very good shooting touch, making 7-12 from the arc, and 10-15 overall, on his way to 31 points and 7 rebounds in only 28 minutes. Up until last night, HP's Eric Buer was the most impressive player I had seen, but Russell's game last night can not be ignored.
4. Best Individual Girls Performer?
Columbus Guard Hannah Counter. One half of the Lady Cougs' Dynamic Duo (along with 5'11" Forward Megan Patterson), Counter is a very strong guard that opposing players cannot shut down in one-on-one situations. She has very good body control, and rebounds at an extremely high rate for a guard (10 rebounds in last night's title game). She has a game like Jason Kidd, but with a better shot (15 points on 4-9 FG, 7-10 FT). A very smart point gaurd that can do everything well.
Stay tuned for Slim's review of the two Class C District Tourneys! And preview of the local B and C Divisionals!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
"Class C" deserves a higher grade (Guest Blogger)
Sometimes on the blog, I'll have other people from the station come in and give commentary on an area they know much more about than I do.
This post comes from one of my good friends, and Q2 Weekend Photographer Carl "Slim" Kimmel (from here on out I'll always refer to him as Slim).
Slim went to Winnett for High School, a small Northern Class C school, where he played Varsity Basketball all four years. He still follows his team when he can, along with the rest of the C, which is his topic today:
Hey everybody! It's good to be here. Let me preface this entry by saying I am only talking about the C schools I have seen in person...so if I don't mention a team you feel is deserving of more attention, please feel free to comment and I will try to take it into consideration.
This is the time of year when Class C basketball in Montana starts to get some media attention. The schools are small and typically out of range of the larger media outlets, so they don’t get the coverage of the larger schools. And let’s face it, more people are interested in how the Billings schools (West, Senior, Skyview, and Central) stack up than how Class C schools (Custer, Broadview-Lavina, Park City, and Bridger…just to name a few) are playing.
The lack of media coverage dedicated to Class C basketball really is unfortunate. Some of the games rank among the most exciting sporting events in the state. Anyone who was at the District 6C Championship game between Plenty Coups and Bridger can attest to that. The game was played at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings, the gymnasium was packed, and the atmosphere was electric. The fans for both teams were as excited as the players and seemed to be just as emotionally drained at the end. Plenty Coups played an excellent third quarter and rallied from a 14 point halftime deficit to tie. Ultimately, though, Bridger maintained their composure better than the Warriors and pulled the upset. Nothing portrays complete jubilation like the look on players’ faces after they pull an upset like that, and nothing compares to the defeated morale of the team who just suffered their unexpected loss.
Entering the game, Plenty Coups was ranked as Class C’s number one team in the state. That championship game was their first loss of the year (they had beat Bridger twice during the regular season), leaving the door open for unbeaten Winifred to assume the top spot.
Winifred (a member of District 7C in the Northern Division) is consistently one of the top two or three teams in their district thanks to good coaching, starting in elementary school. I had the privilege to watch Winifred play a road game at Winnett-Grass Range (a recent co-op, also in the 7C). Entering the game both teams were receiving votes in the Montana power polls—Winifred being ranked second and Winnett/Grass Range tenth.
The game was hyped by the locals, and attended by most of them—the bleachers were full, leaving standing room only. In fact, I had to sit on the floor in the isle of the bleachers. The game didn’t play out quite as expected. Winifred won much more easily than was expected. That’s partially what makes Class C basketball so entertaining. You never know what to expect, except that both teams will play their guts out and get the undying support of their fans. A struggling Class C team gets the same hometown support as a winning team.
Winifred and Winnett-Grass Range begin their District Tournament play this week, with Winifred being as close of a thing to a lock to win the tournament as you can get.
Then again, so was Plenty Coups.
This post comes from one of my good friends, and Q2 Weekend Photographer Carl "Slim" Kimmel (from here on out I'll always refer to him as Slim).
Slim went to Winnett for High School, a small Northern Class C school, where he played Varsity Basketball all four years. He still follows his team when he can, along with the rest of the C, which is his topic today:
Hey everybody! It's good to be here. Let me preface this entry by saying I am only talking about the C schools I have seen in person...so if I don't mention a team you feel is deserving of more attention, please feel free to comment and I will try to take it into consideration.
This is the time of year when Class C basketball in Montana starts to get some media attention. The schools are small and typically out of range of the larger media outlets, so they don’t get the coverage of the larger schools. And let’s face it, more people are interested in how the Billings schools (West, Senior, Skyview, and Central) stack up than how Class C schools (Custer, Broadview-Lavina, Park City, and Bridger…just to name a few) are playing.
The lack of media coverage dedicated to Class C basketball really is unfortunate. Some of the games rank among the most exciting sporting events in the state. Anyone who was at the District 6C Championship game between Plenty Coups and Bridger can attest to that. The game was played at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings, the gymnasium was packed, and the atmosphere was electric. The fans for both teams were as excited as the players and seemed to be just as emotionally drained at the end. Plenty Coups played an excellent third quarter and rallied from a 14 point halftime deficit to tie. Ultimately, though, Bridger maintained their composure better than the Warriors and pulled the upset. Nothing portrays complete jubilation like the look on players’ faces after they pull an upset like that, and nothing compares to the defeated morale of the team who just suffered their unexpected loss.
Entering the game, Plenty Coups was ranked as Class C’s number one team in the state. That championship game was their first loss of the year (they had beat Bridger twice during the regular season), leaving the door open for unbeaten Winifred to assume the top spot.
Winifred (a member of District 7C in the Northern Division) is consistently one of the top two or three teams in their district thanks to good coaching, starting in elementary school. I had the privilege to watch Winifred play a road game at Winnett-Grass Range (a recent co-op, also in the 7C). Entering the game both teams were receiving votes in the Montana power polls—Winifred being ranked second and Winnett/Grass Range tenth.
The game was hyped by the locals, and attended by most of them—the bleachers were full, leaving standing room only. In fact, I had to sit on the floor in the isle of the bleachers. The game didn’t play out quite as expected. Winifred won much more easily than was expected. That’s partially what makes Class C basketball so entertaining. You never know what to expect, except that both teams will play their guts out and get the undying support of their fans. A struggling Class C team gets the same hometown support as a winning team.
Winifred and Winnett-Grass Range begin their District Tournament play this week, with Winifred being as close of a thing to a lock to win the tournament as you can get.
Then again, so was Plenty Coups.
I can't believe this day is here again...
No, I'm not talking about Valentine's Day (but I hope you are all having a good one already.) No no my friends...in my world, today is not a happy day.
