BILLINGS — The Billings Skyview girls and Billings Senior boys punched their tickets to the Class AA state basketball tournaments with Eastern AA playoff wins on Thursday.
Billings Skyview girls 49, Great Falls 33
Reigning state champion Skyview is heading back to the state tournament after breezing by Great Falls 49-33.
The Falcons, the third seed in the Eastern AA, led just 12-8 after the first quarter but stretched the advantage to 28-9 by halftime. Rae Smart and Tenley Leffler led the Falcons with 12 points each, while Kiki LoneBear added 11.
Skyview will play Missoula Hellgate in a first-round game of the state tournament, which runs March 13-15 at Worthington Arena in Bozeman.
With the loss, Great Falls' season comes to an end. The Bison were led by 12 points from Scarlet Harris.
Billings Senior boys 64, Great Falls CMR 55
Billings Senior used a 24-5 run spanning the final minutes of the second quarter and the first six minutes of the third quarter to knock off Great Falls CMR 64-55 and earn a berth at the Class AA state boys basketball tournament next weekend in Bozeman.
Trailing 29-22 late in the second quarter, the Broncs scored the final seven points of the period to tie it up at halftime and then grew the lead to as many as 12, 46-34, late in the third quarter.
Zy Zilkoski sparked the surge with a steal and two-handed jam late in the first half, then punctuated it with a long 3-pointer in the third quarter. Zilkoski finished with 15 points.
Chase Bad Bear led Senior with 18 points, while the Broncs also got 12 from Zak Woog and 10 from Davyn Lehfeldt.
Senior will enter the State AA tournament as the No. 4 seed out of the East.
