GILLETTE, Wyo. — One double-digit winning streak continues, another one ended.
It took 13 years and a 22-game losing streak, but a Midland Roundtable Kids’ Montana-Wyoming All-Star Basketball Series game finally went The Cowboy State’s way on Friday night when the Stars Wyoming defeated Montana in a largely dominant victory. at the Pronghorn Center on the Gillette College campus.
However, the first game of the night featured more of the same for the Montana women’s team, as it extended its own winning streak in the series to 14 consecutive games by beating Wyoming, putting it halfway to another sweep.
The Montana leg of the Montana-Wyoming All-Star Basketball Series will take place Saturday at Lockwood High School, with the girls’ game beginning at 5 p.m. and the boys’ game at 7 p.m. The Volleyball Classic of Montana Stars from the Midland Roundtable precede the hoops at 3 p.m.
People are also reading…
Wyoming 83, Montana 62 (boys)
Montana’s Eli Quinn, left, attempts to dribble around the defense of Wyoming’s Eli Patterson during the first game of the 2024 Montana-Wyoming Midland Roundtable Men’s Basketball Series on Friday at the Pronghorn Center in Gillette, Wyoming .
BRIAR NKeynoteUSAIER, 406 MT Sports
The way it ended, however, didn’t have much late drama.
For the first time since Rocky Mountain College men’s basketball assistant coach Steve Keller began coaching the Montana men’s all-star team in 2012 in their annual summer game against their neighbors to the south, Wyoming beat Big Sky Country.
And as Keller will tell you, it wasn’t very close either.
“I don’t know if there was one area where we played better than them,” Keller said. “They outplayed us, they got 50-50 balls, they got offensive rebounds, they scored, they got to the free throw line more than us… you have to give them credit, that was a good basketball team.”
It had been more than a decade since Wyoming, currently coached by Gillette College men’s basketball coach Shawn Neary, who was previously an assistant in the men’s basketball program at Montana State Billings, was able to claim a series victory.
Now, a first sweep of the State of Equality since 2011 is in the cards if Wyoming can go north and defeat Montana on Saturday as well.
Wyoming broke the game open in the second quarter after trailing 18-16 after the first 10 minutes, embarking on a 16-0 run from which Montana never recovered. The lack of a second half outside of the locker room sealed the fate of The Treasure State, with Wyoming up 16 entering the fourth and advancing from there.
Five different players in Wyoming uniforms reached double figures (led by 12 from Cheyenne Central’s Sammy Shumway) while playing with an intensity and energy that yielded plenty of easy looks and fast-paced baskets.
Browning’s Maurice Redhorn led Montana with 12 points on a night of full-court free throw shooting for the visitors, with Bozeman’s Kellen Harrison, Manhattan Christian’s Mason Venema (11 points each) and Columbus’ Hayden Steffenson (10) very close for Montana’s scoring advantage.
Nearly a year ago, on the same floor of the Pronghorn Center, Montana defeated Wyoming in a 92-44 rout in which the hosts were held to their lowest single-game point total in Montana-Wyoming history All-Star Series.
This time, Wyoming returned the favor, holding Montana to its lowest single-game point total in the Montana-Wyoming All-Star Series, according to Rocky Erickson Sports.
“All these guys came in from the beginning of the week and they had good chemistry…they were relaxed,” Neary said. “They just had fun with it tonight. It was fun to watch.”
“Montana will be fired up tomorrow, so we’ll try to match her and see what happens.”
Montana 90, Wyoming 68 (girls)
Montana’s Chloe Larsen, right, circles the defense of Wyoming’s Addie Prendergast during the first game of the 2024 Midland Roundtable Montana-Wyoming Women’s Basketball Series on Friday at the Pronghorn Center in Gillette, Wyoming.
BRIAR NKeynoteUSAIER, 406 MT Sports
Things were a little flat for the Montana women’s all-star team in the opening minutes of their game in enemy territory against Wyoming.
But once the Class C roster team arrived for a line change and energy boost, Team Montana was able to breathe a little easier.
Former Class C rivals and future Montana State women’s basketball teammates Teagan Erickson (of Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale) and Taylee Chirrick (of Roberts) led Big Sky Country with 17 and 16 points, respectively, leading a long and athletic Montana team to the top. 90-point mark against their Wyoming counterparts.
Erickson’s main running mate in the dominant co-op and two-time defending North Country state champion, future Rocky basketball player Paige Wasson, scored 13 points to play an effective third fiddle to the Erickson-Chirrick combo. with the duo anticipating what could happen in the coming years in Bozeman.
“I knew we had to come out and move fast, because especially playing in Wyoming, they’re going to start fast and hard,” Chirrick said. “So we really have to push ourselves and try hard.
“I’m really excited to go to Bozeman and being able to connect and get to know these girls has been so much fun. They’re all super nice (and) get along really well, which makes it really easy for us to play with them.”
The second line that Rocky girls basketball coach and Montana coach Wes Keller chose to run with to get his team out of its initial crisis was a unit that had members who had played Class C basketball in at least one season of their races. : Erickson, Chirrick, Wasson, Isabelle Heggem of Roy-Winifred and Hallie Neibauer of Chinook.
It turned out to be a good choice to let the small school stars run wild for a while.
Down 9-4 to start the game, a 12-3 run followed after the aforementioned five substitutes entered the game, with a Chirrick and-1 with less than 10 seconds left in the first quarter helping Montana take a 22-17 advantage. at the end of the first 10 minutes.
Wyoming didn’t fade, with hot shooting from Sheridan’s Alli Ligocki (an MSU Billings commit) helping keep The Cowboy State in place as the future Yellowjacket led her team with 16 points.
However, Montana’s all-around talent, especially Division I commitments Erickson, Chirrick and Billings West’s Kourtney Grossman (10 points, signed with Eastern Washington), was simply too much for Wyoming, having to deal with a speed of elite one moment (from Class C track star Chirrick) and/or imposing length (through 6-foot-5 Heggem and 6-2 Erickson) the next.
“They took the lead, and I think we talked about getting multiple stops (and) how many in a row we can get,” Wes Keller said. “I think we made six stops in a row and that gave us the advantage.
“A very talented squad… I think tomorrow we will play a little more relaxed in front of the home crowd and hopefully we will have a little better start.”
Email Briar Napier at briar.napier@406mtsports.com or follow him on Twitter/X at @BriarNapier
Get in the game with our prep sports newsletter
Delivered weekly straight to your inbox!
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.