Today marks the official start of the 2008 Baseball Season, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
Don't get me wrong: I am not against baseball...in fact, Playoff Baseball can be one of the most exciting times in sports. But it seems like the '07 season just ended (actually, it hasn't been too long...about 3 1/2 months). We are still about 8 weeks from opening day, which will be the 1st of about 150 meaningless games until we get to late September when the Playoff Picture comes into view.
To me, until then, the baseball season is way too long. A team will play 162 regular season, usually 6 days a week, and by summer when it is the only sport going, it gets extremely monotonous. You can even see it in the players' faces by the dog days of summer. In August, a team is usually merely trying to avoid a disastrous fall rather than rising in the standings.
The only thing that's gets me through the season: Fantasy Baseball. Try it. Trust me, it'll raise your interest 100%.
Until then, let's go Lakers!
Today marks the official start of the 2008 Baseball Season, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
Don't get me wrong: I am not against baseball...in fact, Playoff Baseball can be one of the most exciting times in sports. But it seems like the '07 season just ended (actually, it hasn't been too long...about 3 1/2 months). We are still about 8 weeks from opening day, which will be the 1st of about 150 meaningless games until we get to late September when the Playoff Picture comes into view.
To me, until then, the baseball season is way too long. A team will play 162 regular season, usually 6 days a week, and by summer when it is the only sport going, it gets extremely monotonous. You can even see it in the players' faces by the dog days of summer. In August, a team is usually merely trying to avoid a disastrous fall rather than rising in the standings.
The only thing that's gets me through the season: Fantasy Baseball. Try it. Trust me, it'll raise your interest 100%.
Until then, let's go Lakers!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Cutest Dog Ever
When I was a kid, I always loved watching the Westminster Dog Show every year. Recently, I haven't been watching as frequently, not because I lost interest, but because I simply did not remember when it was going to be on.
But I remembered this year, and watched my DVR'd Westminster Show this morning, and saw the cutest dog in the history of the competition win.
His name is Uno, and he's a 15-inch beagle...THE 1ST BEAGLE IN THE HISTORY OF THE COMPETITION TO WIN "BEST IN SHOW."
Here he is (remember...CUTEST DOG IN HISTORY, so be prepaed for this to take some of your time):
And here's the article and many more photos on Uno and his big night. Enjoy!
But I remembered this year, and watched my DVR'd Westminster Show this morning, and saw the cutest dog in the history of the competition win.
His name is Uno, and he's a 15-inch beagle...THE 1ST BEAGLE IN THE HISTORY OF THE COMPETITION TO WIN "BEST IN SHOW."
Here he is (remember...CUTEST DOG IN HISTORY, so be prepaed for this to take some of your time):
And here's the article and many more photos on Uno and his big night. Enjoy!
Swimming and Wresling Tributes!
For all of you who missed either one of Monday's or Tuesday's shows (and shame on you if you're nodding your head as to say, "Yes, I'm one of those people"), we replaced our Weekly Cuts and Athlete of the Week segments with tributes to the State Swimming and State Wrestling Tournaments over the weekend.
Personally, I think these are great pieces that I had a lot of fun creating.
Here's the swimming piece that ran Monday.
And here's the wrestling piece, which ran Tuesday (and big thanks to Ric Zimmerman for all of his great photography throughout the meet, as you'll all see!).
Enjoy!
Personally, I think these are great pieces that I had a lot of fun creating.
Here's the swimming piece that ran Monday.
And here's the wrestling piece, which ran Tuesday (and big thanks to Ric Zimmerman for all of his great photography throughout the meet, as you'll all see!).
Enjoy!
State Wrestling Review
Wow! Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but this was the craziest weekend all year (two state tournaments, Cat-Griz basketball, not to mention the beginning of District Basketball Tourneys!)
Anyways, I hoped you all liked our coverage. And if you didn't know already, you can watch all the footage we shot over the weekend from State Wrestling and State Swimming on our website at KTVQ.COM. Click on Sports Xtra!
So let's recap:
State Wrestling was insane. On Championship Saturday, the Metra was almost completely full with fans parents, not to mention the 600+ wrestlers that competed over the two days. What emotion in that room!
First, congrats to Cascade-Simms wrestler Ryan Leonard, who became just the 16th 4-time state champ in Montana history. When you saw him in action, you just knew he was going to win. He overpowered every one of his opponents and was in complete control of every match from the opening whistle. Congrats once again on an amazing achievement.
As for the team results...Flathead is on a level of their own. 410 points?!? They broke their own Class AA scoring record they set last year...by 62.5 points! They put 10 wrestlers in the finals, and took home 5 individual state championships on their way to a state 3-peat and an undefeated wrestling season. Skyview had a very solid tournament with only one less wrestler than the Braves, finishing 2nd in the team standings by over 50 points, but still fell 150 points of Kalispell. Wow.
Congrats to all the other state winners (Class A = Havre...back-to-back champs; Class B = Glasgow...new Class B scoring record of 254 team points; Class C = Arlee) and on the Billings scene, congrats to Tanner and Tucker Sprenkle for each winning their first stat title (Tanner at 119 and Tucker at 125).
See ya'll next year!
Anyways, I hoped you all liked our coverage. And if you didn't know already, you can watch all the footage we shot over the weekend from State Wrestling and State Swimming on our website at KTVQ.COM. Click on Sports Xtra!
So let's recap:
State Wrestling was insane. On Championship Saturday, the Metra was almost completely full with fans parents, not to mention the 600+ wrestlers that competed over the two days. What emotion in that room!
First, congrats to Cascade-Simms wrestler Ryan Leonard, who became just the 16th 4-time state champ in Montana history. When you saw him in action, you just knew he was going to win. He overpowered every one of his opponents and was in complete control of every match from the opening whistle. Congrats once again on an amazing achievement.
As for the team results...Flathead is on a level of their own. 410 points?!? They broke their own Class AA scoring record they set last year...by 62.5 points! They put 10 wrestlers in the finals, and took home 5 individual state championships on their way to a state 3-peat and an undefeated wrestling season. Skyview had a very solid tournament with only one less wrestler than the Braves, finishing 2nd in the team standings by over 50 points, but still fell 150 points of Kalispell. Wow.
Congrats to all the other state winners (Class A = Havre...back-to-back champs; Class B = Glasgow...new Class B scoring record of 254 team points; Class C = Arlee) and on the Billings scene, congrats to Tanner and Tucker Sprenkle for each winning their first stat title (Tanner at 119 and Tucker at 125).
