BUTTE — There were no surprises in the opening round of the girl’s Eastern AA Divisional Tournament in Butte on Thursday, as top seeds Billings Senior, Great Falls CMR, and Bozeman all cruised into the semifinals.
Rivals Bozeman and Butte went to overtime in their previous meeting, but the Hawks made sure the game got settled in regulation. Bozeman held a double-digit lead for the majority of the game, thwarting a number of mini runs from the Bulldogs. The Hawks went on to win 38-23.
Great Falls High and CMR played a road installment of their crosstown rivalry at Montana Tech. The Rustlers quickly jumped out to a 15-2 lead after the first quarter and kept their distance from the Bison for the remainder of the game. Great Falls High played its best basketball in the fourth quarter, but the CMR lead proved to be too much, as the Rustlers won 42-34.
Billings Skyview played closely with second-seeded Billings senior in the final game of the night, trailing the Broncs by a 13-10 margin after the first quarter. Kola Bad Bear and Senior made a push in the second quarter and ran away to a 60-35 win in the second half. Bad Bear led all scorers with 17 points.
