Laurel girls, Billings Central boys win Eastern A golf titles

BILLINGS -- As they have made a habit of doing all season, the Laurel girls ran away with the Eastern A divisional golf tournament on Thursday at Lake Hills Golf Course in Billings.

Laurel had four girls in the top five, including the top two spots, which were occupied by twin sisters Hannah and Haylee Adams. Hannah claimed the individual title with a 7-over-par 79, while Haylee finished just one stroke back at 8-over.

"The sibling rivalry is really there. We had no idea how close we were to each other until the final hole. ... I think we're just ready to go to state now and do our thing," Hannah Adams said.

"I heard (Hannah) say 79 and I was like, 'Oh my gosh. I could have actually beat her with two strokes.' It was a close call. I didn't realize how good I was playing the last couple of holes," Haylee Adams said.

Breana Jensen and Alivia Webinger finished fourth and fifth, respectively, for Laurel. Molly Coony finished seventh, giving the Locomotives five golfers in the Eastern A's top seven.

Miles City's Karsyn Swigart finished third after shooting an 85. Sidney finished second in the team race, 61 strokes behind the Locomotives.

Laurel's boys couldn't make it a Locomotive sweep on Thursday, though, as Billings Central finished five strokes ahead of Laurel to capture the team title.

Billings Central was led by Nick Pasquarello, who won a pair of state titles during his two years in Laurel. Pasquarello shot a 2-over-par 74 to finish second individually, one stroke behind Laurel's Carson Hackman.

Golfers had to battle the elements, which was a factor in the scores being a little higher than expected as golfers had to grind through the round.

"You really have to go back to the old adage that it's one shot at a time. You really have to be disciplined and make yourself do that knowing that the next shot you have to hit has no relevance to the shots previous to that," Laurel head coach Jim O'Neil said. "It was a grind. It was a marathon, an endurance test out there (Thursday). The greens were slick, the wind was a factor. It was kind of hot and dry. Mental focus, as well -- about every third or fourth hole you have to readjust yourself and focus back in."

"When the wind really started picking up, it got really tough out there," Billings Central head coach Mark Hutchinson said. "The course was in just perfect condition. The greens were great. A couple of the pins were really tough, though. We had a couple really short putts that they hit them and I thought, 'That's in.' Last second, took a hard turn right and just missed. It was tough out there for everybody."

Havre finished third in the team race, just one stroke ahead of Livingston. Central's Malachi Stewart finished third with a 79, Reese Jensen finished tied sixth with an 82 and Conor Walsh finished 10th with an 84. Laurel's Landen Gradwohl finished sixth with an 82 and Trey Ewalt finished eighth with an 83.

The State A golf tournament will be held next week at Butte Country Club, as Laurel's boys and girls teams will each be seeking a three-peat.

Top four teams and top 30 individuals can be found below.

EASTERN A BOYS

EASTERN A GIRLS