The Jefferson High girls basketball squad did pretty much as they were expected at the District 5B playoffs last weekend. The Panther boys did quite a bit more. The result: Both teams will be traveling to the Southern Divisional tournament March 3–5 in Billings.
The boys team turned in the big surprise of the District tournament in Belgrade. Coming in as the fourth seed among six teams, they took on Sweet Grass County in the first round. The Herders jumped to an early 5-1 lead, but Tyler Harrington hit a 3-pointer, Trent McMaster fed Wade Rykal for a bucket, McMaster hit a 3-pointer and Harrington scored again to make it 12-7 Panthers after one quarter.
Harrington hit another 3-pointer to start the second, Luke Eckmann sank a free throw, and Harrington scored again. Then Zach Zody swished a 3-pointer and Jake Genger made a pair of free throws for a 24-18 Panther lead at the half. The Herders pulled to within 29-28 in the third, as the Panthers struggled to score. But the final period belonged to Jefferson as Rykal, Harrington and McMaster scored for a 41-28 lead, and Dylan Root’s basket sealed the 50-35 win. Harrington led the Panthers with 14 points.
The win sent the Panthers into a semifinal match with Three Forks, which had won the regular season title and was rated first in Class B statewide. The Panthers jumped out to a 7-0 lead behind Harrington and Eckmann, but the Wolves came back to tie the score at 15 after one quarter. The second quarter was all Wolves, and Jefferson found themselves down 37-27 at the half.
But the Panthers didn’t cave. They pulled to within 1 point after three quarters, with Harrington, Rykal and Genger leading the charge. And the fourth was a taut, back-and-forth battle: The lead changed hands several times, and with 22 seconds left the Panthers held a 58-56 edge. Finally, Zody sealed the 60-57 win with two free throws. Harrington topped the scoring again, with 26 points; Genger had 12, and Eckmann 10.
With a trip to Billings now guaranteed, the Panthers went into Saturday night’s title game against Manhattan. The two had split their regular season games, and Manhattan was the tournament’s third seed.
Jefferson struggled to score early on and and found itself down 14-7 after one. It picked up ground in the second, pulling to within 24-20 at the half. Eckmann started the third with a 3-pointer but points were hard to come by, and Manhattan opened up a 39-27 advantage going into the final eight minutes of play. The final period was even, and the Tigers took a 52-40 win. McMaster led the Panthers with 18 points.
At the Divisional tournament, Jefferson will face Lame Deer at 3 p.m. on March 3. Lodge Grass will face Joliet, Manhattan plays Red Lodge, and Columbus will take on the winner of the Colstrip-Three Forks play-in match.
The top-seeded Lady Panthers, meanwhile, enjoyed a bye on the first round of the District tournament, then met up with Manhattan. They jumped to a 9-5 lead after one period on a 3-pointer by Brynna Wolfe and baskets by Austie May and Rachel Van Blaricom. Izzy Morris started the second with a 3-pointer, Dakota Edmisten added a 2-pointer, and Van Blaricom and Wolfe both hit 3-pointers to make it 20-10, en route to a 26-19 halftime margin.
The third quarter saw the Panthers come out more relaxed: Edmisten and MacKenzie Layng sank 3-pointers and Morris added free throws to build the lead to 41-23 going into the final eight minutes. By then, Jefferson was coasting: Van Blaricom’s two 3-pointers made it 55-27. That brought in the subs, and Jesse Harris finished the scoring with a basket to cap a 59-30 win. Van Blaricom led the Panthers with 19 points.
The win put Jefferson into the title game on Saturday with Sweet Grass County—the only school to defeat them during the regular season. The first quarter was tight, ending with the Herders up 11-10. The first few minutes of the second were brutal for the Panthers, who struggled to get much to fall—but at the half, they were down by just seven, 22-15.
The offensive woes continued into the third period, as Jefferson put up just 9 points while the Herders scored 20. That changed in the fourth: Edminsten hit a 2-pointer and Layng, Wolfe and Van Blaricom all nailed 3-pointers to bring the Panthers to within 10. But it was too little, too late, and Sweet Grass walked off with the 53-42 win and the championship. Van Blaricom once again led the scoring with 22 points.
Jefferson now prepares for the Divisional tournament. It will play Lodge Grass at 6:30 p.m. on March 3. Sweet Grass County will face Red Lodge, Colstrip takes on Huntley Project, and Columbus awaits the winner of the Baker-Manhattan game. One thing’s for sure: The Metra will be packed, so order your tickets early.
