Bulldogs, Chiefs bound for Billings

The Bulldogs didn't celebrate Monday night's Northwestern A divisional tournament challenge game victory over Columbia Falls for long. They still have work to do - and they couldn't be happier about it.

The Whitefish High School boys' basketball team is headed to Billings today for its second straight Class A state tournament. The Bulldogs (13-9), who secured Northwestern A's second state berth on Monday after losing to Ronan in Saturday's divisional title game, tip off on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against Central A divisional champion Browning.

"It's been a pretty crazy day," Whitefish coach Eric Stang said on Tuesday. "We've had a lot of stuff we've had to take care of travel-wise and reservation-wise - a lot of paperwork."

A Whitefish physical education teacher, Stang and his assistant coaches, who also teach, also had to devise lesson plans for the rest of the week before turning their attention to Browning. The Indians (16-4) played in last year's state championship game, losing to Dillon.

"I watched them play two games last year in the state tournament and got a good feel for them there," Stang said. "They really haven't changed much as far as their coaching staff."

The Indians were bolstered by a core of juniors last year, rendering their current squad both savvy and extremely talented. Six-foot-4 senior D.J. Fish had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Browning's 50-43 divisional championship win over Butte Central, while Jordan Long Time Sleeping scored 13.

The Bulldogs boast several state veterans, too, and their confidence is soaring after they turned a No. 4 divisional seed into a trip to state. Stang recognized the team's potential as early as last season when he was coaching Eureka.

"They've always had good team chemistry," Stang said. "They're a group of kids who get along well with each other, and they're willing to put in the time in the offseason to get better."

Junior guard Colt Idol led Whitefish with a conference-high 22.1 points per game this regular season while averaging 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.8 assists. He scored 105 points at divisionals.

Senior guard Shawn Watterud is the Bulldogs' second-leading scorer (13.6 ppg), and he averaged 2.1 steals and 2.9 assists in the regular season. He hit three 3-pointers on Monday en route to 24 points.

Junior guards Aaron Tkachyk and Matt Whitehead combine for nearly six assists per game.

The Bulldogs jelled at an ideal time, winning five of their final seven conference games before going 3-1 at divisionals. Now, they hope to peak on the biggest stage of all.

"About a month ago, they started trusting each other more and realizing they could depend on each other more," Stang said. "Throughout the season, they've gotten better skill-wise, which has helped them with their confidence.

"We just want to kind of stay with what's been working for us when it comes to preparation. They just seem like they're playing with so much confidence right now that I'm not really concerned or worried."

Stang cited the improved defense of Whitehead, junior forward David FauntLeRoy and senior forward Jake Smith as factors in Whitefish's late-season run.

"The mentality is that they don't really have anything to lose," Stang said of the Bulldogs. "They're ecstatic about being able to compete (at state), and I think that makes us a dangerous team in that regard.

"We're just going to come out and play. We don't care who (the opponent) is."

Ronan punched its ticket to Billings on Friday night with a divisional semifinal overtime triumph against Columbia Falls. The Chiefs (16-5) would still have gone to state with a loss in the championship game, but by beating Whitefish, they do so with Northwestern A's top seed.

The Chiefs play in Thursday's 12:30 p.m. tournament opener again Central A No. 2 Butte Central (18-3). Ronan was ranked among Class A's elite for most of the season, but its divisional title looked uncertain when the Chiefs sputtered into the tournament.

"We were playing a lot more 'me' instead of 'we' basketball," Ronan coach John Hollow said. "We weren't getting along real well. Fortunately, we fixed it in the nick of time, because the train was off the tracks there at the end of the regular season.

"I don't know whether it was a little pressure building upon us, whether we've never been in that position before with this particular group of kids.

"X- and O-wise, we weren't doing anything different than we were in December, but we just weren't executing. Flat-out, we just weren't playing good defensively."

That Ronan's 13-5 regular season could be considered even mildly disappointing is impressive. The Chiefs went 0-19 in Hollow's first season (2005-06) after graduating nine seniors from the previous year's state squad.

Hollow said the Chiefs turned their fortunes around with sheer sweat.

"They flat-out just worked their butts off the last two years - during the summer and at open gyms and everything else," he said.

The Chiefs feature 6-foot-2 senior guard Moss Tanner - one of the state's most athletic and versatile performers. Tanner averaged 17.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 steals this season, all while dishing out a league-high 6.0 assists.

"He's the real deal, there's no doubt about that," Hollow said. "The basketball part's always been there. What he's really developed this year is the leadership part of it.

"He's just one of those kids that flat-out makes everyone around him better, and he's done that consistently all year."

Junior guards Nolan Harris and Mike Fisher II are Ronan's other top scorers, averaging 14.4 and 9.7 points, respectively. Senior guard Jordan St. Clair averages 2.3 assists.

Butte Central is a virtual mirror image of Ronan, largely because Hollow and Maroons coach Brodie Kelly coached middle school basketball together 10 years ago. Hollow is a Butte High alumnus.

The Maroons were Central A's regular-season champions. They earned their state berth on Monday by scoring 26 fourth-quarter points in a 55-49 challenge game win against Lewistown.

Tanner Neumann led the Maroons with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while forward Matt Boyle and guard Matt Ritter combined for 26 points.

"I think a lot of what we do is similar," Hollow said. "I went and watched them against Lewistown in Great Falls.

"They're small, they defend pretty well, they shoot from the perimeter and they attack the basket."

Of all the factors that contributed to Ronan's resurgence, Hollow hopes at least one will accompany the Chiefs to Billings: the pure joy of playing basketball.

"Part of it is just going out and having fun," he said. "If you can go out and enjoy the moment and enjoy playing with each other, it makes things a heck of a lot easier."

2008 State Class A

Boys' Basketball Tournament

At MetraPark, Billings

Thursday's First Round

12:30 p.m. - Ronan (Northwestern No. 1) vs. Butte Central (Central No. 2)

2 p.m. - Billings Central (Eastern No. 1) vs. Dillon (Southwestern No. 2)

6:30 p.m. - Browning (Central No. 1) vs. Whitefish (Northwestern No. 2)

8 p.m. - Stevensville (Southwestern No. 1) vs. Laurel (Eastern No. 2)