HAVRE – The last time the Fort Benton girls played Box Elder, the Lady Longhorns had a late lead but let it slip away on a late shot. Saturday at the District 9C tournament in Havre, the roles were reversed.
With Box Elder leading 61-60 with 7.7 seconds left and a chance to make it a three-point lead from the free throw line, Maddie Wolf Chief missed the front end of a one-and-one. McKenzie Clark hauled in the rebound and started the fast break. McKenna Hanford’s shot with seconds left was off the mark, but Aspen Giese hauled in a rebound over a host of Box Elder defenders and beat the buzzer for a 62-61 win.
Giese ended with a game-high 26 points as the Longhorns handed the Bears their first loss of the season. Lilly Gopher led Box Elder with 21 points.
Fort Benton will be the top seed at next weekend’s Northern C divisional in Great Falls, Box Elder will be the second seed and the Turner Tornadoes will make their first trip to divisionals in more than a decade as the No. 3 seed out of District 9C.
