MISSOULA — The Class C boys and girls basketball state tournaments are set to get under way at Dahlberg Arena on the University of Montana campus.
The tournaments tip off Wednesday with four first-round games of the boys bracket. The girls first take the court on Thursday.
We'll be crowning new champions Saturday, as neither of last year's title winners are in the field this year. Box Elder's boys won their second straight title last March, while the Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale girls won their third.
Stay with us throughout the tournaments, as we'll bring you updates, scores, quotes and observations from the courts as the brackets unfold. We'll update this post throughout the day, with the most recent updates appearing at the top.
*** Updated scores and pairings ***
— Slim Kimmel and Derek Joseph
9:12 p.m. | Final Day 1 update
The first day of the Class C boys basketball state tournament is in the books. Scobey, Belt, Lustre Christian and Manhattan Christian got first-round wins to advance to the semifinal round. Check out our photo gallery from the first day of action.
We also caught up with Scobey's Handran brothers — Bram, who is a senior on this year's team, and Caden, who won two state titles during his high school career. Read that story here.
Loser-out games at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. get us started Thursday, before the girls take the court for their first-round games beginning at noon.
WATCH highlights of Lustre Christian's and Manhattan Christian's first-round wins
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Game 4: Manhattan Christian 41, Roy-Winifred 35
9:01 p.m. | Quotes
"It's super exciting. It's just a morale boost for the entire team," Manhattan Christian's Andrew Kimm said of his dunks in the win. "It kind of gets our crowd into it, and it's just like, if you're on the court — at least personally, I think it's awesome, but I'm pretty sure they like it, too."
Kimm finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and teammate Zach Veneman added 11 boards, as the Eagles out-rebounded Roy-Winifred 41-17.
"We always talk about winning the possession battle, getting more shots than the other team," Kimm said. "Tonight was probably close, because we turned it over a bunch, but (rebounding) is big time for us, because more shots, more wins."
8:43 p.m. | Final score
It got more interesting than Manhattan Christian would've liked, but the Eagles are onto the semifinal round with a 41-35 win over Roy-Winifred. Manhattan Christian and Lustre Christian will meet at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Roy-Winifred will play Chester-Joplin-Inverness in a loser-out game at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
8:36 p.m. | Roy-Winifred rallying
Roy-Winifred was down big in the fourth quarter, but the Red Raiders are making a frantic push. They've trimmed the deficit to 40-33 with 2:20 to play.
8:19 p.m. | Manhattan Christian up double digits
Andrew Kimm started the second-half scoring with a dunk for Manhattan Christian, Max Venhuizen has had made two 3s and the Eagles have grown their lead to 30-20 with about three minutes to play in the third.
8:03 p.m. | Halftime
Beau Venhuizen of Manhattan Christian buries a 3-pointer at the first-half horn, and the Eagles lead Roy-Winifred 20-12 at intermission. These two teams have lived in their half-court offenses. It's been a completely different feel from the first three transition-heavy games.
7:48 p.m. | Highlight-reel plays
The big guys made a couple highlight-reel plays in the latter stages of the first quarter. First, Manhattan Christian's 6-foot-8 Andrew Kimm threw down a dunk off an alley-oop. And then Roy-Winifred's Kellen Heggem, who stands 6-5, showed off some fundamental footwork into a nice assist. Red Raiders and Eagles tied at 12 early in the second.
7:42 p.m. | Roy-Winifred and Manhattan Christian under way in the night cap
It took Roy-Winifred four minutes to make its first field goal, but the Red Raiders trail Manhattan Christian only 7-3 five minutes into the final first-round game of the boys tournament. After some frenetic games earlier in the day, this one feels a little more deliberate.
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Game 3: Lustre Christian 66, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 52
7:30 p.m. | Quote
"This is our fourth (state tournament) in a row. We're not taking anything for granted, but all these guys pretty much that play have been at at least one or two, so that definitely helps," Lustre coach Randy Reddig said. "I was just trying to tell them to relax, because I felt like we were playing a little bit tight, a little bit hesitant. Like, we're just looking to shoot the open shot, and I feel like we were waiting, hesitating a little bit. In the timeouts, I was telling them to just relax and play like you know how."
7:13 p.m. | Lustre pulling away
Lustre Christian appears poised to advance to Thursday's semifinal round. The Lions have been able to get C-J-I at arm's length in the fourth quarter and lead 64-52 with two minutes to go.
And holy smokes! Didn't catch who it was, but a player came flying into press row after diving for a loose ball. Wiped out a table, computers and cameras.
6:52 p.m. | Stats update
Lustre Christian forced 10 C-J-I turnovers in the first half, which helped the Lions scored 22 points in the paint. Cam Reddig and Joel Reddig combined for 21 first-half points for Lustre Christian.
