State AA girls basketball: Billings West, Bozeman Gallatin advance to title game

West will face Eastern AA foe Bozeman Gallatin in Saturday's championship game. Gallatin held off Missoula Big Sky in Friday's semifinal finale.

Missoula Hellgate got the second day of the tourney started with a consolation win over Helena, while Butte bulldozed its way past Bozeman in the second elimination game.

Bozeman Gallatin 35, Missoula Big Sky 31 (semifinal)

The Raptors held off several charges from Big Sky to reach their first State AA title game in the school's five-year history.

Neither team scored until Gallatin got a fastbreak layup with 2 minutes, 27 seconds left in the first quarter. That sparked an 8-0 run, and Big Sky didn’t get on the board until the 5.4-second mark of the first.

The Raptors do "a deconversion drill" in practice that features a plug in the basket, making it physically impossible for them to score, said Gallatin junior Ave Odegard. The drill is designed to emphasize defense.

"The only way to keep the lead is to get stops," Odegard added. "When our shots weren't falling (Friday), we just said, 'OK, we've got to kick it into high gear on D.'"

Gallatin built a 15-2 lead in the second. Big Sky finished the half on an 8-1 run, thanks mainly to a 6-of-6 performance from the free throw line. The Eagles shot 1 of 20 from the field (0 of 8 from 3-point range) in the first half.

"We got some great looks at the beginning of the game, we just couldn't make anything," said Big Sky head coach Travis Williams, adding, "We got down 15-2, and you're trying to dig out of that hole and expending a lot of energy the rest of the way. That's ultimately what our downfall was."

The Eagles whittled down a 10-point deficit to three multiple times in the second half. Two free throws from Gallatin's Jada Davis made it a five-point game with about 20 seconds remaining, and Odegard split her foul shots to put the Raptors up 35-31 about 10 seconds later. Big Sky missed a 3-pointer on the next possession to all but end it.

The Raptors lost to Missoula Hellgate in the first round of their first-ever state tournament trip two years ago, and Hellgate beat them in the semis last year. Gallatin's players and coaches sprayed each other with water in the locker room after Friday's win, and a small group of Raptors mobbed head coach Taylor Cummings after she finished an interview.

"We're definitely on a high right now," Odegard said. "Last year and the year before, we lost out early in state, and that was really disappointing. I think tonight was just an accumulation of a lot of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It just feels good to go and have that opportunity to take state."

The Eagles finished the game 10 of 50 from the field (20%), 1 of 16 from beyond the arc and 10 of 11 from the line. Gallatin shot 12 of 40 (30%) from the field and 4 of 16 from 3. Gallatin's 7-of-17 mark from the foul line helped Big Sky stay withing striking distance.

"(The Eagles) slow teams down and make them have to work for it," Cummings said. "They're a very good team."

Big Sky outscored Gallatin 11-4 in second chance points, but the Raptors tallied 10 more rebounds than the Eagles (41 to 31).

Davis finished with 15 points and six rebounds, Odegard had nine points, 10 rebounds and three steals and Makayla Coleman tallied seven points and a game-high 12 boards.

"Even if she's not getting a rebound, she's boxing somebody out and opening up that lane," Odegard said of Coleman. "She's a rock star down there. We cannot do what we do without her."

Kadynce Couture led Big Sky (14-6) with 15 points and eight rebounds. The senior also swiped four steals, while junior teammate Avory Decoite led all players with seven steals to go along with four points.

The Eagles, who reached the semis for the first time since 2012, will face Missoula Hellgate in an elimination game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The winner will advance to the third-place game.

"I told our kids I'm so proud of them for the effort they played with, the intensity they played with," Williams said, adding, "I feel like very few teams ever outplay us effort wise."

Both Gallatin and Billings West are 20-1 this season. After falling 57-38 to West in the 2024 State AA third-place game, the Raptors beat the Golden Bears 55-47 in Bozeman on Jan. 17. West got payback with a 60-48 victory Feb. 11 in Billings. 

