By Josh Samuelson
There were no stunning upsets this time for the Harlowton-Ryegate Lady Engineers.
Last year at the Southern C Divisional Tournament, the previously undefeated Lady Engineers were knocked off in the semi-finals and were unable to reach the state tournament. They avenged that loss in this year’s semi-finals against Broadview-Lavina on Friday night, and completed the journey with a 44-25 win over Joliet in the Southern C championship game.
“It feels good,” Lady Engineer junior Bailey Snelling said. “Last year, we didn’t do too well. So, coming out and winning this one feels great.”
“They worked hard all year,” Lady Engineer Head Coach John MacCart said. “And this has been one of our focuses, one of our goals, to win divisionals and go to state.”
Earlier in the evening, Roberts beat Broadview-Lavan 43-39 in the consolation game. That meant that the Joliet Lady J-Hawks had already guaranteed themselves a spot at the state tournament.
“I think it helped calm us down a bit,” Joliet Head Coach Nicole Means said. “The girls are very excited about going to state.”
In the semi-finals, Joliet beat Roberts 46-38.
“That was a huge win,” Means said. “We had a couple of tight games wit hthem before. So it was a good thing for the girls to come out and play tough.”
Roberts’ season ended at 21-4 when Harlowton-Ryegate won the title.
The championship game was a curious one.
The game was never really in doubt, the Lady Engineers led by double-figures for the final two-and-a-half quarters, but Joliet was never really out of the game either, thanks to their great defense.
“I think we struggled with some things,” MacCart said. “Joliet’s zone confused us for awhile, we weren’t crisp on that. We struggle inside a bit, but good teams find a way to win. We got some buckets when we needed too and I think Bailey played well. She kept us in control.”
Joliet kept the score close in the first quarter, cutting the lead to one, 8-7, midway through the period. But four Harlowton-Ryegate three-pointers in the period helped them build a 14-9 lead.
That lead bulged to 36-18 at halftime and they led 48-22 at the end of the third quarter. The 44 points was the lowest point total of the season for the Lady Engineers.
“They (Joliet) came out in a zone,” Snelling said. “We weren’t penetrating or moving the ball, we were just throwing up threes. But we got in the groove. Even though we didn’t score a lot of points, we still won.”
The Lady Engineers got back to their offense in the second half. They shot 42 percent from the field in the second half, and attempted only four three-pointers. They had attempted 14 in the first half.
“I thought defensively, we did a lot of good things,” Means said. “Offensively, if a few more shots fell, we would have been right in there.”
The Harlowton-Ryegate defense held Joliet to just 25 points on 28 percent shooting from the field.
“Our focus all year has been on defense,” MacCart said. “Sometimes you can have an off night on offense, but your defense can carry you. And it wasn’t just the 25 points, it was the steals. We got a lot of easy baskets that way.”
The Lady Engineers were led by 19 points from Snelling. She also had eight steals in the win.
Kelsey Cavill had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Rachelle Bennett led Joliet with 10 points. Sammy Kiefer had five points and seven rebounds.
For the Lady Engineers (24-0), they aren’t going to rest on their Southern C title very long.
“Monday, and then it’s back to work,” Snelling said.
The Lady Engineers will open the State C Tournament on Thursday against Belt in Great Falls
“We’re going to have to play better than we did at periods,” MacCart said. “There are nothing but good teams at state. We drew Belt first, and they’re a good club.”
Joliet (18-8) will open the tournament against Northern C champion Winifred-Roy.
“We have to play like we played this weekend,” Means said. “If we play like we did at divisionals, we’ll be successful at state.”
ROBERTS 43, BROADVIEW-LAVINA 39 (Consolation)
The Roberts Lady Rockets won a back-and-forth affair that wasn’t settled until the final seconds over Broadview-Lavina.
After five ties and eight lead changes, Roberts took the lead for good with a Taylor Nelson basket late in the third quarter. Nelson hit a three at the end of the period, giving Roberts a 33-28 lead going into the fourth, the biggest lead for either team in the game.
