MISSOULA — We're set for the final game of the Class C boys and girls basketball state tournaments at Dahlberg Arena on the University of Montana campus.
Now that Scobey has won the boys title, it's the girls' turn. Old friends Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine and Circle are squaring off in the championship game after the teams played each other in the volleyball state championship last November.
Circle won that match in four sets to claim its second consecutive championship, but D-G-S-G enters this basketball meeting as the undefeated favorite.
We'll provide updates, scores, highlights and observations throughout the title game, so follow along in our blog below. If you missed anything from the boys championship, click here.
*** Updated scores and pairings ***
- Slim Kimmel, Kyle Hansen and Derek Joseph
11:47 p.m. | Final Post
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS OF D-G-S-G'S COMEBACK WIN:
What a way to end the Class C state basketball tournaments.
Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine, the season-long favorite, was up against the ropes versus Circle but rallied for a 64-57 overtime win to earn the co-op's first state championship. Of the four schools in the co-op, only Geraldine — in 1988 — had previously won a girls basketball state title.
Photos: Championship Saturday at State C basketball tournament
11:27 p.m. | Postgame reaction
BriElla Becker didn't want to talk about the missed free throws she called "the most embarrassing thing in my life."
Fortunately for Becker, who missed a pair of freebies with the game tied and just 0.2 seconds left, she scored six points in overtime to help Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine to a hard-fought 64-57 win over Circle in the Class C girls basketball state championship game Saturday at Dahlberg Arena.
The title capped a redemption campaign of sorts for the Bearcats, who lost in the state semifinals a year ago and then lost — to Circle — in the state volleyball championship last November.
"That's what we've been working for ever since those losses, we never forget about those," Becker said. "We talk about those — I mean, we try not to talk about them, but I know they're going through the back of our heads during moments like this. So, I think just going to work and putting in the extra time has really paid off."
The D-G-S-G title, which almost felt like a foregone conclusion before the tournament started, was in doubt much of the championship game. Circle jumped out to a quick lead and led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter and again by that margin in the third. In the first half, it was freshman Kady Myllymaki who kept the Bearcats in it with eight big points.
Myllymaki and eighth-grader Keira Tesarek continued to make huge plays for D-G-S-G in the second half and finished with a combined 31 points — 17 for Myllymaki and 14 for Tesarek. Becker scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and it was that Becker-Myllymaki-Tesarek trio that was the catalyst for a Bearcats rally from down 32-18 in the third quarter to up 51-50 in the fourth. The game went to overtime tied at 53-53.
"It was just too big of a moment to just quit and lay down and let them have this," Becker said. "We just talked about how we worked for this all season long, and this is exactly what we've dreamed up. So, I mean, when you got to step up, you got to step up, and my team did it, so it was just amazing."
Circle was led by Allie Kountz with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Madeline and Charlie Moline each added 11 points.
10:46 p.m. | Final score
Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine completes the undefeated season with a come-from-behind 64-57 overtime win over Circle in the Class C girls basketball state championship game. BriElla Becker will probably be MTN Sports' tournament MVP, but freshman Kady Myllymaki likely saved the season for the Bearcats. Her second quarter kept D-G-S-G close in the first half, and then she hit some more big shots after halftime.
More to come ...
10:42 p.m. | Bearcats closing in
D-G-S-G has taken a 62-57 lead on baskets by Keira Tesarek and BriElla Becker. Less than 40 seconds to play.
10:36 p.m. | Overtime!
We're the last game going in the state after the other seven state championships have gone final, so why not go to overtime? BriElla Becker missed two free throws with 0.2 seconds left, so we're headed to OT tied at 53-53.
Since the game was tied at 46-46, D-G-S-G has gone 5 of 16 at the free throw line. Circle is 4 for 4 during the same time frame. Circle's Madeline Moline and D-G-S-G's Ella Smith have fouled out.
10:33 p.m. | Holy smokes!
What a shot by Circle's Laura Guldborg! She hits a deep 3 to tie the game at 53-53 with 17.1 seconds left after D-G-S-G had scored seven straight points. Bearcats ball out of the timeout.
10:27 p.m. | Buckle up!
D-G-S-G has taken the lead on a BriElla Becker free throw. The Bearcats lead 51-50 with 1:45 to play.
10:15 p.m. | And we're tied!
D-G-S-G had closed within 34-33, but Circle retook a 42-36 lead on a Madeline Moline 3. Ella Smith and BriElla Becker answered with D-G-S-G buckets to get it back to 42-40. Then, Lily Beery, who scored the game-clinching basket in Circle's semifinal win over Melstone on Friday, got another tough bucket for Circle. Now, after two Keira Tesarek baskets for the Bearcats, we're tied at 44-44 with 5:16 to play.
10:01 p.m. | D-G-S-G rallying ...
Circle's Laura Guldborg hit a straightaway 3 to give the Wildcats a 32-18 lead about three minutes into the second half, but D-G-S-G has responded with a 9-0 run, including a three-point play from Emma Smith and a corner 3 from Kady Myllymaki. It's 32-27 in favor of Circle with less than three minutes to play in the third.
9:43 p.m. | Halftime
At the break, Circle leads D-G-S-G 25-18, and, based off the stats, it's mostly come down to shot-making. The Wildcats are 11-of-22 shooting, while the Bearcats are just 7 of 27. D-G-S-G is actually winning the turnover (7 to 8) and rebounding (17 to 16) battles, but Circle's Charlie Moline is 4 for 4 from the floor and 1 for 1 from the free throw line for nine points. Allie Kountz has eight points for the Wildcats.
Kady Myllymaki provided a boost to D-G-S-G with eight first-half points, but the Bearcats' trio of BriElla Becker, Ella Smith and Emma Smith has a combined five points on 2-of-16 shooting.
9:32 p.m. | Second-quarter update
OK, the boys blog is updated with some postgame reaction, so my full attention is onto the girls game. Circle has opened up a 23-10 lead midway through the second quarter. I've seen Allie Kountz and Charlie Moline making plays for the Wildcats, who have generally done a good job of keeping D-G-S-G out of transition.
After a Bearcats bucket and Wildcats turnover, Circle coach Colby Loudon takes a timeout. It's 23-12 in favor of Circle with 2:49 to play in the first half.
9:22 p.m. | First-quarter update
Circle leads D-G-S-G 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. The teams met earlier in the season, with the Bearcats winning that game by eight points. The Wildcats defeated D-G-S-G in the state volleyball championship, so these teams know each other well.
9:09 p.m. | D-G-S-G and Circle under way
The Bearcats' BriElla Becker starts the scoring in the girls state championship game and Circle's Allie Kountz makes a pair of free throws. Undefeated D-G-S-G and Circle are tied in the early going. Updates might be sparse for a bit while I finish writing the boys recap, but we'll keep an on things!