See ya'll next year!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
State Wrestling Preview
It's time to hit the mats folks! State wrestling kicks off tomorrow at the Metra for every high school class (the B-C schools are combined into one tournament). Here's what to expect:
Class AA
Kalispell Flathead - The Braves come in as the team to beat. The two-time defending state champions (and winners of 3 of 4 overall) are maybe stronger this year than they have ever been. Flathead went 20-0 in Dual meets this year, along with winning all 6 tournaments they entered. At last weekend's Western AA Divisonal, the Braves put 17 wrestlers in the finals and won 11 weight classes. Overall, Flathead qualified 29 of a possible 30 wrestlers, and have six #1 ranked guys. They also return 13 state-placers from last season's record-setting squad.
Skyview - If anyone is going to challenge Flathead, it will be Skyview. The Falcons bring 28 wrestlers into the tournament, only one less than the Braves. They are led by their two Divisional Champions, Bryce Gretch at 112, and Lucas Polkow at 171. Brennan Barta (105 - Divisional runner-up) will also be a big factor. Skyview went 21-1 in Duals this year.
Great Falls - Great Falls High qualified the 3rd most wrestlers for State with 23. They also finished 3rd in the final Wrestling Coaches Poll, behind Flathead and Skyview, respectively. The Bison enter tomorrow with three #1 ranked wrestlers.
Great Falls CMR - The Rustlers finished just behind their crosstown rival at Divisionals, qualifying 20 wrestlers, and finishing 4th in the final Coaches Poll.
Individual Wrestlers - While Skyview is the only Billing team with a shot at the state title, West and Senior have several individuals that could challenge for their own Championship:
Tucker Sprenkle (Senior - 125 lbs...#1 ranked at 125)
Tanner Spenkle (Senior - 119 lbs)
Nik Richardson (West - 98 lbs)
Nathan Kobold (West - 160lbs)
Class A
Sidney - The Eagles won their 6th staight Division title last weekend, including claiming 7 individual titles (98 lbs, 145 lbs, 152 lbs, 160 lbs, 172 lbs, 189 lbs, 215 lbs.) They look like the Eastern A's best shot at a state title.
Havre - The Blue Ponies might be the Class A Title favorites after a dominating performance at the Central A Divisional. Havre beat Belgrade, the 2nd place finisher, by 100 points (341-241), including 9 individual title winners.
Corvallis - Corvallis won the Southwest A Divisional by a slim margin over Frenchtown, who actually had almost as many individual title winners (Corvallis with 5 to Frenchtown's 4.) However, Corvallis showed they were stronger across all weight classes to take the points title.
Ronan - Ronan won the Northwest A Divisional also by a slim margin over Polson. But Ronan dominated the finals with 6 individual title winners, and are looking to improve on that number after having their Heavyweight Tommy Parker, lose in his final match.
Class B-C
Glasgow - Glasgow absolutely dominated the B-C this year, a trend that continued at Divisonals as they won by a whopping 124 points over 2nd place Colstrip. The Scotties put 14 wrestlers in the finals last weekend, including 6 individual title winners. They are without a doubt the favorite to win State.
Conrad - The battle for the state B-C title is a two-horse race, as Conrad is the only team with a chance to beat Glasgow. Like the Scotties, Conrad dominated their divisional, beating 2nd place Chinook by 107.5 points. They put 9 wrestlers in the finals, and arrive at the Metra with 6 individual title winners.
In my estimation, those are the teams and indivivuals to watch for over the next couple of days. The action starts tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, with the Quarterfinals set for 2:30 PM.
See you at the Metra!
Class AA
Kalispell Flathead - The Braves come in as the team to beat. The two-time defending state champions (and winners of 3 of 4 overall) are maybe stronger this year than they have ever been. Flathead went 20-0 in Dual meets this year, along with winning all 6 tournaments they entered. At last weekend's Western AA Divisonal, the Braves put 17 wrestlers in the finals and won 11 weight classes. Overall, Flathead qualified 29 of a possible 30 wrestlers, and have six #1 ranked guys. They also return 13 state-placers from last season's record-setting squad.
Skyview - If anyone is going to challenge Flathead, it will be Skyview. The Falcons bring 28 wrestlers into the tournament, only one less than the Braves. They are led by their two Divisional Champions, Bryce Gretch at 112, and Lucas Polkow at 171. Brennan Barta (105 - Divisional runner-up) will also be a big factor. Skyview went 21-1 in Duals this year.
Great Falls - Great Falls High qualified the 3rd most wrestlers for State with 23. They also finished 3rd in the final Wrestling Coaches Poll, behind Flathead and Skyview, respectively. The Bison enter tomorrow with three #1 ranked wrestlers.
Great Falls CMR - The Rustlers finished just behind their crosstown rival at Divisionals, qualifying 20 wrestlers, and finishing 4th in the final Coaches Poll.
Individual Wrestlers - While Skyview is the only Billing team with a shot at the state title, West and Senior have several individuals that could challenge for their own Championship:
Tucker Sprenkle (Senior - 125 lbs...#1 ranked at 125)
Tanner Spenkle (Senior - 119 lbs)
Nik Richardson (West - 98 lbs)
Nathan Kobold (West - 160lbs)
Class A
Sidney - The Eagles won their 6th staight Division title last weekend, including claiming 7 individual titles (98 lbs, 145 lbs, 152 lbs, 160 lbs, 172 lbs, 189 lbs, 215 lbs.) They look like the Eastern A's best shot at a state title.
Havre - The Blue Ponies might be the Class A Title favorites after a dominating performance at the Central A Divisional. Havre beat Belgrade, the 2nd place finisher, by 100 points (341-241), including 9 individual title winners.
Corvallis - Corvallis won the Southwest A Divisional by a slim margin over Frenchtown, who actually had almost as many individual title winners (Corvallis with 5 to Frenchtown's 4.) However, Corvallis showed they were stronger across all weight classes to take the points title.
Ronan - Ronan won the Northwest A Divisional also by a slim margin over Polson. But Ronan dominated the finals with 6 individual title winners, and are looking to improve on that number after having their Heavyweight Tommy Parker, lose in his final match.
Class B-C
Glasgow - Glasgow absolutely dominated the B-C this year, a trend that continued at Divisonals as they won by a whopping 124 points over 2nd place Colstrip. The Scotties put 14 wrestlers in the finals last weekend, including 6 individual title winners. They are without a doubt the favorite to win State.
Conrad - The battle for the state B-C title is a two-horse race, as Conrad is the only team with a chance to beat Glasgow. Like the Scotties, Conrad dominated their divisional, beating 2nd place Chinook by 107.5 points. They put 9 wrestlers in the finals, and arrive at the Metra with 6 individual title winners.
In my estimation, those are the teams and indivivuals to watch for over the next couple of days. The action starts tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, with the Quarterfinals set for 2:30 PM.