Dani Badgett drilled a three at the start of the fourth for the Lady Pirates to cut the lead back to two. The teams then traded baskets through the rest of the fourth quarter.
Kylee McDonnell hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to preserve the win for Roberts.
Roberts (21-4) shot 40 percent from the field, and turned the ball over just six times in the win.They were led by 16 points from Jordyn Croft. Taylor Nelson scored nine and Macy Ropp added eight.
Broadview-Lavina (18-8) got 11 points from Nicole Von Bergen. Badgett and Emily Erickson each had nine points.
Harlowton-Ryegate 44, Joliet 25
Joliet 9 5 4 7 - 25
H-R 14 10 12 8 - 44
Joliet (18-7)- Bailey Myers 2, Rachelle Bennett 10, Taylor Mydland 3, Katie Byerly 3, Sammy Kiefer 5, Tana Beede 2.
Harlowton-Ryegate (24-0)- Bailey Snelling 19, Alexis McCarthy 2, Kendra Galahan 4, Shanwi Schraner 4, Kelsey Cavill 13, Ashley Hooper 2.
Roberts 43, Broadview-Lavina 39
B-L 14 9 5 11 - 39
Roberts 10 14 9 10 - 43
Broadview-Lavina (18-8)- Dani Badgett 9, Brianne Downs 2, Becci Rohrer 8, Nicole Von Bergen 11, Emily Erickson 9.
Roberts (21-4)- Jordyn Croft 16, Becky Ayre 2, Macy Ropp 8, Kelsey Kessner 2, Taylor Nelson 9, Kylee McDonnell 6.

By Josh Samuelson
The Harlowton-Ryegate Lady Engineers and the Joliet Lady J-Hawks advanced to the championship game of the Southern C Divisional Tournament with wins over Broadview-Lavina and Roberts, respectively, in the semi-finals on Friday night at the Custer County District High School gym.
HARLOWTON-RYEGATE 60, BROADVIEW-LAVINA 34
The Harlowton-Ryegate Lady Engineers overcame a major hurdle with their win over Broadview-Lavina on Friday night.
Last season, the Lady Engineers went into the semi-finals of the Southern C undefeated, but then were upset by Broadview-Lavina and did not reach the state tournament.
And this year, it looked a little shaky to start.
The Lady Pirates came out fired up, going out to an 8-2 early lead. But the powerful Lady Engineers weren’t fazed and outscored the Lady Pirates 12-5 down the stretch to take a 14-13 lead into the second quarter.
The Lady Pirates kept the game close in the first few minutes, but a 19-2 Lady Engineer run essentially put the game out of reach.
The Lady Engineers shot 40 percent from the field in the win. Their defense held Broadview-Lavina to 27 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers.
Baily Snelling and Klesey Cavill each had 17 points to pace the Lady Engineers. Shawni Schraner had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Dani Badgett had 12 points to lead the Lady Pirates. Becci Rohrer had nine points and eight rebounds.
Joliet 46, Roberts 38
The Joliet Lady J-Hawks avenged their 6C Tournament semi-final loss to Roberts with a convincing 46-38 win over the Lady Rockets on Friday night.
After a tight first quarter, the Lady J-Hawks went on an 11-3 run through the second quarter to build a 12 point lead.
Taylor Nelson cut the lead to nine with a three before the halftime break.
The Lady Rockets continued their three-point barrage at the beginning of the third quarter, getting triples from Kylee McDonnell, Jordyn Croft and Nelson, to help cut the lead to one.
But Joliet rallied, building their lead back to nine, 34-25, with 1:25 to play. But two free throws from Macy Ropp and another three from Nelson cut the lead to four, 34-30, at the end of the third quarter.
Poor free throw shooting from Joliet nearly derailed their chances in the fourth quarter. They hit just four of 14 free throws in the quarter, but had more than enough defense to hold their lead.
Roberts hit just three of 19 field goals in the fourth quarter.
Joliet’s defense held Roberts to 21 percent shooting in the game, they also out-rebounded the Lady Rockets 44-35.
Rachelle Bennett and Katie Byerly led Joliet with 18 points apiece. Bennett also had 13 rebounds. Sammy Kiefer had eight points and eight boards.
