WOLF POINT — The girls from Froid and Medicine Lake have been here before.
Mackenzie Dethman scored 18 points and Morgan Mason added 11 more to lead the Redhawks past Plentywood for the Eastern C championship, 47-29. An 18-2 run in the third quarter was the difference for Froid-Lake.
The Redhawks got off to a decent start against the Wildcats, who entered the postseason 17-1 overall and were a popular favorite to win the district and divisional crowns, taking an 11-10 lead after the first quarter. Shooting woes and offensive struggles littered the first half for both teams, but the Redhawks held a 19-18 advantage at halftime. Then came the third period.
Froid-Lake dominated the following eight minutes, limiting Plentywood’s chances and making the most of its own on the other end. The Redhawks swiped 10 steals in the contest, while Plentywood was credited with 25 turnovers in the loss. Dethman made five field goals, but more importantly, hit eight of nine free throws. She also had four rebounds, one shy of Tawnee Robertson’s team-high five boards. Mason added five steals and three assists for coach Lance Brekke.
Brenna Osksa had 10 points for the Wildcats, who went 11-31 from the floor and missed all nine of its 3-point attempts.
Each team advances to the State C girls basketball tournament in Butte on March 8. Froid-Lake will open the tournament against the No. 2 seed from the south. The Southern C tournament takes place next weekend in Miles City.
Plentywood will meet the winner of the Southern C divisional.
The tournament’s consolation game saw the Scobey girls defeat Westby-Grenora 48-38. Gracee Lekvold had a team-high 14 points, while snagging four rebounds. Elli Linder had 10 points and three boards, while Tia Hallock dished two assists in the win. The Scobey girls earned the third-place trophy, but couldn’t earn a challenge game after falling to Plentywood in the semifinals.
Jenna Rust scored a game-high 17 points for Westby-Grenora, hauling in nine rebounds and adding a steal and assist. Kinley Peterson added eight points and six boards in the loss.