See you at the Metra!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Am I the only one worried by this?
Huge trade news out the NBA today:
Suns get:
Shaquille O'Neal
Heat get:
Shawn Marion
Marcus Banks
First we'll discuss Marion. He's been frustrated with the Suns for years now, because he wants a bigger role in the offense and is tired of having to play 4 positions on defense since no one else on the team does. He wanted a big contract extension (he currently make $17 million per), and was recently starting to change his tone about Phoenix management when they told him he was no longer on the trading block.
However, when Marion got word that the Suns were in talks with Miami, he once again stated his opinion that he wanted out, even if it meant going to the worst team in the league.
As for the other side of the trade...Shaq to Phoenix.
The general consenus around the country (not to mention the Q2 Sports office)...this is a bad trade for the Suns. Phoenix's offensive motto (7 seconds or less...in reference to the shot clock) is not conducive...AT ALL...to Shaq's style. They are the most run and gun team on the planet, and Shaq is 35 years old with bad knees, hips, etc. However...
Shaq won't be asked to contribute extensively on the offensive end. This is purely a playoff move. Examine this:
Over the last two years, the Suns won 62 and 61 games respectively in the regular season, earning them a top 2-seed in the West each year. But in the playoffs, they never made it past the Western Conference Finals because they ran into a team that slowed the game down, crushed Phoenix inside and on the glass, and the Sund couldn't adjust.
Shaq allows them to play a half-court game with everyone else. Let's assume he plays 25 minutes...conservatively...in the playoffs, this gives the Suns someone to matchup against Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao, and the Bynum-Gasol combo in L.A. The Suns can run without Shaq...you don't need 5 players to get a shot of in transition! And plus, you still have Amare Stoudemire in the post who does run!
Look at their lineup now:
Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Shaq...along with Barbosa and Diaw coming off the bench. THAT IS A SCARY LINEUP!
Phoenix can now still run the break as well as anyone...but can also, for the 1st time in years, run a very effective half-court game through Shaq. He's not what he used to be, but he's 7'1", 320 lbs, and a beast for Western Conference post players to deal with.
Phoenix's old game wasn't working, so they had to make a change. THIS IS A GREAT TRADE FOR THE SUNS.
Mark my words...Phoenix and L.A. are now the Top 2 teams in the West. Your move, Dallas.
Suns get:
Shaquille O'Neal
Heat get:
Shawn Marion
Marcus Banks
First we'll discuss Marion. He's been frustrated with the Suns for years now, because he wants a bigger role in the offense and is tired of having to play 4 positions on defense since no one else on the team does. He wanted a big contract extension (he currently make $17 million per), and was recently starting to change his tone about Phoenix management when they told him he was no longer on the trading block.
However, when Marion got word that the Suns were in talks with Miami, he once again stated his opinion that he wanted out, even if it meant going to the worst team in the league.
As for the other side of the trade...Shaq to Phoenix.
The general consenus around the country (not to mention the Q2 Sports office)...this is a bad trade for the Suns. Phoenix's offensive motto (7 seconds or less...in reference to the shot clock) is not conducive...AT ALL...to Shaq's style. They are the most run and gun team on the planet, and Shaq is 35 years old with bad knees, hips, etc. However...
Shaq won't be asked to contribute extensively on the offensive end. This is purely a playoff move. Examine this:
Over the last two years, the Suns won 62 and 61 games respectively in the regular season, earning them a top 2-seed in the West each year. But in the playoffs, they never made it past the Western Conference Finals because they ran into a team that slowed the game down, crushed Phoenix inside and on the glass, and the Sund couldn't adjust.
Shaq allows them to play a half-court game with everyone else. Let's assume he plays 25 minutes...conservatively...in the playoffs, this gives the Suns someone to matchup against Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao, and the Bynum-Gasol combo in L.A. The Suns can run without Shaq...you don't need 5 players to get a shot of in transition! And plus, you still have Amare Stoudemire in the post who does run!
Look at their lineup now:
Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Shaq...along with Barbosa and Diaw coming off the bench. THAT IS A SCARY LINEUP!
Phoenix can now still run the break as well as anyone...but can also, for the 1st time in years, run a very effective half-court game through Shaq. He's not what he used to be, but he's 7'1", 320 lbs, and a beast for Western Conference post players to deal with.
Phoenix's old game wasn't working, so they had to make a change. THIS IS A GREAT TRADE FOR THE SUNS.
Mark my words...Phoenix and L.A. are now the Top 2 teams in the West. Your move, Dallas.
Pau!
What a debut! 24 points, 12 boards, on 10-15 FG! But here's what's even better:
The Lakers beat the Nets in New Jersey, 105-90. Kobe scored 6 points (his lowest output in over a year), on 3-13 shooting, and had 7 TO (thanks mostly to a dislocated pinky finger he suffered in the 2nd quarter). And the Lakers still won by 15 over an athletic New Jersey squad.
After the game, Kobe raved about how much easier the game is having Pau. When Kobe can have a game like that, and still be gushing afterwards, that's amazing. The Lakers are a brand new team, and this is without Bynum even being back.
L.A. is 3-1 on their current 9-game road trip, so let's see how they finish up before I can actually make any proclamations. But it's a good start.
The Lakers beat the Nets in New Jersey, 105-90. Kobe scored 6 points (his lowest output in over a year), on 3-13 shooting, and had 7 TO (thanks mostly to a dislocated pinky finger he suffered in the 2nd quarter). And the Lakers still won by 15 over an athletic New Jersey squad.
After the game, Kobe raved about how much easier the game is having Pau. When Kobe can have a game like that, and still be gushing afterwards, that's amazing. The Lakers are a brand new team, and this is without Bynum even being back.
L.A. is 3-1 on their current 9-game road trip, so let's see how they finish up before I can actually make any proclamations. But it's a good start.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Bobby Knight: Great Coach, but not The Greatest...
Bobby Knight abruptly resigned as the head basketball coach of Texas Tech University today, leaving a the all-time wins leader in major college basketball with 902 victories under his belt.
The 67-year-old Knight coached for 42 years, the majority at Indiana, where he won three National Championships, including the last undefeated season in college basketball (1976). He coached his teams to 29 20-win seasons, and 4 30-win years.
All-in-all, Knight put 36 players in the NBA, including 15 1st Rounders. In the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984, he coached the U.S. Team to a Gold Medal.
In addition to all of his statistical accomplishments, Knight is widely acknowledged as being one of the greatest teachers of the game in the history of basketball. His coaching career started at Army, where he coached current Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who had this to say about the often controversial coach:
"Outside of my immediate family, no single person has had a greater impact on my life than Coach Knight," said Krzyzewski. "I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more so as a dear friend. For more than 40 years, the life lessons I have learned from Coach are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him."