Taylor Nelson hit five threes in the loss, finishing with 15 points. She also had eight rebounds. Croft finished with nine points and seven boards.
Harlowton-Ryegate 60, Broadview-Lavina 34
H-R 14 19 14 13 - 60
B-L 13 7 8 6 - 34
Harlowton-Ryegate (23-0)- Bailey Snelling 17, Alexis McCarthy 3, Kendra Galahan 4, Tayla Schanz 3, Shawni Schraner 13, Kelsey Cavill 17, Malori Dietrich 1, Mikaela Hagle 2.
Broadview-Lavina (17-7)- Kady Coble 6, Audrey Payne 1, Dani Badgett 12, Becci Rohrer 9, Nicole Von Bergen 3, Emily Erickson 3.
Joliet 46, Roberts 38
Joliet 12 11 11 12 - 46
Roberts 8 6 16 8 - 38
Joliet (18-6)- Bailey Myers 2, Rachelle Bennett 18, Katie Byerly 18, Sammy Kiefer 8.
Roberts (19-4)- Jordyn Croft 9, Becky Ayre 3, Macy Ropp 1, Kelsey Kessner 4, Taylor Nelson 15, McKenzie Ropp 2, Kylee McDonnell 4.

By Josh Samuelson
The Broadview-Lavina Lady Pirates and the Roberts Lady Rockets kept their seasons, and slim state tournament hopes, alive with wins in the consolation semi-finals on Saturday morning of the Southern C Divisional Tournament at the Custer County District High School gym.
Broadview-Lavina beat Plevna 49-35 and Roberts came back to beat Custer 37-34.
BROADVIEW-LAVINA 49, PLEVNA 35
The Plevna Lady Cougars started strong, but didn’t have the horses to continue running with the Lady Pirates.
Plevna opened the game, leading 13-8 after the first quarter.
But midway through the second quarter, Brianne Downs tied the score at 15 with a three and Brooke Conover hit a bucket to give the Lady Pirates the lead, which they would not relinquish.
Plevna tied the score at 17, and again at 19 to start the second half, but Broadview-Lavina outscored the Lady Cougars 15-8 in the third quarter and led by as many as 16 in the fourth.
The Lady Pirates shot 53 percent from the field in the second half, their defense held Plevna to 25 percent shooting for the game.
Downs had 11 points to lead the Lady Pirates. She hit all three of her three-point attempts. Emily Erickson added 10 points. Conover and Nicole Von Bergen each had eight points, Conover also had eight boards.
Jalyn Walker led Plevna with 19 points and nnie rebounds. Lexyn Walker added seven points.
Plevna’s season ended at 13-11.
ROBERTS 37, CUSTER 34
The Custer Lady Cougars looked strong in the first half, but couldn’t hold on for the upset.
The Lady Cougars led 14-6 after the first quarter and led by as many as 13 in the second quarter as they took a 20-10 lead into halftime.
Custer’s first half defense was outstanding, holding Roberts to 17 percent shooting and forcing 13 first-half turnovers.
In the third, Roberts steadily cut into the Custer lead. But with 3:49 remaining in the period, Sara Grinsteiner gave Custer a 27-17 lead with a basket.
But Roberts outscored the Lady Cougars 8-2 in the final few minutes to cut the lead to 29-25 going into the final quarter.
The teams traded baskets in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter and Marrissa Ladwig hit a free throw to give Custer a 34-31 lead with 4:25 remaining.
But that would be the final points of the game for the Lady Cougars.
Taylor Nelson hit two free throws at the 2:46 mark to cut the lead to one and then hit a basket 40 seconds later to give Roberts their first lead of the game.
Two Macy Ropp free throws with 19 seconds left preserved the win.
In the fourth quarter, Custer attempted just seven shots from the field.
The Roberts offense improved dramatically in the second half, connecting on eight more field goals than the first half.
But it wasn’t a great offensive game for the Lady Rockets. They shot 29 percent for the game and missed all 12 of their three-pointers.
Nelson led the way with 15 points and Jordyn Croft added 10.
