Two weeks ago, Jefferson High’s basketball squads had high hopes. The Lady Panthers were on a 19-game winning streak, sweeping through the regular season schedule and the conference tournament. The boys had toughed their way through their district tourney with a string of gritty performances.
But both teams’ journeys came to jarring ends last weekend amid especially tough competition at the Class B Southern Division championship in Billings. The girls lost their first game in three months, then lost again to drop out of the tournament. The boys finally beat conference rival Three Forks, but fell in their next game.
The upshot: After very strong seasons, neither Jefferson squad will go to State this year.
The boys started their weekend against Columbus. The first quarter was almost even, with Columbus up 11-10 — but from then on, the Cougars held the advantage, outscoring Jefferson 17-8 in the second quarter, 17-10 in the third and 13-4 in the fourth for a 57-33 win. Dalton Noble led the Panthers with 13 points, along with 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Colt Teitje scored 8, Hunter Stevens 6, Marcus Lee 4 and Kael Hesford 2.
The loss sent the Panthers into the consolation bracket, where they took on Park City. This was a tight match-up: Jefferson led 15-10 after one quarter, but its margin narrowed to 23-20 at the half and 37-35 going into the final 8 minutes of play. The Panthers held on for a close 50-48 win. Noble again led the scoring with 22 points and 13 rebounds; Stevens had 14, Lee 7, Hesford 5, and Tietje 2.
That brought Jefferson into another tough game, this time against Three Forks, which had defeated the Panthers three times this year. This time, the Wolves took a quick 16-4 first quarter lead. But the Panthers fought their way back, out-scoring Three Forks 16-13 in the second, 11-8 in the third and 19-11 in the fourth to stay alive with another 50-48 win. Noble scored 17, Parker Wagner 12, Kelen Meredith 9, Stevens 8, and Hesford and Tietje 2 each.
But then came Manhattan. The regular-season conference champs started with a hot hand, going up 28-11 in the first period. By halftime, the lead was 49-14. The Panthers came back in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 22-15 in the third and 13-11 in the fourth, but the damage was done: Manhattan took the win 75-49, and Jefferson’s season was done.
The Lady Panthers started their tournament against Lodge Grass, a fast paced game that kept the fans on their feet. The Panthers showed they could run with anyone, knocking down 26 first-quarter points, with Ryian Eveland putting in 7, and Jaida Jurenka adding a pair of 3-pointers.
The scoring cooled down in the second and third quarters. And in the fourth, free throws were huge: Jefferson hit 8 of 9 from the charity stripe, and Jefferson took the win, 63-60. Ryan Eveland led the scoring with 20 points; MacKenzie Layng had 18, Jaida Jurenka 11, Cameron Toney 9, Hannah Stevens 3 and Brooklyn Miller 2.
But that would prove the Panthers’ final win of the season. In the semifinals, they met Baker, a very strong team that ended up with the tournament. Baker cruised to a 66-35 win. Eveland scored 10 in this one, Zitnick 6, and Toney and Layng 5 each.
Knocked down to the consolation bracket, Jefferson saw its season end at the hands of Big Timber, in a 77-33 loss. Toney led the squad with 11 points in their final game; Layng had 9, Miller 6, Faler 5, and Eveland 2.
The Panthers certainly had a terrific year, and they’ll return all but two of players next year. MacKenzie Layng and Arena Faler will graduate this year after leading the Panthers to four great years of basketball.
With winter sports done, it will soon be time for golf, tennis and track and field. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