There is no denying Bob Knight's place as one of the best coaches ever. But he is not THE BEST.
I went to school at USC, and took a class called Sports, Business, and Media in Today's Society. In this class, a new guest speaker would come every week to give us a varying perspective on the topics we covered.
One of these guests was former UCLA coach John Wooden.
John Wooden is not only the greatest coach in the history of basketball, he is unmatched in any sport around the world. Not to mention he is truly one of the best human beings this world has ever seen.
Wooden was actually the first man to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a coach AND a player (he has since been joined by Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman). Wooden was a three-time all American at Purdue and a member of their 1932 National Championship team.
But it was as a coach that Wooden made his mark. His career started in 1946 at Indiana State (now most famously known as Larry Bird's alma mater). In his first season, Indiana State won the conference title and received a bid to the NAIA Tournament. However, Coach Wooden turned down the invitation because, at the time, the tournament did not allow African-Americans to play.
The next year, Indiana State again won their conference title, and again received a Tournament bid. Days later, the NAIA changed their policy and allowed African-Americans to play, and Wooden thus accepted the bid. That year, Clarence Walker, a reserve guard for Wooden's squad, became the first black player to play in the Tournament.
After his early success, Wooden was courted by several Division 1 schools with head coaching vacancies, including UCLA and Minnesota. Wooden was born in Indiana, and he and his wife Nellie wanted desperately to stay in the Midwest. Thus, Minnesota was at the top of his list.
After being offered both jobs, Wooden debated what the best job for him would be. He chose Minnesota, and called them to let him know. On that phone call, Minnesota officials told Wooden they would call him back at 6:00 PM that night to confirm.
However, a big snowstorm passed through Minnesota and knocked out the telephone lines. 6:00 PM came and went, with no calls. UCLA called at around 6:15 to get a final decision from Wooden, and thinking Minnesota had gone with another candidate, he took the Bruins vacancy. Later that night, when Minnesota finally called and explained the situation, he thanked them for their offer, but told them that he had already made a promise to UCLA that he couldn't break.
Wooden was the Pacific Coast Conference Title in his 2nd year at UCLA, going 25-7 overall. But his best work didn't come until the 1963-1964 season.
In that year, Wooden won his 1st National Championship.
He would go on to win 9 of the next 11, for a total of 10 National Titles in 12 years, including 7 in a row from 1967-1973 (No other coach has more than 4 National Titles.) During the span, Wooden led UCLA to 4 Perfect 30-0 seasons. No other coach has had more than 1 undefeated year.
After his 10th National Title in 1975, Wooden retired after 29 years of coaching. During his time, UCLA won 88 consecutive regular season games, a number no one has ever of will ever come close to. From 1964-1974, they won 38 straight NCAA Tournament games, and were ranked #1 in the AP Top 25 Poll for 134 weeks.
Wooden ended his career with 671 career wins, compared to 161 losses, an .807 winning percentage (His AVERAGE YEAR was 24-6.)
Coach Wooden's basketball resume speaks for itself. Most of his accomplishments will never be duplicated, but most importantly, there will never be a better person to roam the sidelines.
Today, John Wooden is 97 years old. When he spoke to my class, he was 95. But you would never know it by listening to him. He has the mind of a teenager and remembers everything that has ever happened to him. His philosophies on life and basketball are more inspirational than anything I have ever heard, and just to be in his presence was a true honor.
Maybe this will sum it up: Coach Wooden's wife, Nell, passed away 23 years ago. Before that, the two were married for 53 years. To this day, Coach Wooden continues to write letters to Nell, as he did throughout her life. He has often said that Nell was the greatest piece of his life.
UCLA celebrates John Wooden every leap year on February 29th, 24 days from today. For anyone who is reading this, please keep him in your thoughts on that day.
As a die-hard Trojan fan, I rarely find anything positive about UCLA. But I can honestly say this:
Bobby Knight is a great basketball coach. But John Wooden is one of the greatest men to ever live.
The 67-year-old Knight coached for 42 years, the majority at Indiana, where he won three National Championships, including the last undefeated season in college basketball (1976). He coached his teams to 29 20-win seasons, and 4 30-win years.
All-in-all, Knight put 36 players in the NBA, including 15 1st Rounders. In the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984, he coached the U.S. Team to a Gold Medal.
In addition to all of his statistical accomplishments, Knight is widely acknowledged as being one of the greatest teachers of the game in the history of basketball. His coaching career started at Army, where he coached current Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who had this to say about the often controversial coach:
"Outside of my immediate family, no single person has had a greater impact on my life than Coach Knight," said Krzyzewski. "I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more so as a dear friend. For more than 40 years, the life lessons I have learned from Coach are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him."
There is no denying Bob Knight's place as one of the best coaches ever. But he is not THE BEST.
I went to school at USC, and took a class called Sports, Business, and Media in Today's Society. In this class, a new guest speaker would come every week to give us a varying perspective on the topics we covered.
One of these guests was former UCLA coach John Wooden.
John Wooden is not only the greatest coach in the history of basketball, he is unmatched in any sport around the world. Not to mention he is truly one of the best human beings this world has ever seen.
Wooden was actually the first man to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a coach AND a player (he has since been joined by Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman). Wooden was a three-time all American at Purdue and a member of their 1932 National Championship team.
But it was as a coach that Wooden made his mark. His career started in 1946 at Indiana State (now most famously known as Larry Bird's alma mater). In his first season, Indiana State won the conference title and received a bid to the NAIA Tournament. However, Coach Wooden turned down the invitation because, at the time, the tournament did not allow African-Americans to play.
The next year, Indiana State again won their conference title, and again received a Tournament bid. Days later, the NAIA changed their policy and allowed African-Americans to play, and Wooden thus accepted the bid. That year, Clarence Walker, a reserve guard for Wooden's squad, became the first black player to play in the Tournament.
After his early success, Wooden was courted by several Division 1 schools with head coaching vacancies, including UCLA and Minnesota. Wooden was born in Indiana, and he and his wife Nellie wanted desperately to stay in the Midwest. Thus, Minnesota was at the top of his list.
After being offered both jobs, Wooden debated what the best job for him would be. He chose Minnesota, and called them to let him know. On that phone call, Minnesota officials told Wooden they would call him back at 6:00 PM that night to confirm.
However, a big snowstorm passed through Minnesota and knocked out the telephone lines. 6:00 PM came and went, with no calls. UCLA called at around 6:15 to get a final decision from Wooden, and thinking Minnesota had gone with another candidate, he took the Bruins vacancy. Later that night, when Minnesota finally called and explained the situation, he thanked them for their offer, but told them that he had already made a promise to UCLA that he couldn't break.
