Missoula Sentinel, Bozeman Gallatin boys keep AA championship hopes alive

MISSOULA —  Kale Fasting added 15 points on 5-5 shooting and Bozeman Gallatin defeated Great Falls CMR to advance to the AA boys state championship game Saturday at 8 p.m. against Missoula Sentinel.

The Spartans (13-10) defeated Helena Capital (9-14) 48-36 behind 25 points from Grady Walker to join the Raptors in Saturday’s finale.

CMR and Capital fall to Saturday’s loser out round. The Rustlers take on Billings West at 10:30 a.m. at Sentinel High School, while the Bruins head back to Dahlberg Arena facing Butte at 10:30 a.m. 

Butte 51, Hellgate 47

Hudson Luedtke scored 13 points, Tocher Lee added 11 and Butte knocked off the Western AA divisional champion Missoula Hellgate in a loser out game at the AA state tournament Friday.

Easton Sant scored 23 points for the Knights (19-4), who lost just two games in the regular season before dropping their first two games at the state tournament.

Dylan Bache added eight points and eight rebounds for Butte (15-8), who jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead.

Hellgate led 30-23 midway through the third quarter, but the Bulldogs rallied back to take a one point lead into the fourth quarter. The teams traded baskets throughout the final frame before Butte sealed the game at the free throw line in the final minutes.

Billings West 63, Bozeman 59 OT

Cash Rice completed a 4-point play with 1.3 seconds left in overtime as Billings West defeated Bozeman in a loser out game at the AA state tournament Friday.

Kellen Harrison scored 22 points for the Hawks (20-3), who bow out of the state tournament in two games following a perfect 18-0 regular season. Torin Jeske added nine points and nine rebounds.

Cooper Tyson scored 18 points for the Golden Bears (14-9). Braden Zimmer added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Bozeman rallied from a 48-43 deficit to force the extra period and led 59-57 in the final minute before Rice’s heroics.

Gallatin 58, CMR 50

Zad Rodarte scored 16 points and Jack Repscher added nine points for the Raptors (18-5), who forced 19 Rustler turnovers.

Dean Blair scored 20 points to lead the Rustlers (12-11), who led for the majority of the game. Ben Cunningham added 11 points. Jonah Van Tressel — who’s heroics forced overtime Thursday against Missoula Hellgate — checked in with 10.

CMR grabbed an early 7-2 lead, but Gallatin quickly battled back and pulled even multiple times including a 25-all tie just before halftime.

The Raptors finally seized the lead 46-45 with just under six minutes to go and they did not relinquish it, knocking down free throws down the stretch to take the win.

Sentinel 48, Capital 36

Riley Allen and Holter Schweyen scored six points each for the Spartans, Walker snagged seven rebounds and Sentinel outscored Capital 28-12 in the paint.

Cole Dawes led the Bruins with 10 points, Dylan Almqvist added nine. Capital received no help from their bench as only the five starters scored.

Capital jumped out to a 22-15 halftime lead, but Sentinel outscored the Bruins 33-14 in the second half. The Spartans shot 60% over the final 16 minutes and used a 15-3 run over the final five minutes to break it open.