MISSOULA — We've reached championship Saturday night at the Class C boys and girls state basketball tournaments at Dahlberg Arena on the University of Montana campus.
The boys take center stage first, with Scobey and Lustre Christian meeting in an all-Eastern C final. The Spartans and Lions have met three times this season, with Scobey winning the two regular-season matchups and Lustre Christian taking the Eastern C championship.
We're behind schedule, so they'll tip off for the state title tonight around 7:30 p.m.
We'll provide updates, scores, highlights and observations throughout the title game, so follow along in our blog below. We'll start a new blog for the girls championship between Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine and Circle, which is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. but likely won't get going until 9ish.
*** Updated scores and pairings ***
- Slim Kimmel, Kyle Hansen and Derek Joseph
10:02 p.m. | Final post
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS OF SCOBEY'S CHAMPIONSHIP WIN:
Scobey put the finishing touches on an electric state-tournament run Saturday. The Spartans beat the teams that finished second (Lustre Christian), third (Belt) and fourth (Winnett-Grass Range) for their sixth state title and first since going back to back in 2020 and 2021.
Photos: Championship Saturday at State C basketball tournament
For updates on the girls championship, click here.
9:25 p.m. | Postgame reaction
The Scobey boys are two-thirds of the way to a trio of state championships this school year.
The Spartans ran past Eastern C rival Lustre Christian for a 56-39 win Saturday in the Class C boys basketball state championship game at Dahlberg Arena, less than four months after winning the 8-Man football title.
"These guys are winners. They've been winners their whole lives. I draw inspiration from them," coach Jason Wolfe said. "One thing I got to give them a hard time about, though: When I was in high school, we won football, basketball and track. So, they got one to go here."
Though Scobey had lost to Lustre in last week's Eastern C divisional championship, the state title seemed almost like a coronation. The Spartans were dominant all week, starting with a 79-41 challenge-game win over Circle on Monday and the 17-point championship win over the Lions on Saturday — in between, they beat Winnett-Grass Range 71-45 in the first round and Belt 78-40 in the semifinals.
The title tide swung in the second quarter, when the Spartans outscored the Lions 15-3 to break open a 16-16 game and take a 31-19 lead into halftime. At intermission, Scobey had a 23-11 rebounding edge and a 9-0 advantage on the offensive glass.
"Lustre outrebounded us last week. You know, that doesn't happen to us very often, so we were really, really concentrating on boxing out," Wolfe said. "Looked at the stat sheet at halftime, we didn't give up a single offensive rebound, and that's just a testament to these guys and how hard they worked."
Scobey's Bram Handran, MTN Sports' state tournament MVP, finished with a stat-sheet-stuffing eight points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Cooper Axtman scored a game-high 14 points for the Spartans, John Carney added 11 and Kolten Marchart had 10.
Joel Reddig led Lustre with 13 points, and Johnslee Pierre had 10 points and nine rebounds. After the game, the teams milled about on the court together, sharing hugs and congratulatory messages.
"We're all buddies with those guys. I mean, we're hanging out with them, we've been around them," Handran said of Scobey's rivalry with Lustre. "They live like 45 minutes from us, so we hang out with all of them. They're a great bunch of players, they play together and they're going to be special, for sure, next year."
8:37 p.m. | Final score
What a close by Scobey. After Lustre closed to within 43-35, the Spartans responded with a 13-2 run to pull away for the state title. The Lions could just never get into a sustained rhythm on offense, Scobey dominated the glass, and Bram Handran took control late with his ability to see the court and manipulate the game. The Spartans are you 2026 Class C state champions. Final score: 56-39. We'll have more in a bit.
8:30 p.m. | Scobey answer
The Scobey fans can feel it after another 3 by Cooper Axtman. Spartans up 52-37 with 2:40 to play.
8:23 p.m. | Lustre surge
Lustre Christian on a 6-0 burst in the fourth quarter to force a Scobey timeout. Cam Reddig split a pair of free throws, Joel Reddig knocked down a 3, and Johnslee Pierre made a driving layup. Spartans lead 43-34 with 5:27 to go.
8:17 p.m. | Third-quarter update
Cam Cromwell hits a Scobey 3 just before the third-quarter buzzer, and the Spartans will take a 41-29 lead into the fourth quarter. Scobey eight minutes away from pulling a championship double — the Spartans also won the 8-Man football state title last November.
8:14 p.m. | Photo
8:03 p.m. | First-half stats
Rebounding the name of the game so far, as the Spartans have a 23-11 edge on the glass, including a 9-0 advantage on the offensive boards. That's given Scobey nine extra shots. Bram Handran already has 10 rebounds, and Cooper Axtman has 11 points.
For Lustre, Prestyn Klatt, Cam Reddig and Joel Reddig each have five points, but the Lions are just 8-of-21 shooting and 3 of 11 from 3-point range. Scobey has made 11 of 30 field goals, including 6 of 17 from beyond the arc.
Second half just got under way.
7:53 p.m. | Halftime update
These teams are letting it fly from 3. Both endured a lengthy cold stretch, but Cooper Axtman splashed a wing triple for the Spartans to push their lead to 21-16 at the 4:14 mark of the second quarter and force a Lustre timeout. Out of the timeout, Cam Reddig drilled a tough step-back 3, but Axtman followed with another one on the other end. Axtman, by the way, has signed to play football at Dickinson State.
Scobey dominated the second quarter, outscoring Lustre 15-3 in the period. The Spartans will take a 31-19 lead into halftime.
7:41 p.m. | First-quarter update
We've got a fun one in progress! Scobey and Lustre Christian going back and forth in this championship game. Not a full house by any means, but it's a very energetic crowd. Spartans and Lions tied at 16-16 to start the second quarter.
7:32 p.m. | Boys championship under way
Helter-skelter start to the State C boys championship between two teams that know each other well. Lustre Christian's Cam Reddig scored the game's first points, but Scobey has hit three 3-pointers — two by John Carney — and we're tied 9-9 midway through the first.
7:06 p.m. | Loser-out update
In the girls bracket, Chester-Joplin-Inverness and Scobey won loser-out games Saturday morning. C-J-I beat Belt 54-49, and Scobey got past Melstone 39-33 in the first overtime game of the tournaments.
C-J-I and Scobey then met in the girls consolation game, with the Spartans earning a 32-30 win on a go-ahead basket with less than five seconds to play to secure the third-place trophy. After C-J-I tied the game at 30-30, Scobey's Chloe Handran drove the ball to the basket and got free for the game-clincher. Handran finished with 10 points to lead the Spartans. Brynn Kammerzell had 13 points and 10 rebounds for C-J-I.
In the boys consolation final between Winnett-Grass Range and Belt, the Huskies pulled away late for a 68-62 win to claim the third-place trophy. Michael Gaylord made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points for the Huskies, while the Rams' Jace Bantz had 22 points and 10 rebounds — his fourth 20-10 game of the tournament. Bantz, a Montana State University football signee, averaged 21.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