Wooden was the Pacific Coast Conference Title in his 2nd year at UCLA, going 25-7 overall. But his best work didn't come until the 1963-1964 season.
In that year, Wooden won his 1st National Championship.
He would go on to win 9 of the next 11, for a total of 10 National Titles in 12 years, including 7 in a row from 1967-1973 (No other coach has more than 4 National Titles.) During the span, Wooden led UCLA to 4 Perfect 30-0 seasons. No other coach has had more than 1 undefeated year.
After his 10th National Title in 1975, Wooden retired after 29 years of coaching. During his time, UCLA won 88 consecutive regular season games, a number no one has ever of will ever come close to. From 1964-1974, they won 38 straight NCAA Tournament games, and were ranked #1 in the AP Top 25 Poll for 134 weeks.
Wooden ended his career with 671 career wins, compared to 161 losses, an .807 winning percentage (His AVERAGE YEAR was 24-6.)
Coach Wooden's basketball resume speaks for itself. Most of his accomplishments will never be duplicated, but most importantly, there will never be a better person to roam the sidelines.
Today, John Wooden is 97 years old. When he spoke to my class, he was 95. But you would never know it by listening to him. He has the mind of a teenager and remembers everything that has ever happened to him. His philosophies on life and basketball are more inspirational than anything I have ever heard, and just to be in his presence was a true honor.
Maybe this will sum it up: Coach Wooden's wife, Nell, passed away 23 years ago. Before that, the two were married for 53 years. To this day, Coach Wooden continues to write letters to Nell, as he did throughout her life. He has often said that Nell was the greatest piece of his life.
UCLA celebrates John Wooden every leap year on February 29th, 24 days from today. For anyone who is reading this, please keep him in your thoughts on that day.
As a die-hard Trojan fan, I rarely find anything positive about UCLA. But I can honestly say this:
Bobby Knight is a great basketball coach. But John Wooden is one of the greatest men to ever live.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Not a great start...
So my Super Bowl prediction of 34-27 Patriots turned out to be pretty far off, as did most people's expectations of the game. But, I was right on most of my other prognostications:
I said the Giants would score first, which they did, taking the opening kickoff and holding the ball for 10 minutes before kicking a FG to go up 3-0.
I said it would be a three-point game at halftime. It ended up being 7-3 Patriots. So it was 4 points, not too bad.
And I also said that the game would be much closer than people expected. Which it was. I just underestimate the Giants a little.
So overall, not too bad from my point of view. Nothing like the Central Lady Rams when it comes to Super Bowl picks (congrats to Jessica Camp and Rachel Turley for being the best Billings' prognosticators!)...but not bad. As for the game...
What a 4th Quarter! One of the best, if not THE BEST, quarter in Super Bowl history. Until then, the game was nothing special. Surprising in how well the Giants defense played, but not really exciting. The 4th quarter made this one of the Top 5 Super Bowls ever. Why?
Because of this play. The Giants had just let Randy Moss catch a TD to go 14-10 with 2:30 to play. On 2nd and 5 from about their own 40, Eli Manning almost gave the game away by overthrowing his recevier on the sideline and putting it right through the hands of Patriots Pro-Bowl corner Asante Samuel.
So that set up a 3rd and 5 in the Giants own territory, with 1:10 to play...IN THE SUPER BOWL..., needing a TD to take the lead. And as soon as the ball was snapped, the entire Patriots D-Line was in the Giants backfield. But then something happened that nobody expected...
Eli, by some miracle, escaped the clutches of three Patriots, rolled out, and fired the ball 35 yards down the middle of the field to what you assumed would be a wide-open receiver (thinking everyone had given up on the play because there was no way Eli would escape).
But to our surprise, as the camera followed the ball downfield...Giants Receiver David Tyree was not wide-open. In fact, he was surrounded by 4 Patriots. FOUR! AS IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CATCHES TYREE MADE ALL SEASON! And then Tyree proceeded to make what I now consider to be the greatest catch in the history of the NFL...
All things considered...the Super Bowl, trying to beat the only 18-0 team in the history of the game, one of the biggest upsets in sports, ever...one minute to play...3rd down...the DIFFICULTY...when you consider all of that, this play is the greatest in NFL history.
I hope you all had a chance to watch it live. Because it may never be topped.
I said the Giants would score first, which they did, taking the opening kickoff and holding the ball for 10 minutes before kicking a FG to go up 3-0.
I said it would be a three-point game at halftime. It ended up being 7-3 Patriots. So it was 4 points, not too bad.
And I also said that the game would be much closer than people expected. Which it was. I just underestimate the Giants a little.
So overall, not too bad from my point of view. Nothing like the Central Lady Rams when it comes to Super Bowl picks (congrats to Jessica Camp and Rachel Turley for being the best Billings' prognosticators!)...but not bad. As for the game...
What a 4th Quarter! One of the best, if not THE BEST, quarter in Super Bowl history. Until then, the game was nothing special. Surprising in how well the Giants defense played, but not really exciting. The 4th quarter made this one of the Top 5 Super Bowls ever. Why?
Because of this play. The Giants had just let Randy Moss catch a TD to go 14-10 with 2:30 to play. On 2nd and 5 from about their own 40, Eli Manning almost gave the game away by overthrowing his recevier on the sideline and putting it right through the hands of Patriots Pro-Bowl corner Asante Samuel.
So that set up a 3rd and 5 in the Giants own territory, with 1:10 to play...IN THE SUPER BOWL..., needing a TD to take the lead. And as soon as the ball was snapped, the entire Patriots D-Line was in the Giants backfield. But then something happened that nobody expected...
Eli, by some miracle, escaped the clutches of three Patriots, rolled out, and fired the ball 35 yards down the middle of the field to what you assumed would be a wide-open receiver (thinking everyone had given up on the play because there was no way Eli would escape).
But to our surprise, as the camera followed the ball downfield...Giants Receiver David Tyree was not wide-open. In fact, he was surrounded by 4 Patriots. FOUR! AS IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CATCHES TYREE MADE ALL SEASON! And then Tyree proceeded to make what I now consider to be the greatest catch in the history of the NFL...
All things considered...the Super Bowl, trying to beat the only 18-0 team in the history of the game, one of the biggest upsets in sports, ever...one minute to play...3rd down...the DIFFICULTY...when you consider all of that, this play is the greatest in NFL history.
