There’s a lot I could write about the Jefferson High girls basketball team’s epic win over Lodge Grass at the Class B Southern Divisional tournament in Billings Saturday afternoon. For now, I’ll just say this: The come-from-behind, last-second 63-60 overtime victory was a never-forget memory. For the first time since 1995, the Lady Panthers are going to State.
The Jefferson boys came up a bit short in Billings: Their very strong season ended with losses to Lame Deer and Columbus. They’ll cheer for the girls at Montana State University in Bozeman starting Thursday.
Girls
The girls started strong at the Divisional tournament, leading all the way to hold off Lodge Grass, 64-52. That first-round game wasn’t as close as the score made it seem: The Panthers were up 60-39 in the fourth quarter before Lodge Grass made up ground against Jefferson’s subs. It was the balanced attack that Panther fans have become accustomed to: Rachel Van Blaricom led the way with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists; Brynna Wolfe added 13 points and 9 rebounds. Dakota Edmisten and Austie May had 9 points each, MacKenzie Layng 7, Izzy Morris 6, and Cia Stuber 3.
The win put Jefferson into the semifinals against Columbus. This one is tough to talk about. The Panthers started out as strong as they had finished the day before: They were up 17-11 at the end of one quarter, and by 26-16 at the half.
Who could have predicted what would happen in the third period? The Panthers’ shooting went ice-cold, and Jefferson went the entire eight minutes without scoring a point. Fortunately the defense was doing its job, and the Panthers were still in front 26-24 going into the final quarter.
But the next four minutes were the same: Nothing would go through the hoop, and Columbus took a 28-26 lead. Van Blaricom tied the game at 28, and a 3-pointer by Wolfe closed the gap to one with 19.9 seconds to go. But the Cougars hit enough free throws to take the upset, 39-35. Van Blaricom had 9 points, and Layng and Stuber 8 each.
The loss meant the girls had to come back Saturday with two wins in the consolation bracket to make State. On Saturday morning Jefferson faced a salty Huntley Project team. The Red Devils took an early 7-4 lead before Wolfe knocked down a 3-pointer, a 2-pointer, and another 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 12-8 advantage.
In the second, Stuber swished a 3-pointer, but the Project girls kept chipping away and pulled to within 22-21 before Wolfe connected on four straight free throws to provide some breathing room. At the half, the Panthers were up 33-25.
The third quarter was a high-scoring affair—25 points for Jefferson and 24 for Project. And in the fourth, any fears of another dry spell were erased as the Panthers went up 64-50, then connected on 10 of 13 free throws down the stretch to take the win 73-62. Wolfe led the scoring with 30 points on four 3-pointers and 16 of 20 free throws, while Van Blaricom notched 25.
Then came Lodge Grass, again—this time for third place and a ticket to State. The first quarter saw the Panthers down 13-6 as they had trouble finding the hoop. Lodge Grass scored the first 6 points of the second before Van Blaricom broke the ice with a pair of free throws and Layng added a basket. But at the half, the Indians were up 31-12, and things looked bleak.
In the third, though, the Panthers started hitting shots again. Edmisten swished a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and nailed a 2-pointer. Layng made a 3-pointer, and the Indian’s big lead started narrowing. The Panthers got to within 47-33, and you could feel the change. The look in the girls’ eyes showed determination.
Van Blaricom started the final period with a basket, Stuber hit a 3-pointer, and Wolfe hit another as the Panthers pulled to within 6. It was getting loud, as Panther fans could sense the win. Stuber hit another 3-pointer with 2:12 left, and Van Blaricom scored and then swished a pair of free throws to tie the game at 54 with 19.9 seconds remaining. The Indians couldn’t get off a shot, and the game went to overtime.
Lodge Grass hit the first 4 points of the extra period, but Layng swished a much needed 3-pointer and followed with a free throw. Wolfe’s basket tied it at 60. Lodge Grass had an opportunity to score, but the Panthers clamped down and got the ball. Van Blaricom fed Stuber who found Morris—and Morris, who hadn’t scored all game, lofted a 3-pointer with one second left that swished the net. Panthers win, 63-60.
All the girls were crying with joy—along with a lot of adults, including me with tears in my eyes. Coming back from 22 points down was such an accomplishment by a team that just was not going to give up. Layng put down four 3-pointers and totaled 15 points, while Van Blaricom added 14 and Wolfe 11.
The Panther girls have made State twice before—in 1990, when current Coach Sara Norden Layng was on the team, and again in 1995. Jefferson’s last state championship in basketball was in 1984, when the boys took home the title under Coach Dick Norden, Layng’s father.
This year, the first game at State will be on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. versus Bigfork.
Boys
Meantime, the Panther boys took on Lame Deer in their first game. There was no dust settling on the floor in this one, as Lame Deer’s run-and-gun offense took them to a quick 17-4 lead. Trent McMaster broke the run with a 2-pointer and Zach Zody hit a 3-pointer to make it 19-9 at the end of one.
A 3-pointer by Luke Eckmann followed by an old fashioned 3-pointer by Jake Genger closed the gap to 19-15. Tyler Harrington added a 2-pointer and Wade Rykal a pair of free throws to close the gap to 21-19—and at the half, the Panthers were well within range, down 31-26. A pair of free throws by Genger and a 2-pointer by McMaster gave Jefferson a 34-31 lead with 3:56 left in the third, and they were still up, 41-38, heading into the final period.
The Morning Stars came back in the fourth to take a 51-50 lead. Harrington hit two free throws to give Jefferson a 54-52 lead, but Lame Deer was able to close it out for a 56-54 win—a heartbreaker for the Panthers, who had played very well. Genger led the team with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while McMaster had 12 points, Harrington 9, and Rykal 8 points and 5 assists.
That left Jefferson with a must-win game against Columbus, which had lost to Three Forks in overtime the day before. Hard as they tried, the Panthers could not get much to fall. They found themselves down 15-5 at the end of the first eight minutes, and the lid stayed over the rim in the second. Eckmann nailed a 3-pointer, and Rykal had a big block—but at the half, it was 38-11 Columbus.
The Panthers outscored the Cougars in the third, 16-15, but were still down 53-27 going into the final eight minutes of play. By then, there just was not enough time to get back into the game, and Columbus took the win 64-40, ending the Panthers’ season. Harrington led the team in its final outing with 12 points. McMaster added 8, Genger 7, Rykal 6, Eckmann 3, and Tom Meyer 2.
It was great to see the Panthers battle through the District tournament and qualify for Divisionals by beating the regular season top seed, Three Forks. They just came up short after a successful year in a very strong district.
Good luck at State, Lady Panthers!
