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MISSOULA — The much-anticipated Class B girls basketball state tournament started Thursday at Dahlberg Arena, and the favorites didn’t disappoint in the first round.
Baker built a double-digit lead and then held off Malta, while Missoula Loyola and Huntley Project cruised past Jefferson and Fairview, respectively. Chinook outlasted Florence in the last game of the day.
Baker 63, Malta 56
Two of the best players in Class B put on a show Thursday, but ultimately Madison O’Connor’s Baker Spartans advanced back to the semifinal round with a 63-56 win over Malta.
Baker, which won the 2024 state championship, used a 20-6 advantage in the third quarter to turn a 31-30 halftime lead into a 51-36 lead going to the fourth quarter. O’Connor, who has committed to play at Montana State University, poured in 38 points on 16-of-31 shooting, and sister Avery O’Connor added 11 points.
Hope Gonsioroski pulled down 15 rebounds for the Spartans.
On Malta’s side, Denvyr Tuss recorded a double-double of 18 points and 20 rebounds, with 11 of those boards coming on the offensive end. Neva Jacobson added 13 points for the M-Ettes, who had 16 more field goal attempts than Baker but shot just 27.9% for the game.
The Spartans will play a semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Friday, while Malta falls into loser-out play.
Missoula Loyola 62, Jefferson 38
Missoula Loyola has been one of Class B’s best teams for the past seven weeks, and the Breakers looked the part again on Thursday, earning a wire-to-wire 62-38 win over Jefferson.
Loyola never trailed and led 23-12 at the end of the first quarter and 37-18 at halftime. The Panthers made just 6 of 24 field goals in the first half, while Loyola was 12-of-28 shooting.
Sophomore Spencer Laird had a standout game for the Breakers, scoring 26 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Laird drew nine fouls in the game and converted 11 of 14 free throw attempts. During the game, she scored her 1,000th career point.
Drew Lamb and Emme Laird added nine points apiece for the Breakers, who will next play Baker in a semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Loyola lost to Baker in last year’s state championship game.
Jefferson, meanwhile, falls into the consolation bracket and will play Malta in a loser-out game at 12 p.m. Friday.
Cameron Toney scored 16 points to lead the Panthers against Loyola.
Huntley Project 70, Fairview 36
On the day she was named the Gatorade Montana player of the year, Paige Lofing scored an efficient 25 points to help Huntley Project to a 70-36 win over Fairview.
Lofing, who will play collegiately at Gonzaga, made 9 of 14 field goal attempts, including a 4-of-7 mark from 3-point range. She was also 3 for 3 at the free throw line and added five rebounds and two steals to her stat line.
The Red Devils built a quick double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They were up 21-8 after the first, 32-14 at halftime and 52-20 after three quarters of play. Huntley Project was 25-of-60 shooting for the game and made 13 of 16 free throw attempts.
Maddison Akins chipped in 10 points for the Red Devils, who had 12 assists and just seven turnovers in the game. Haedyn Simonson had eight points and seven rebounds.
Fairview made just two field goals in the first half and finished the night making 9 of 41 shots. Carly Buxbaum scored 20 points, and Macy Tjelde and Gracelynn Free each added eight.
Huntley Project advances to the semifinal round, where it will play at 8 p.m. Friday. Fairview will play a loser-out game at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Chinook 57, Florence 51
In the closest game of the day, Chinook secured its place in the semifinals with a hard-fought 57-51 win over Florence to finish out the first round.
Neither team led by more than eight points in the game, as the Sugarbeeters used a strong third quarter to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Trailing 26-25 at halftime, Chinook outscored Florence 18-10 in the pivotal third frame.
Brooke Fetter scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-5 effort from behind the 3-point line, to lead the Beeters, who also got 10 points each from Alexus Seymour and Neva Lowe. Seymour and Fetter also had four steals each.
Chinook’s Hannah Schoen contributed eight points and 10 rebounds, with four of those coming on offense. As a team, Chinook had 16 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points. Florence had seven second-chance points but made up some of that deficit with a 21-of-28 performance at the free throw line.
Ali Meinhold (12 points) and Emory Ralston (10) led Florence in scoring, as nine different Falcons found the scoring column.
In the semifinal round, Chinook will play Huntley Project at 8 p.m. Friday. Florence will face Fairview in a loser-out game at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
