Sports

12-C high school basketball tournament season is upon us. Things will look a little different this year, but the excitement of post-season play remains the same. As of the morning of Feb. 16, here’s where things are at.

Boys Tournament Round One Play in Games: Tuesday, Feb. 16

Plans are fluid as local teams look forward to tournament time. Initially, all tournaments were set to be held in Butte at the Maroon Activity Center, but that plan was scratched in early January due to Covid concerns.

It had been several years since the Ennis Mustangs had a matchup against the West Yellowstone Wolverines, so when the Wolverines came to Ennis on Jan. 29 there were plenty of unknowns about how the bout would play out.

Twin Bridges senior Charlie Kruer hit the Panthers with his best shot during the matchup between Twin Bridges and Sheridan on Jan. 26 – individually stacking up as many points as his competitors did in total during the 61-18 game.

The Ennis lady Mustangs knew they’d have a tough battle against their Twin Bridges counterparts on Jan. 22. The game on Twin’s court played out to be a close one, and the Mustangs galloped home with a win 31-25.

Being familiar with the powerhouse Twin Bridges team, Harrison boys knew they had their work cut out for them at their Jan. 14 matchup in Twin Bridges. Leading up to the game the Harrison Wildcats were feeling good, coming off of a home win against Gardiner on January 9.

Sheridan boys’ varsity rode a rollercoaster on Jan. 8 and 9.

The Panther boys overcame Gardiner on Jan. 8, but not by much. Head Coach Ben Holland said the boys were off to a slow start, but battled back, ending the game with 26 points in the fourth quarter alone. The final score was a close one – Panthers 50, Bruins 48.

It may be a few weeks later than usual, and the season will be truncated, but young varsity basketballers around the county are finally back competing on the court.