Custer was hampered by 25 turnovers in the loss. Lauren Hoffman had 13 to lead the Lady Cougars, Grinsteiner added eight.
Custer ended their season at 15-9.
Broadview-Lavina 49, Plevna 35
B-L 8 11 15 15 - 49
Plevna 13 4 8 10 - 35
Broadview-Lavina (18-7)- Brooke Conover 8, Dani Badgett 7, Brianne Downs 11, Becci Rohrer 5, Nicole Von Bergen 8, Emily Erickson 10.
Plevna (13-11)- Lexyn Walker 7, Abigail Tunby 2, Jalyn Walker 19, Shawnna Steffes 2, Kelly Gray 5.
Roberts 37, Custer 34
Custer 14 6 9 5 - 34
Roberts 6 4 15 12 - 37
Custer (15-9)- Kailey Prokop 5, McKensie Keller 2, Lauren Hoffman 13, Arica Hyhre 2, Marrissa Ladwig 4, Sara Grinsteiner 8.
Roberts (20-4)- Jordyn Croft 10, Macy Ropp 7, Taylor Nelson 15, Kylee McDonnell 5.

By Josh Samuelson
Bailey Snelling, a junior from Harlowton-Ryegate, was named the Southern C Divisional Tournament MVP.
Snelling helped lead the Lady Engineers (24-0) to the Southern C Title last weekend at the Custer County District High School gym.
Snelling averaged 21.3 points during the tournament. She led the tournament in assists with three per game and was second in steals with 4.3 per game.
She led the Lady Engineers with a 19 point effort in the tournament’s championship game against Joliet
Joining Snelling on the first team was teammate Shawni Schraner, Joliet’s Rachelle Bennett and Katie Byerly, Taylor Nelson of Roberts and Darissa Swank of Northern Cheyenne.
Schraner averaged 12.7 points and eight rebounds per game for the Lady Engineers. Bennett and Byerly led the Lady J-Hawks to the tournaments championship game, and to the state tournament. Bennett averaged 14 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, while Byerly averaged 12.3 points.
Nelson led Roberts to the consolation championship, she averaged 14.3 points per game. Swank led the tournament in scoring, averaging 27 points in Northern Cheyenne’s two losses.
On the second team were: Kelsey Cavill, Harlowton-Ryegate; Lauren Hoffman, Custer; Jalyn Walker, Plevna; Jordyn Croft, Roberts and Dani Dukart, Terry.
Cavill averaged 12 points per game in the tournament. She had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the tournament championship game.
Hoffman averaged 12.3 points and two assists per game for the Lady Cougars.
Walker was the only player in the tournament to average a double-double, averaging 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Croft averaged 11.5 points for the Lady Rockets and had three steals per game in the tournament.
Dukart led Terry, averaging 12 points per game and seven boards for the Lady Terriers.
Southern C Divisional Tournament
MVP- Bailey Snelling, Harlowton-Ryegate
FIRST TEAM
Shawni Schraner, Harlowton-Ryegate
Rachelle Bennett, Joliet
Katie Byerly, Joliet
Taylor Nelson, Roberts
Darissa Swank, Northern Cheyenne
SECOND TEAM
Kelsey Cavill, Harlowton-Ryegate
Lauren Hoffman, Custer
Jalyn Walker, Plevna
Jordyn Croft, Roberts
Dani Dukart, Terry

By Josh Samuelson
The Custer Lady Cougars and the Plevna Lady Cougars advanced into the consolation semifinals with thrilling wins over Terry and Northern Cheyenne, respectively, in Friday afternoon’s loser-out games at the Southern C Divisional Tournament at the Custer County District High School gym.
CUSTER 51, TERRY 49, OT
Custer led by as many as 14 midway through the third quarter before Terry went on a 13-0 run to cut the lead to 31-30 midway through the fourth quarter.
Terry eventually tied the game in the final seconds on a Carly Stickel basket.
Custer (15-8) led throughout the overtime period, but Stickel tied the game again with 38 seconds left. In the final seconds, McKenzie Keller hit a shot, giving Custer the win.