But the Hawks are roaring back in the third and have trimmed their deficit to 43-36.
6:36 p.m. | Lustre Christian, C-J-I at the half
Lustre Christian and C-J-I just played a frenetic first half. The Lions, the Eastern C champions, have used an aggressive defense to get out in transition and build a 40-24 lead.
I'm gonna try to break for dinner but will aim to be back on early in the third quarter.
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6:23 p.m. | WATCH highlights from Scobey's and Belt's wins
Game 2: Belt 62, West Yellowstone 53
6:13 p.m. | Quote
"It just seemed like we were in awe for a couple possessions, especially our younger guys, who have done a great job for us all season coming in and providing some depth," Belt coach Kyle Paulson said. "To play this way, we got to rotate bodies through. ... Some of those young guys got a little wild, but we got a game down, so we'll see what happens here the rest of the tournament. ... On the positive side, you had a game where you don't play great but you still win and move on, we'll take it."
5:50 p.m. | Final score
West Yellowstone tried to make it interesting after trailing 58-30 going to the fourth, but Belt moves onto the semifinals with a 62-53 win. Michael Gaylord (18 points), Grahm Halley (13) and Slater Lords (10) finish in double figures for the Huskies, who will play Scobey at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
West Yellowstone, which got a team-high 15 points from Austin Hales, will face Winnett-Grass Range in a loser-out game at 9 a.m. Thursday.
5:25 p.m. | Huskies separating
Belt coach Kyle Paulson regularly has teams that excel on defense and play an aggressive, attacking style on offense, and this year's Huskies are no different. They've stretched the lead to double digits and have a 49-33 advantage in the third quarter.
5:07 p.m. | Halftime
This game between Belt and West Yellowstone feels like it's flying by. It's halftime already, with the Huskies out front 28-21.
4:48 p.m. | Belt, West Yellowstone under way
Belt has a 12-9 lead over West Yellowstone at the end of the first quarter of their first-round game. The Wolverines are coached by former Montana State women's basketball player Nubia Allen, who is sporting a sparkly Bobcats jacket on the sideline of UM's Robin Selvig Court.
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Game 1: Scobey 71, Winnett-Grass Range 45
4:35 p.m. | Quote
Scobey had entered the Eastern C divisional championship game 22-0, but the Spartans lost to Lustre Christian 55-50 in the title game. Since then, Scobey has beaten Circle 79-41 in a challenge game and then Winnett-Grass Range 71-45 to start the state tournament.
"That was a big thing for us. We hadn't had a defeat this year, and so trying to see how the kids would respond," coach Jason Wolfe said. "We got a lot of seniors, a lot of experience, so I was really proud of the way that they came back and bounced back from that loss."
4:17 p.m. | Final score
Scobey improves to 24-1 on the season and advances to the semifinal round with a 71-45 win over Winnett-Grass Range. The Spartans will meet Belt or West Yellowstone at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Rams fall to 22-3 and will next play in a loser-out game at 9 a.m. Thursday.
3:52 p.m. | Third-quarter update
Sluggish start to the third quarter for both teams, but Scobey just scored four quick points, and the Spartans' lead is now 20 points — 50-30 with 2:20 to play in the third quarter.
3:34 p.m. | Halftime
Scobey scored 25 points in the second quarter to open up a 41-27 halftime lead. Kolten Matchart has 12 points to lead the Spartans. Jace Bantz, a Montana State University football signee, has 12 for W-GR. Rams have 11 turnovers.
3:20 p.m. | Scobey run
The Spartans are on an 8-0 to end the first quarter and start the second to take a 22-13 lead. Scobey's Bram Handran (more on him later) is doing a nice job facilitating on offense.
3:05 p.m. | We're off!
Winnett-Grass Range and Scobey have tipped off in the first state tournament game of the 2025-26 basketball season. W-GR's Wyatt Melton scored the first points of the tourney, and the Rams are out to an 8-5 lead to force a Scobey timeout.
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2:30 p.m. | Football powers set to square off
The first game of the tournament is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. with Winnett-Grass Range taking on Scobey. Both teams are filled with players with championship experience on the football field.
Scobey won the 8-Man championship last fall, defeating Drummond-Philipsburg 48-16 in the title game. Winnett-Grass Range, which plays as Grass Range-Winnett in football, finished runner-up in the 6-Man ranks, losing a 46-38 double-overtime thriller to Chester-Joplin-Inverness in the final. C-J-I, meanwhile, will face Lustre Christian in a first-round game at 6 p.m.
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2 p.m. | The calm before the storm
