A great year of Jefferson High basketball came to an end at the Southern Division tournament in Billings last weekend, as both the girls and boys hoopsters failed to qualify for the Class B state championship.
The Panther girls, trying to repeat their success of last year, when they advanced to the state final, made a promising start with a 46-30 first-round win over Shepherd. Austie May started the scoring with a 3-pointer, MacKenzie Layng’s three made it 9-0, and Izzy Morris’s bucket took the lead to 11-0.
Shepherd came back with the next 10 points to make it 11-10 after one quarter. A Morris three kept it close, but Shepherd ended the half up 21-18. The third period belonged to the Panthers as they went on a 14-0 run, building up a 35-25 lead on threes by May and Layng. And in the final quarter, Jefferson surged to a 46-25 margin, then cruised to the 46-30 final. Layng led the Panthers with 17 points, while May had 11, Morris 11, Cameron Toney 5, and Arena Faler 2.
The Panther boys opened Wednesday against Huntley Project in what would prove a low-scoring affair. A free throw by Dalton Noble and a 3-pointer by Zach Zody gave the Panthers an early 4-1 edge, but the Red Devils came back to lead 13-6 at the end of one. Project scored 8 in the second quarter while holding the Panthers to 7, leaving Jefferson down 21-13 at the half.
The Panthers came back strong in the third. Noble started the period with a free throw, then came up with a big block. Dylan Root hit a two, and Zody and Hunter Stevens both stole the ball and scored — and Stevens hit a foul shot to give the Panthers a 22-21 lead.
The Panthers still led, 26-24, early in the final period, but the Red Devils went on a run to pull out the win 39-31. Zody led the Panthers with 11 points; Noble scored 9, Stevens 4, Colt Tietje, Root and Tyler McGrady 2, and Michael Emter 1.
On Thursday, the Lady Panthers took on Baker in their second round. The Panthers went up 5-3 with a three by Toney and a two by May, and three free throws by Morris made it 8-6. But Baker held a 10-9 lead at the end of one — and it took control in the second, closing out the half with a 28-16 lead.
From there, the Spartans outscored the Panthers 20-14 in the third, then capped it off with a 17-7 fourth quarter for a 65-37 win. Morris led the Panthers with 17 points, while Layng had 8, Toney 6, Emma McCauley 3, and Avery Popp, Hannah Stevens and May 2 each.
The boys played Baker Thursday evening in the opening round of the consolation bracket — and it was a tight game all the way. The Panthers held a two-point lead midway through the first quarter, but came back to take a 13-11 lead at the end of one. The second quarter saw Baker increase its lead with 21 points while holding the Panthers to 18.
The two teams stayed close through the third, scoring 13 apiece, and the Panthers knocked down 20 in the final period while holding Baker to 17. Unfortunately, that was still three points short, and Baker took the win, 64-62, knocking Jefferson out of the tournament. In the final game of the season, Zody knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 23 points, while Noble scored 17, Kael Hesford 11, Stevens 9, and Emter 2.
On Friday, the girls had their final chance, facing their old district rival Manhattan in a loser-out consolation game. The teams had played three times before, splitting during the regular season and Manhattan taking the win at the conference tournament.
This time, the Tigers had the edge. Jefferson took a 13-9 lead after the first period and was still up 23-18 at the half — and the action stayed taut, with seven lead changes and five ties. But Manhattan turned things around after the break, outrebounding the Lady Panthers as they took a one-point lead in the third period and then held on for a 44-37 win. Toney led the Panthers this time with 16 points; Morris scored 10, Layng 8, and May 3.
The Southern Division is always very strong. This year, Columbus won the boys’ title, with Red Lodge second, Lame Deer third, and Lodge Grass fourth. Huntley Project won the girls’ championship by beating Sweet Grass County 69-61; Columbus took third and Baker fourth. This year, all of the top four teams from the South will go to the state tournament, which starts Thursday in Great Falls.