After shooting 15 percent (4-26) from the field in the first half, the Lady Terriers improved to 33 percent (13-39) in the second half and overtime. Custer was more consistent, and also hit 20 of 35 free throws.
Kailey Prokop came off the bench to lead Custer with 14 points. Lauren Hoffman had 13 points and four steals. Arica Myhre and Marrissa Ladwig each had seven. Myhre also had nine rebounds.
Dani Dukart had a double-double to lead Terry, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Amy Browning and Amanda Haidle finished with seven each. Terry ended their season 17-6.
Plevna 58, Northern Cheyenne 57
After five lead changes and four ties, Shawnna Steffes gave Plevna the lead for good with a basket with 26 seconds remaining in the game. Northern Cheyenne senior Jade Menendez hit the first of two free throws, but missed the game-tying shot.
Plevna (13-10) jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles answered with a 12-2 run to get back into the game, but Plevna remained in control.
Down seven with 3:23 remaining in the first half, the Lady Eagles outscored the Lady Cougars 15-0 down the stretch to take a 33-25 lead into the second half. Plevna outscored Northern Cheyenne 15-8 in the third quarter to get back into the game.
Steffes led four Lady Cougars in double figures with 17 points. Abigail Tunby and Kelly Gray each had 11 and Lexyn Walker added 10. For the first time in the post-season, Jalyn Walker did not have a double-double. She finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Darrisa Swank finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals to lead Northern Cheyenne. Menendez had 18 points and Tasia Scalpcane added 10. Northern Cheyenne’s season ended at 13-9.
Custer 51, Terry 49
Custer 8 16 7 10 10 - 51
Terry 3 10 12 16 8 - 49
Custer (15-8)- Kailey Prokop 14, McKensie Keller 4, Lauren Hoffman 13, Arica Myhre 7, Marrissa Ladwig 7, Sara Grinsteiner 6.
Terry (17-6)- Lorna Wollman 6, Lindsay Stickel 5, Carly Stickel 6, Anna Fredrickson 3, Ashley Morast 2, Dani Dukart 13, Amy Browning 7, Amanda Haidle 7.
Plevna 58, Northern Cheyenne 57
Plevna 14 11 15 18 - 58
N. Cheyenne 6 27 8 16 - 57
Plevna (13-10)- Lexyn Walker 10, Abigail Tunby 11, Jalyn Walker 9, Shawnna Steffes 17, Kelly Gray 11.
Northern Cheyenne (13-9)- Aaliyah Cunningham 2, Darrisa Swank 19, Jade Menendez 18, Janteesa Fisher 6, Tasia Scalpcane 10, Taleesha Glenmore 2.

By Josh Samuelson
The top-ranked Harlowton-Ryegate Lady Engineers got off to an impressive start in the first game of the Southern C Divisional Tournament at the Custer County District High School gym.
A dominating first half led the Lady Engineers to a 68-40 win over Terry, sending them into the semi-finals tonight against Broadview-Lavina at 6:30 p.m.
“I thought we played a ood first half,” Lady Engineers Head Coach John MacCart said. “I thought the second half we weren’t in focus, and it showed.”
The Lady Engineers, namely Bailey Snelling, got off to a great start. The Lady Engineers led 8-0 before Terry finally got on the scoreboard at the 5:28 mark. After Terry cut the lead to 12-7, the Lady Engineers scored the final eight points to take a 20-7 lead after the first quarter.
Snelling had a first quarter for the ages. The junior guard scored Harlowton-Ryegate’s first 16 points.
The second quarter didn’t get much better for the Lady Terriers (17-5). The Lady Engineers (22-0) opened the quarter on a 9-2 run and never let Terry’s offense get going. Terry managed just one field goal in the second quarter as the Lady Engineers led 44-15 at half.
In the first half, the Lady Engineers shot 47 percent from the floor, including 6-14 from three-point range. Defensively, they held Terry to 14 percent shooting.
“We haven’t played a whole lot in the last three weeks,” MacCart said. “I wasn’t sure what we were going to get. But we came out and played well and hit some shots, which was important to getting us going again.”
