BILLINGS — The Beaverhead County boys basketball team begins its quest for a Class A state three-peat Thursday as the Western A Divisional Basketball Tournament tips off in Hamilton.
Impressive field
This year’s field is stacked. The Beavers, Butte Central and Frenchtown each enter with 8-2 Southwest A conference records, while Ronan and Columbia Falls hold 10-2 marks in the Northwest A.
Dillon head coach Jeff Edwards said Hamilton is the place to be for fans of top-tier basketball.
“There’s just going to be so many dang good teams and the competition is going to be out of this world,” Edwards said. “It’s probably one of the first times in my memory where I could see all eight teams finding a path and win the division.”
Rough start, strong finish
The Beavers opened the season with challenges, which was not surprising after graduating all-state and co-MVP standouts Kyler Engellant and Carter Curnow. Edwards said the team’s growth was accelerated by a demanding preseason schedule.
“Our athletic director does such a good job in our preseason,” Edwards said. “We played Butte High — they’re ranked in the top five. We played Billings Central, we played Lockwood, played Columbia Falls. We played state tournament teams throughout our nonconference. And so it really prepared us for this next season.”
It’s the little things
Because the teams are so familiar with each other, Edwards said “winning within the margins” will determine which four squads advance to the state tournament.
“Free throw shooting and it’s the rebounding. It’s who executes the out-of-bounds plays, the set plays. How do you deal with managing the game?” Edwards said.
Dillon tips off against Columbia Falls at 9 a.m. Other first-round matchups include Polson vs. Frenchtown, Butte Central vs. Browning, and Hamilton vs. Ronan.
By Ken Adelblue
The Montana Sports Update, Northern News Network
