Bravettes, Vals lead 6 teams into state tourneys

The Flathead Valley is well-represented at this week’s state basketball tournaments, and at least a couple teams are in it to win it.

Namely, the Flathead Bravettes and Bigfork Valkyries are coming off divisional championships, and bound to make noise at the State AA and State B tournaments.

That’s not to say the Browning Lady Indians can’t be turning off the lights at the State A in Bozeman. Same for the Valley’s boys teams: Glacier in AA, Columbia Falls in A and Bigfork in B.

Here’s a look at the local teams:

State AA: Bravettes

The Flathead girls have had so many close games it’s hard to remember the last time they won by more than 10.

It was Dec. 16 against their next opponent, Bozeman, by a 54-39 score. They play the Hawks at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Butte Civic Center

“They’re experienced and they’re seasoned,” Flathead coach Sam Tudor said of the Hawks, who are 5-17. “They’re probably playing their best basketball. We’re not looking past anyone right now.”

The Hawks, coached by Bozeman alum and Bobcat great Kati Mobley, are led by 6-foot-1 Avery Burkart and fellow senior Tailyn Black at guard.

“Fortunately for us, I think we match up well with those two,” Tudor said of his 17-4 squad, which has junior Kennedy Moore (17.1 ppg) leading a front line that includes Tali Miller and Akilah Kubi. “The plan is to go out and execute well. No special wrinkles.”

Tudor had moments of concern following the Bravettes’ 46-45 win over Hellgate in the Western AA Divisional title game, clinched by Avery Chouinard’s last-second 3-pointer.

“You go through a big win like that and it takes two days to feel like yourself again,” he said. “We were all excited, and then we had a terrible practice on Monday. But we had a great practice Tuesday so I guess we’re back to normal.”

On the same side of the bracket is defending state champion Billings Skyview and Gatorade Player of the Year Breanna Williams. Tudor doesn’t like to look ahead; he’s in the present, and it’s been pretty good.

“The best part for me is. … I’ve seen them perform on the big stage, and the bigger the stage the better they play,” he said. “That’s the best part. I know I’m going to get the best out of my girls.”

State AA: Wolfpack

The good news is Glacier’s boys drew the third-place team from the Eastern AA, Billings Skyview, for a 9 a.m. game Thursday.

The less good news is the Falcons won or shared four state titles from 2015-21 and boast AA’s top scorer in 6-foot-5 Lane Love (23.6 ppg).

“He’s a dude for sure,” said Glacier coach Mark Harkins, who guided the pack to the 2017 AA crown. “He’s a great basketball player, and so is Rhyse Owens. (Anthony) Schacht is a good player. They have a good team.”

The teams met in the first round last year, and Skyview won 51-46. This year’s Falcons began 6-1, lost 9 of 13 and then played well at divisionals. Harkins, whose club is 14-7, expects myriad defenses and is mindful that Owens averages 3.8 steals per game for the 13-9 Falcons.

Glacier’s balanced attack is led by Ty Olsen, Cohen Kastelitz and Ty McDonald, but 6-7 Noah Dowler and guards Kaidrian Buls, Adam Nikunen and Xavier Stout have all had big games.

The Wolfpack had won 8 of 9 before their 57-33 loss to Missoula Hellgate Saturday. They’d prevailed at Hellgate 67-62 the week before divisionals.

“They were really down on Saturday after they lost, and that’s great,” Harkin said. “They had a great body of work on the weekend, I thought. You can feel bad about the game but not about the week. They’re all pretty excited about being where they’re at.”

State A: Wildcats

Columbia Falls coach Chris Finberg takes stock of first-round opponent Butte Central, and it’s difficult to look past scoring guard Dougie Peoples.

“The crazy thing is, Peoples is obviously everybody’s focal point and they know how good a scorer he is,” Finberg said of the 6-foot-4 senior. “And he still puts up 25 a game, shoots 50 from the floor and gets to the line. And it’s, ‘Holy cow.’”

That said, Eric Loos and Kyle Holter also shoot at or near 50 percent while scoring in double figures; as a team the defending state champion Maroons (20-1) shoot 48 percent.