The State AA title game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

"We want that win bad, especially after losing to them most recently," Odegard said. "We're ready for them."

Billings West 38, Billings Skyview 37 (semifinal)

In a battle of the last two State AA champions, the Golden Bears (20-1) did just enough to knock off their crosstown rival and reach the state title game for the second time in three seasons.

West freshman Reese Enderson scored the game-winner with about a minute left, and a game defined by defense ended with a forceful stand from the Bears.

"Not the way I drew it up," said West head coach Jason Amundsen. "I give Skyview a ton of credit defensively. We were averaging 62 points a game. For them to hold us there, it made it tough on us because a lot of times our rhythm comes from our scoring."

Skyview built a 7-2 lead and held West without a made field goal for the first five minutes. The Bears then went on a 7-0 run, and the score was 9-9 through one quarter.

West ended the first half on a spurt, capped by a bucket from Kensi Dorn with 0.9 seconds left to give the Bears a 21-17 lead at the intermission.

Skyview cut the deficit to 29-28 at the end of three and led 34-30 more than midway through the fourth. West's Reagan Soucy tied it up at 34-34, and Enderson sandwiched split Skyview free throws from Kiki Lonebear with two buckets down low to give West the decisive 38-37 lead.

On the final possession, Lonebear and Kenna Pfeifle passed it back and forth, and Pfeifle got it to Taryn Salveson with about two seconds remaining. Salveson’s game-winning 3-point attempt missed long and right.

"I'm so excited," Enderson said. "Being a freshman and being able to even start ... never thought it was going to be real, but it is. Tomorrow's championship Saturday."

The win came just over a year after Skyview beat West 53-45 in the semis.

"There's a couple girls who were on that (2023-24) team," Amundsen said. "They felt like wanted something back and it was their turn."

Feeding Enderson and junior Brooklyn Pierce, both of whom stand 6-foot-3, helped West generate the offense it needed down the stretch, Amundsen said. Only one Falcon is taller than 5-10.

"They don't have the size like I do," Enderson said. "I was like, 'Give me the ball. I'll lay it in.'"

Enderson finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while sophomore teammate Maisie Heggem-Prinkki had 11 points and Pierce added three points and a game-high 12 boards.

"I wasn't there last year, but I knew they really wanted this," Enderson said. "They were like, 'We can't do this again,' so I felt like I needed to help them out."

Skyview senior Rae Smart led all players with 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while junior Tenley Leffler had nine points and five steals and Lonebear chipped in eight points and four boards.

One year after enjoying an undefeated season with now-Maryland freshman Breanna Williams, the Falcons (13-9) will face Butte in a loser-out game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Their goal entering this weekend was to win some hardware, said Skyview head coach Randy Chase. They're two wins away from a third-place trophy.

"We've spent all season with people overlooking us and not really giving these girls credit," Chase said. "We lost obviously a great player last year on our 24-0 run, and these girls came in, battled and worked their tails off. We're getting better, and I think it showed tonight."

Butte 50, Bozeman 26 (loser-out)

A 22-point performance from Cadence Graham and a dominant middle two quarters powered the Bulldogs past the Hawks.

Graham made 7 of 14 field goals and 6 of 10 3-pointers. Her teammate Brityn Stewart added 11 points and five rebounds.

Butte (15-7) led 14-10 after one quarter, then outscored Bozeman 16-2 in the second and 12-2 in the third.

Marlee Embry led the Hawks (9-13) with 10 points.

Missoula Hellgate 50, Helena 42 (loser-out)

A well-rounded performance from Shannon Kane kept the Knights' season going.

Kane led Hellgate (14-7) with 15 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. The senior made 3 of 6 field goals and 9 of 10 free throws.

Hellgate sophomore Paisley Johnson added 12 points and six rebounds, while junior Gianna Passuccio had eight points and six boards and junior Elly Reed added seven points, seven rebounds and three steals.

Helena's Madi Todorovich scored a game-high 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and snagged four steals.

The Bengals ended their season at 12-10.