Snelling’s first half numbers would make for a great game. She finished the half with 24 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor.
Playing with the big lead, the Lady Engineers seemed to relax a bit, by their standards anyway.
The Lady Engineers continued to score, but Terry finally got their offense going in the third quarter. In the third quarter, the Lady Terriers connected on more field goals than they had in the first two periods.
But that didn’t translate into getting back into the game.
While the Lady Terriers found their offense, they still trailed by 30 after the third quarter.
In the fourth, both teams went to their benches with Harlowton-Ryegate maintaining their big lead.
The offensive numbers were impressive for the Lady Engineers. They shot 49 percent from the field in the game, hitting twice as many field goals as the Lady Terriers.
But their defense is what set them apart. They held the Lady Terriers to 22 percent shooting in the game and forced 21 turnovers, getting 25 points in transition.
“For the first half, it was ok,” MacCart said of the defense. “But in the second half our defense wasn’t very good. Terry’s a good club, they can go inside and outside. You try to take all that away. I think in the second half we lost focus of their shooters and they got the ball inside and picked up a lot of fouls on us. But in the first half we played great.”
Snelling finished with 28 points, she attempted just two field goals in the second half. Shawni Schraner finished with a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Amy Browning had 13 points and eight rebounds to lead Terry. Dani Dukart added 11 points for the Lady Terriers.
The Lady Terriers will play Custer at 1:30 p.m., in a loser-out contest.
No. 1 Harlowton-Ryegate 68, No. 7 Terry 40
Terry 7 8 16 9 - 40
H-R 20 24 17 7 - 68
Terry (17-5)- Lorna Wollman 2, Carly Stickel 3, Kristina Fredrickson 5,
Dani Dukart 11, Amy Browning 13, Amanda Haidle 6.
Harlowton-Ryegate (22-0)- Bailey Snelling 28, Alexis McCarthy 2, Kendra
Gallahan 4, Brooke Brandt 1, Tayla Schanz 4, Shawni Schraner 21, Kelsey
Cavill 6, Ashley Hooper 2.

By Josh Samuelson
The Roberts Lady Rockets made it a clean sweep for the District 6C in the first round of the Southern C Divisional Tournament at Custer County District High School with a 45-37 win in overtime over Plevna.
All four of the 6C teams beat the 4C teams in the first round to advance to tonight’s semi-final. Roberts will play Joliet at 8 p.m., in the second semi-final.
“Anytime you come here and get a win, it’s great,” Roberts Head Coach George Nelson said. “I don’t think we played very well except for the end of regulation and overtime, and I thought we played pretty well then.”
Roberts (19-3) and Plevna (12-10) played close throughout, which may have been a bit of a surprise given their records coming into the game, and the fact that Roberts beat Plevna by 23 earlier this season.
“We played them earlier in the year, and I think we overlooked them just a little bit,” Nelson said. “I don’t think we had the focus. We were looking towards the semi’s a bit. They (Plevna) are a scrappy, tough team.”
After four ties in the first quarter, Abigail Tunby gave Plevna a 10-8 lead going into the second quarter. But Becky Ayre and Taylor Nelson got the lead back for Roberts early in the second quarter. Plevna was able to tie the score on consecutive baskets from Jalyn and Lexyn Walker, but Roberts was able to take a 17-16 lead into halftime.
Jalyn Walker personally outscored Roberts 8-2 to start the third quarter, giving Plevna a five point lead midway through the frame. But Taylor Nelson and Jordyn Croft answered with baskets, cutting the lead to one with 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Tunby then hit a short jumper at the buzzer to give Plevna a 26-23 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Lexyn Walker hit a jumper on Plevna’s first possession of the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to five.
Croft and Kylee McDonnell answered with baskets to cut the lead to one. Jalyn Walker got back in the mix with a basket at the 4:56 mark to push the lead back to three. But again, Croft was there for a deuce and Taylor Nelson gave the lead back to Roberts at the 2:37 mark, the seventh lead change of the game.