I hope you all had a chance to watch it live. Because it may never be topped.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Sports Xtra Saturday Night
What did I tell you about Skyview! The Falcons win their 2nd straight, completing a sweep of Great Falls and CMR on the road! It looks like Toby Hill finally has his Falcons believing they can play with a lot of the Eastern AA teams (no more 3-point quarter letdowns!)...watch out for these guys the rest of the season...they could make a late run.
West still looks unstoppable. They double up Butte on the road, 67-34...and Butte was the number 2 team in the Eastern AA coming in. Stordahl the high scorer...16 off the bench. Bears are still the team to beat.
As for the Lady Bears, they lose their 1st Eastern AA game of the season, losing 54-45 at home to still undefeated Butte. West hung tough in th 1st half, but Butte showed why they are the team to beat in the Girls AA with a dominant 3rd, going up by as many as 20 before cruising home.
Columbus finally beats Laurel in a matchup that was accidentally scheduled for yesterday. The Cougars look very strong in Class B.
As for the wrestlers, congrats to all the kids who qualified for this week's upcoming state tournament at the Metra. Skyview was the big winner in the Eastern AA, sending 28 wrestlers to State. In comparison, Senior and West combined will send 23, so big ups to the Falcons...In the Eastern A, Sidney continued to dominate, winning their seeding tourney...and if I were a betting man, my pick for shoe-in State winner would Huntley project's Seth Snyder...he's looked unstoppable over the past few weeks.
On to tomorrow...the Griz men are on the road at Eastern Washington...you can watch that at 2:00 PM on Altitude...and don't worry, barring OT, it will be over before the Big One in Arizona kicks off.
So here are my Super Bowl Predictions for tomorrow:
Patriots win 34-27 in a very enteraining game that will go down to the last possession. The Giants will get on the board first, and it will be within 3 at the half.
MVP = Tom Brady...absoutely no question about this one...the surest bet out there
The Patriots are the better team, and have come to far to lose. They complete their perfect season, and should be considered the best team in the history of the NFL (Belichick makes a push for greatest coach ever as well...)
We'll see if any of this comes true tomorrow...kickoff slated for 4:17 PM on FOX. Until then...
Later!
-Casey
West still looks unstoppable. They double up Butte on the road, 67-34...and Butte was the number 2 team in the Eastern AA coming in. Stordahl the high scorer...16 off the bench. Bears are still the team to beat.
As for the Lady Bears, they lose their 1st Eastern AA game of the season, losing 54-45 at home to still undefeated Butte. West hung tough in th 1st half, but Butte showed why they are the team to beat in the Girls AA with a dominant 3rd, going up by as many as 20 before cruising home.
Columbus finally beats Laurel in a matchup that was accidentally scheduled for yesterday. The Cougars look very strong in Class B.
As for the wrestlers, congrats to all the kids who qualified for this week's upcoming state tournament at the Metra. Skyview was the big winner in the Eastern AA, sending 28 wrestlers to State. In comparison, Senior and West combined will send 23, so big ups to the Falcons...In the Eastern A, Sidney continued to dominate, winning their seeding tourney...and if I were a betting man, my pick for shoe-in State winner would Huntley project's Seth Snyder...he's looked unstoppable over the past few weeks.
On to tomorrow...the Griz men are on the road at Eastern Washington...you can watch that at 2:00 PM on Altitude...and don't worry, barring OT, it will be over before the Big One in Arizona kicks off.
So here are my Super Bowl Predictions for tomorrow:
Patriots win 34-27 in a very enteraining game that will go down to the last possession. The Giants will get on the board first, and it will be within 3 at the half.
MVP = Tom Brady...absoutely no question about this one...the surest bet out there
The Patriots are the better team, and have come to far to lose. They complete their perfect season, and should be considered the best team in the history of the NFL (Belichick makes a push for greatest coach ever as well...)
We'll see if any of this comes true tomorrow...kickoff slated for 4:17 PM on FOX. Until then...
Later!
-Casey
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Friday Night in Review
Another Sports Xtra Friday night in the books! Really busy night for us tonight (6 games, three outside of Billings, including the Shepherd Girls game that didn't start until 9:00 PM...yikes!)
Overall, a fairly predictable night on the hoops scene...the top story has to be Plenty Coups finishing a perfect 18-0 regular season with a 93-63 win over Roberts. Go see the Warriors if you like offense...they average about 85 a game, and are forces to be reckoned with in the path to the C State title.
Elsewhere...Senior night out in Shepherd...both the graduating Stangs and Fillies are sent off with a win...although the undefeated Fillies were down 11-1 before they remembered why they were undefeated...and then won 72-38...
In the battle for 4th in the Eastern AA, Senior Girls took Great Falls to Double OT before losing by 5. The Lady Broncs just don't seem to be able to get over that hump...as for the Lady Falcons, their struggles continued with a 31-point home loss to CMR...Kate Brew looked good though...As for the boys, same teams, different venues, and different results...Skyview beats CMR for their 1st Eastern AA wins (I told you they were getting better!)...and Senior beats Great Falls by 5 behind a career-high 30 from A.J. Paine (man, is that kid an athlete...)
As for Laurel in Columbus...thanks to a schedule misprint, that one won't happen until tonight (7:30 PM in Columbus)...instead, Columbus hosted Lodge Grass and coasted to a 76-30 win.
Absolutely HUGE day tomorrow in the sports world...we find out which wrestlers go to state, and two hude hoops showdowns between West and Butte, 1 and 2 in the boys and girls Eastern AA. Until then...
Later!
-Casey
Overall, a fairly predictable night on the hoops scene...the top story has to be Plenty Coups finishing a perfect 18-0 regular season with a 93-63 win over Roberts. Go see the Warriors if you like offense...they average about 85 a game, and are forces to be reckoned with in the path to the C State title.
Elsewhere...Senior night out in Shepherd...both the graduating Stangs and Fillies are sent off with a win...although the undefeated Fillies were down 11-1 before they remembered why they were undefeated...and then won 72-38...
In the battle for 4th in the Eastern AA, Senior Girls took Great Falls to Double OT before losing by 5. The Lady Broncs just don't seem to be able to get over that hump...as for the Lady Falcons, their struggles continued with a 31-point home loss to CMR...Kate Brew looked good though...As for the boys, same teams, different venues, and different results...Skyview beats CMR for their 1st Eastern AA wins (I told you they were getting better!)...and Senior beats Great Falls by 5 behind a career-high 30 from A.J. Paine (man, is that kid an athlete...)
As for Laurel in Columbus...thanks to a schedule misprint, that one won't happen until tonight (7:30 PM in Columbus)...instead, Columbus hosted Lodge Grass and coasted to a 76-30 win.