Columbia Falls has Jace Hill (13.8), Alihn Anderson and Cody Schweikert scoring in double figures. The Cats (17-5) shoot 47 percent as a squad.

So while it might seem like unbeaten Lewistown and Butte Central are on a Saturday night collision course — Peoples’ last-second three won last year’s title game — you never know.

“Obviously we’re going to have to play a complete game to compete,” said Finberg. “Hopefully we just play loose, play free, and if we play up to our potential we’ll see what happens.

“They haven’t been in a lot of close games. Hopefully we can keep it close to the end.”

State A: Lady Indians

Browning’s 17-0 start to the girls basketball season included a 59-58 win at two-time defending State A champion Havre on Jan. 14.

The Blue Ponies got some revenge in the regular-season finale for both teams, winning 60-57 in overtime in Browning.

Since then? Havre cruised to the Eastern A Divisional title while Browning slipped to fourth at the Western A. The 17-4 Blue Ponies aren’t going quietly, not with four big scorers in Amaya Jarvis (15 ppg), Avery Carlson, Ariana Gary and Yelena Miller.

Browning, 19-3, has just as many scorers, led by Mecca Bullchild (14.4 ppg) and including Amari Calf Robe, key reserve Kalcie Connelly and Lish Spoonhunter. It will be interesting to see how the East does against the West in this bracket.

State B: Valkyries

Bigfork’s first-round opponent in Great Falls, Baker, is 20-4 and posts a freshman phenom in Maddie O’Connor.

Bigfork is 23-0, has a super sophomore in Braeden Gunlock and a bit of a freshman phenom as well in Paeten Gunlock. The Vals tip off with the Spartans at noon.

Vals coach Cortnee Gunlock, mother to her team’s top two scorers (19.4 and 12.4 ppg), would like to follow up last year’s first-ever girls trophy (third) with something shinier.

“I think we’re kind of dialed in,” she said. “I think they know from last year’s experience at state what it takes — what level to play at to win that first game.”

A year ago the Vals won three straight after dropping their state opener to Boulder, which ended up runner-up.

The overall win streak is 26. There has been an absence of close games, with the 63-30 win over Missoula Loyola in the Western B title matchup one of the narrower victories (it was 25-17 at halftime). The next tight game will be the Valkyries’ first. The Spartans might provide it.

“I feel like Baker is not a four seed,” Gunlock said. “I think they’re the second-best out of the South, and they had to play Huntley Project.”

Bigfork will possibly have to play Project and also 21-2 Malta — which is coached by Gunlock’s second cousin, Nate Hammond — to reach the pinnacle. The state goal for Bigfork is a 3-0 finish before it moves up to Class A in 2023-24.

“It’s the most well-rounded and unselfish team,” Gunlock said. “They’re just athletic, they hustle. I hope that stays true. We got third last year, and we kind of feel a little bit of unfinished business. There’s maybe a little bit of redemption at state. First state title, in our last year in B? It’d be a big deal.”

State B: VIkings

Bigfork’s boys make a return trip to State with their health as good as it has been for a while. Isak Epperly and Nick Walker are among five seniors who lead the 20-4 Vikings up against an 18-6 Red Lodge team making the school’s first appearance since 1985.

Jacob Stewart, who is 6-4, and Thomas Buchanan had double-doubles as the Rams beat Huntley Project in a divisional semifinal game, clinching state (the Southern B sent four teams to State).

Bigfork coach John Hollow is mindful of the Red Lodge’s penchant for changing and gimmicky defenses, but feels his team matches up well enough to earn a second straight trip to the semifinals.

“We’re pretty good inside but we’re also better at shooting the ball than last year,” said Hollow, whose club lost to eventual champion Three Forks in the semis. “We can’t beat ourselves. We need to get what we want to get. The longer I’m in this coaching game the more I feel we need to just concentrate on what we’re doing.”

The Vikings lost to Missoula Loyola in the Western B title game, 67-37, after losing to those (22-1) Rams by 11 earlier in the season.

“Hopefully we’ll get another crack at them Saturday night,” Hollow said. “We were here last year and hopefully that’s to our advantage, a little bit.”