Kelly Gray tied the game with a free throw on Plevna’s next possession. But with just under two minutes to play, Taylor Nelson hit another short jumper to break the tie. Macy Ropp hit a free throw to push the lead to three with 1:37 to play.
On Plevna’s ensuing possession, Lexyn Walker found a little space from behind the arc and drained a three to tie the score at 34.
Neither team was able to score in the final minute, sending the game to overtime. Immediately into the overtime period, Jalyn Walker hit a basket to give the lead back to Plevna, but Taylor Nelson answered 14 seconds later to tie the score.
Nelson’s basket was followed by two free throws from the senior which started a free throw barrage from the Lady Rockets and ended the game for the Lady Cougars.
The Lady Rockets went 9-11 from the free throw line in the overtime period, in which they outscored Plevna 11-3. During regulation, Roberts was 2-11 from the free throw line.
“We’ve always played well at the end of close games,” Coach Nelson said. “I told them ‘that’s admirable.’”
In the game, there were nine ties and nine lead changes. Before the final minutes of overtime, neither team led by more than five points.
Plevna out-shot Roberts 43 percent to 33 percent and slightly out-rebounded the bigger Lady Rockets 32-31.
“We’re going to have to play a lot better defense that we did,” Coach Nelson said. “Which is usually our forte, but it kind of disappeared on us. We have to block out, we have to do a better job on the boards. We have to get back to our defense and on the boards. And hit some shots, holy cow.”
Taylor Nelson had an outstanding game for the victors. She finished with 18 piotns and five rebounds to lead the team. Croft finished with 11 points and five steals.
For Plevna, Jalyn Walker picked up her fifth double-double in five postseason games. She finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Lexyn Walker and Tunby each had nine points.
Robets will take on a familiar Joliet team tonight at 8 p.m. The teams played three times this season, with Roberts winning the last two meetings.
Plevna will play Northern Cheyenne in a loser-out game at 3 p.m. The Lady Eagles swept the Lady Cougars this season.
Roberts 45, Plevna 37
Plevna 10 6 10 8 3 - 37
Roberts 8 9 6 11 11 - 45
Plevna (12-10)- Lexyn Walker 9, Abigail Tunby 9, Jalyn Walker 16, Kelly
Gray 3.
Roberts (19-3)- Jordyn Croft 11, Becky Ayre 2, Macy Ropp 6, Kelsey
Kessner 6, Taylor Nelson 18, Kylee McDonnell 2.

By Josh Samuelson
The Joliet Lady J-Hawks, the fourth seed from the 6C earned an impressive 65-58 win over the Northern Cheyenne Lady Eagles, the top-seed from the 4C, last night in the first round of the Southern C Divisional Tournament at the Custer County District High School gym.
“I was proud of them,” Joliet Head Coach Nicole Means said. “They struggled a bit in the first half, the first game nerves. But they came out in the second half confident and played their game.”
After two ties and three lead changes in the first four minutes of the first quarter, Northern Cheyenne looked to take control with two baskets from Darrisa Swank and one from Jade Menendez that gave the Lady Eagles a five point lead.
But a basket from Tana Beede with 43 seconds left and two free throws from Katie Byerly with 18 seconds left cut the lead to one, 12-11, at the end of the first quarter.
Rachelle Bennett gave the Lady J-Hawks (17-6) the lead early in the second quarter, but Northern Cheyenne went on a 10-2 run to push their lead to seven, 22-15.
A quick 6-1 run by the Lady J-Hawks cut the lead to two, but Northern Cheyenne hit three of four free throws to take a 26-21 lead at halftime.
Neither team shot well in the first half. Joliet connected on 26 percent of their field goals, while Northern Cheyenne shot just 23 percent. Joliet also turned the ball over 17 times in the first half.
Northern Cheyenne (13-8) maintained their lead throughout the third quarter, pushing it to as many as seven. But Joliet was able to keep the game close thanks to eight of 11 shooting from the free throw line.
Northern Cheyenne held a 47-41 lead going into a wild fourth quarter.
Sammy Kiefer hit the front end of a set of free throws, but missed the second. Tessa Kern grabbed the rebound and hit the layup, cutting the lead to three. Consecutive baskets from Bennett gave the Lady J-Hawks their first lead since midway through the second quarter.