Absolutely HUGE day tomorrow in the sports world...we find out which wrestlers go to state, and two hude hoops showdowns between West and Butte, 1 and 2 in the boys and girls Eastern AA. Until then...
Later!
-Casey
Friday, February 1, 2008
What 2 Watch Tonight...
Hard to believe, but Wrestling Divisionals are already here, kicking off today. The Eastern AA is going on up in Great Falls, the Western AA in Helena, Eastern A in Sidney, and the B-C are in Broadus.
The biggest team hopes for the Magic City definitely lie with Skyview. The kids up on the hill just know how to wrestle, year-in and year-out. This season has been no different, as they only lost 1 Dual match all year. The Falcons biggest challenge will be Kalispell. Should be a great match.
But back in town...it's all about Hoops tonight! Here are the big games you should try to get out and see...
Boys:
Plenty Coups v. Roberts, 7:30 @ Shrine Auditorium...PC is 17-0, and looking to close the regular season at 18-0 before districts start Monday
Laurel @ Columbus, 7:30...Laurel is 8-0 in the Eastern A, but only 1-6 outside...Columbus is 7-1 in the 4B, and 12-2 overall, including an earlier win over the Locomotives in Laurel
Girls:
Great Falls @ Senior, 7:30...Battle for 4th in the Eastern AA...watch Senior's Kylie Kufeld...just looks like a basketball player...
Red Lodge @ Shepherd, 7:30...Shepherd is 13-0, one of only three remaining unbeatens in all of Class B...keep your eye on 5'3" Guard Whitney Baustadt and 6'1" Forward Jillian Stanek...great inside-out combo
That's it! Don't forget to tune in to Q2 at 5:30 for a preview of Plenty Coups' chase for a perfect regular season and 10:00 for all of you prep highlights and scores.
Later!
-Casey
The biggest team hopes for the Magic City definitely lie with Skyview. The kids up on the hill just know how to wrestle, year-in and year-out. This season has been no different, as they only lost 1 Dual match all year. The Falcons biggest challenge will be Kalispell. Should be a great match.
But back in town...it's all about Hoops tonight! Here are the big games you should try to get out and see...
Boys:
Plenty Coups v. Roberts, 7:30 @ Shrine Auditorium...PC is 17-0, and looking to close the regular season at 18-0 before districts start Monday
Laurel @ Columbus, 7:30...Laurel is 8-0 in the Eastern A, but only 1-6 outside...Columbus is 7-1 in the 4B, and 12-2 overall, including an earlier win over the Locomotives in Laurel
Girls:
Great Falls @ Senior, 7:30...Battle for 4th in the Eastern AA...watch Senior's Kylie Kufeld...just looks like a basketball player...
Red Lodge @ Shepherd, 7:30...Shepherd is 13-0, one of only three remaining unbeatens in all of Class B...keep your eye on 5'3" Guard Whitney Baustadt and 6'1" Forward Jillian Stanek...great inside-out combo
That's it! Don't forget to tune in to Q2 at 5:30 for a preview of Plenty Coups' chase for a perfect regular season and 10:00 for all of you prep highlights and scores.
Later!
-Casey
Woo-Hoo!
What a day for Lakers fans! (like myself...die-hard since '85). Here are the details of the trade with the Memphis Grizzlies:
Lakers Get:
Pau Gasol
Grizzlies 2010 2nd Round Pick
Grizzlies Get:
Kwame Brown (thank you for taking him!)
Javaris Crittendon
Aaron Mckie
Lakers 2008 1st Round Draft Pick
Lakers 2010 1st Round Draft Pick
Rights to Marc Gasol (Pau's brother)
Lakers make out huge in this deal. Let's talk about what they get rid of first: Brown, maybe the worst low-post player in the history of basketball...will hurt you more than help you...Crittendon, a young, raw rookie point guard who could develip into a good talent, but the Lakers are happy with the progress of Jordan Farmar, so Critterndon becomes dispensable...Mckie, who was signed today for salary-cap purposes (he won't play for the Grizzlies)...and two 1st rounders likely to be in the 20's based on the talent the Lakers have now.
Right now, here is what the Lakers now put on the court:
G Derek Fisher
G Kobe Bryant
F Luke Walton / Ronny Turiaf
F Lamar Odom
C Pau Gaosl
That's a potent lineup as it is, with Kobe, Odom, and Gasol all able to score the ball in different ways. Plus, Gasol gives us even more rebounding on one of the tallest teams in the league already.
But then you take into account what this lineup will be when Andrew Bynum returns:
G Derek Fisher
G Kobe Bryant
F Lamar Odom
F Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum
Bench: Walton, Turiaf, Farmar, Vujacic, Ariza (when he returns from a foot injury in mid-March)
Wow! That is as potent a lineup as there is in the NBA now. The Lakers go from a middle-of-the-road Western Playoff team to a legit Championship contender. It's now the Lakers, Mavs, and Spurs. Hornets and Suns are just a step behind.
Let's go Lakers!
Lakers Get:
Pau Gasol
Grizzlies 2010 2nd Round Pick
Grizzlies Get:
Kwame Brown (thank you for taking him!)
Javaris Crittendon
Aaron Mckie
Lakers 2008 1st Round Draft Pick
Lakers 2010 1st Round Draft Pick
Rights to Marc Gasol (Pau's brother)
Lakers make out huge in this deal. Let's talk about what they get rid of first: Brown, maybe the worst low-post player in the history of basketball...will hurt you more than help you...Crittendon, a young, raw rookie point guard who could develip into a good talent, but the Lakers are happy with the progress of Jordan Farmar, so Critterndon becomes dispensable...Mckie, who was signed today for salary-cap purposes (he won't play for the Grizzlies)...and two 1st rounders likely to be in the 20's based on the talent the Lakers have now.
Right now, here is what the Lakers now put on the court:
G Derek Fisher
G Kobe Bryant
F Luke Walton / Ronny Turiaf
F Lamar Odom
C Pau Gaosl
That's a potent lineup as it is, with Kobe, Odom, and Gasol all able to score the ball in different ways. Plus, Gasol gives us even more rebounding on one of the tallest teams in the league already.
But then you take into account what this lineup will be when Andrew Bynum returns:
G Derek Fisher
G Kobe Bryant
F Lamar Odom
F Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum
Bench: Walton, Turiaf, Farmar, Vujacic, Ariza (when he returns from a foot injury in mid-March)
Wow! That is as potent a lineup as there is in the NBA now. The Lakers go from a middle-of-the-road Western Playoff team to a legit Championship contender. It's now the Lakers, Mavs, and Spurs. Hornets and Suns are just a step behind.
Let's go Lakers!
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