The Panthers knew they were in for an uphill battle. The Southern B Divisional boys basketball tournament in Billings featured six schools that had been ranked among the top ten in Class B during the regular season. Jefferson High wasn’t one of them.
In fact, the Panthers’ tournament ended after just two games at MetraPark Arena. The first, a 64-48 loss to Huntley Project, sent Jefferson into the consolation bracket. There, they suffered a 76-45 drubbing at the hands of Lodge Grass. And that was it: Their hard-fought season was done.
The first game seemed an even match: Jefferson had beaten Huntley Project in their second game of the season, in a taut overtime thriller. And the rematch stayed close for a quarter and a half. Bryce Harrington hit four free throws and Avery Stiles connected on an old fashioned three to give the Panthers a 7-5 lead with 3:46 left in the first, and Trent McMaster put the Panthers up 9-7 with a little over two minutes remaining. Jaxson Yanzick’s last-second heave from beyond the center court actually went in, leaving Jefferson just one point down at the end of one.
