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
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
