They did it the long, hard way — but both Jefferson High’s squads qualified for the Class B Southern Division tournament in a weekend of hard-fought basketball.
The District 5B tournament, held Feb. 16-18 in Belgrade, was a double-elimination format, with six conference schools vying for three division playoff slots. The Panther boys, seeded fourth, opened the competition against fifth-seeded Sweet Grass County. This would prove a low-scoring affair, tight all the way to the end.
The Herders scored first, but Zach Zody answered with a two then stole the ball and scored to put the Panthers up 4-2. Dalton Noble put the Panthers up 6-4, then Luke Oxarart stole and fed Zody, who was fouled and sank both free throws. Dylan Root ended the first period with another free throw for a 9-7 lead.
From there, it was nip-and-tuck. The Panthers built a 13-9 edge in the second before turning cold, and the Herders gradually worked their way to a 14-13 lead at the half. A block by Noble and a pair of long 3-pointers by Zody gave the Panthers a 25-22 lead at the end of three.
Root’s 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 30-24 lead and a little breathing room, but it was short-lived as the Herders came back, partly with the help of a charging call, to pull to 32-31 with 1:30 left. A Panther turnover led to a Herder score and a 33-32 lead with 25 seconds left in the game and put the Panthers into a foul mode.
The Herders could not win it from the free throw line, but the Panthers couldn’t take advantage, either, and a couple of offensive rebounds kept the ball with the Herders and sealed their 35-32 win. Zody led the Panthers with 18 points, while Root had 7, Noble 3, and Oxarart and Michael Emter 2 each.
The loss put the Panther boys into Saturday morning’s loser-out consolation bracket against Whitehall. One never knows how these in-county games will turn out — but Hunter Stevens started the scoring and the Panthers built a 16-14 lead after one. A three by Colt Tietje gave Jefferson a 24-17 edge and they went on to lead 31-22 at the half.
The third was all Panthers, as they outscored the Trojans 19-3, and the bench closed out an impressive 70-40 win. Zody led the Panthers again with 13 points, while Tietje had 12, Stevens and Noble 10, Marcus Lee 9, and Root and Tyler Mcgrady 6.
That left the Panthers facing Townsend with third place and a trip to Division on the line. Noble started the scoring and the Panthers used a balanced attack to go up 14-8 after the first 8 minutes of play. A 25-point second quarter gave Jefferson a 39-22 lead at the half, putting Panther fans a little at ease.
Zody started the third with a pair of 3-pointers, and the Panthers were in control, 58-41, with 8 minutes to play. They didn’t let up, and the final was 75-59.
One division spot down, one to go. The Lady Panthers, seeded second in the conference, could have qualified by winning their opening game against Manhattan. But this was no walkover: The teams had split during the regular season, and the Tigers were ready to play.
And the Lady Panthers struggled to get much to fall through the hoop. Jefferson’s defense was tight: They forced a turnover on an in-bound play, and Austie May came up with an early steal to feed Arena Faler. Faler put the Panthers up 3-0 with an old-fashioned three, but the Tigers answered with a free throw and a 3-pointer and held an 8-6 lead at the end of one.
A pair of free throws by Jessie Harris put the Panthers up 11-10, and MacKenzie Layng stole the ball and hit one of two free throws. Izzy Morris put the Panthers up 14-10 and it was 14-13 at the half.
The teams stayed within three points until the Tigers scored at the end of three to go up 27-22. Izzy Morris started the fourth with a pair of free throws, Toney added a pair of free throws, and May hit a 2-pointer to make it 22-21. Harris tied the game at 30 with 3:10 left but the Tigers outscored the Panthers 8-3 in the last 2:18 and held on for a 38-33 win.
The Panthers were faced with an elimination game Saturday against Three Forks — and they were not going to let the chance go. With determination in their hearts, the Panthers came out with a swarming defense, and used their defense to feed a good offense. The Panthers led from start to finish and took a convincing 44-29 win.
Then came the game, against Broadwater, that would either end the Panthers’ season or give them a spot in the divisional tournament. Faler started the scoring and the Panthers took an early 4-2 lead, building the edge to 13-10 after one.
There were tired legs on both teams, but McCauley hit a pair of free throws, Izzy Morris came up with a steal and score, and Toney got a steal. Morris hit a three, Toney a two, and Morris finished off the half with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 33-17 lead. The Panthers went up 46-24 after three and lots of subs took over to seal the 58-24 win. Morris had a great game with 28 points, while McCauley had 8, and May 7.
The Lady Panthers play Shepherd in the first game of the South Division tournament at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Mar. 1. The Panther boys play Huntley Project at 11:30 a.m. Both games are at the Metra in Billings. The top four teams will move on to State.
