BOZEMAN — We're back courtside at Worthington Arena on the campus of Montana State University for Championship Saturday of the Class B state basketball tournament. The morning loser-out and third-place games are finished:
- Florence 67, Ennis 51, loser out
- Missoula Loyola 54, Glasgow 42, loser out
- Missoula Loyola 61, Florence 47, third place
Follow along here for live scores, highlights, and reaction from the girls championship with Luke Shelton, Jonny Walker and Greg Rachac.
Updated scores and pairings from the Class B state tournaments
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8:44 p.m. | Final update
In the aftermath of Baker's second state championship in the past three seasons, Spartans star Madison O'Connor said it was the perfect ending to her high school career and those of some of her teammates.
"There's no better way to go out," said the future Montana State Bobcat. "That was most our last games ever with each other. We were playing for each other, for our coach, for our fans, for our families."
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS:
Malta cut an 11-point halftime deficit to single digits in the third quarter, but that's when O'Connor took it upon herself. She scored 29 of her game high 39 points in the second half. Her four-point play in the fourth was a key highlight.
Not to be left out was Avery O'Connor, who scored all of her 17 points in the first half and managed the team when sister Madison had to sit for a couple minutes in the third quarter due to foul trouble.
"We were like, 'It's a great day to have a good day,'" Madison said. "Her composure, her growth, her maturity as a junior is just amazing. I'm so grateful to watch her grow as a person."
8:22 p.m. | Baker crowned state champs
For the second time in three years, the Baker Spartans are Montana's Class B girls basketball state champions.
Baker quickly built a double-digit fourth quarter lead, and the Spartans held on to defeat Malta 64-51. Sisters Madison and Avery O'Connor had their fingerprints all over this state trophy, combining for 56 of Baker's 64 points in the championship game.
Madison put together one of the most impressive scoring stretches in state-tournament history — regardless of classification. The senior had 40 points in round one, 32 points in Round 2 and 39 points in the championship game.
That's 37 points per game against state-tournament competition.
And for Avery, it's the best birthday present she could've asked for. The Baker student section even sang "Happy Birthday" to her during a Malta free throw with roughly 2:00 left to play. The junior finished with 17 points in the championship game.
8:05 p.m. | Spartans pulling away
Baker has extended its lead to 12 with 6:05 to play.
Madison O'Connor finished a layup through contact to put the Spartans up 10. O'Connor then stole the ensuing inbound pass and scored another quick 2. She has 29 points and counting.
8:00 p.m. | Three quarters down, one to go
Malta has narrowed Baker's lead to 3 with one quarter remaining. The Spartans lead 42-39. We've got ourselves a battle for the Class B crown.
Foul watch: Madison O'Connor picked up her fourth personal foul with 55 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter. You might remember that O'Connor also got into foul trouble in yesterday's semifinals.
She and her sister Avery sat out for an extended period of that 3rd quarter against Florence-Carlton with four fouls each. And during those few minutes of game action, the Falcons went on the run that got them back into what finished as a 6-point game.
7:47 p.m. | Never a dull moment
An and-1 layup for Malta's Denvyr Tuss pulled the M-Ettes back within 4 points of Baker with 5:00 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Malta trailed by double digits earlier in the period.
But now, the M-Ettes are firmly within striking distance.
7:32 p.m. | Halftime
After Malta evened things up at 15-15 midway through the 2nd quarter, Baker rolled into halftime on a 13-4 run. The Spartans lead 28-19 at the break.
The scoring column for the Spartans is still dominated by the O'Connor sisters — Avery has 17; Madison has 10.
For the M-Ette's, they'll likely need to be more efficient shooting the ball to mount a second-half comeback. Malta is 6-24 from the field, 0-8 from 3-point range and 7-19 from the free-throw line.
For you mathematicians following along at home, Malta would be leading this game by 3 if they had made all of their free throws. That's the type of nightmare fuel that'll keep coaches up at night.
7:15 p.m. | Student section notes
Both student sections came to support their teams tonight, and Baker's student section features some eye-catching signs.
Multiple signs refer to Spartans senior Madison O'Connor as the "Powerade Player of the Year" — likely in reference to Missoula Loyola's Spencer Laird being named Montana's girls basketball Gatorade Player of the Year yesterday.
Another sign wishes Spartans junior Avery O'Connor a happy birthday. What a birthday present a win tonight would be for O'Connor — that is if Malta doesn't blow out her candles early.
7:11 p.m. | One quarter down, three to go
Baker leads Malta 12-7 after one quarter of action. Sisters Madison and Avery O'Connor have combined for all 12 of the Spartans' points — Madison has 8; Avery has 4.
Just as every other team Baker has faced this tournament, Malta has struggled at times to break the Spartans' full-court press. Getting the ball cleanly over halfcourt will be key to a potential M-Ettes run.
6:56 p.m. | Let's get ready to rumble
The State B girls championship game is officially underway. Madison O'Connor won the opening tipoff for Baker. Spartans couldn't convert on their first possession, but Malta scored a quick 2 on theirs.
M-Ettes lead 2-0 after one possession each.
6:32 p.m. | Get your popcorn ready
(1S) Baker and (1N) Malta have taken the floor for warmups. Tipoff between the Spartans and M-Ettes will be in about 25 minutes — and one of them will be crowned the Class B state champion about an hour and half after that.
But for now, let's revisit how both teams got here.
Baker rolled into the State B tournament with an undefeated record. The Spartans are in the state title game for the third year in a row — finishing as state runner-ups last year and winning it all two years ago.
Malta won the Northern B crown to advance to the state tournament. The M-Ettes now find themselves in the state title game for the first time since 2017 and are looking to retake the Class B throne for the first time since 2016.