Veronica Vance hit a short jumper to give Northern Cheyenne the lead back, 49-48. Bennett answered with a free throw to tie the score at 49, but Swank hit a basket to break the tie 15 seconds later.
Bennett replied with a basket of her own, only to have Swank nail a three 14 seconds after Bennett’s basket tied it at 51.
On Joliet’s following possession, Byerly hit her third triple of the game, tying the score again, this time at 54 with 3:46 to play.
Kiefer hit a basket with just under three minutes to play, giving the Lady J-Hawks the lead for good.
In all, there were eight lead changes and seven ties. Neither team led by more than seven points.
“They practice hard and they’re used to being in tight situations,” Means said. “And they believe in each other. And it showed tonight.”
The Lady J-Hawk defense was great throughout the night. They held the powerful Northern Cheyenne offense to just 28 percent shooting on the night. They also out-rebounded the Lady Eagles 60-46.
“Our girls work hard at defense,” Means said.” It really helped when we really started denying Swank the ball in the last few minutes, it took them out of their offense.”
Swank had an amazing individual performance, going for 35 points, eight rebounds and six steals.
Joliet was led by a trio in double figures, two with double-doubles. Byerly finished with 16 points to lead the Lady J-Hawks. Kiefer finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Bennett had 14 points and 10 boards.
Joliet will play Roberts in the semi-finals tonight at 8 p.m. Roberts beat Joliet two out of three times this season, including in the semi-finals of the 6C Tournament.
“We have to play good defense and have confidence in our offense,” Means said.
Northern Cheyenne will play Plevna in a loser-out contest at 3 p.m.
Northern Cheyenne won both of their meetings this season.
Joliet 64, Northern Cheyenne 58Joliet 11 10 20 23 - 64
N. Cheyenne 12 14 21 11 - 58
Joliet (17-6)- Bailey Myers 5, Rachelle Bennett 14, Taylor Mydland 4,
Tessa Kern 9, Katie Byerly 16, Sammy Kiefer 12, Tana Beede 4.
Northern Cheyenne (13-8)- Darrisa Swank 35, Jade Menendez 8, Janteesa
Fisher 4, Veronica Vance 6, Tasia Scalpcane 3, Taleesha Glenmore 3.

By Josh Samuelson
It may not have been the prettiest game. If you like offense, this certainly wasn’t your type of game.
But no matter your preference, the Broadview-Lavina Lady Pirates are going to take the win.
The Lady Pirates won a 31-21 defensive struggle over the Custer Lady Cougars in the first round of the Southern C Divisional Tournament, being held at the Custer County District High School gym.
“I knew they could win it, but you need to take it a day a time,” Lady Pirates Head Coach Bart Erickson said. “It was a slow down game, we managed to get it inside enough to come out ahead. We had enough of our shots drop. It was probably our inside game that did it for us.”
The first quarter saw the teams trade the lead four times with Custer taking an 8-7 lead after the first frame.
In the second quarter, both teams had a hard time scoring. Neither team scored until Emily Erickson hit a three for the Lady Pirates, giving them a 10-8 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.
The Lady Cougars (14-8) had a brutal second quarter. They did not hit a field goal, going 0-10 in the quarter. They got single free throws from Lauren Hoffman and Marrissa Ladwig.
In the first half the teams combined for just nine field goals, shooting a total of 26 percent.
The third quarter didn’t get any better for either offense.
Ladwig hit a basket for Custer at the 5:20 mark, their first since the 2:23 mark of the first quarter. But that was all the scoring for the Lady Cougars in the quarter.
Broadview-Lavina (17-6) wasn’t much better, shooting 2-12 from the field in the third.
In the fourth, the offenses started picking up. The Lady Pirates took an eight point lead, 20-12, with a Nicole Von Bergen basket at the 7:52 mark.
A pair of Hoffman free throws and an Arica Myhre basket cut the lead to four, but Von Bergen pushed the lead up to six with 6:01 left to play.
Hoffman then drilled a three, cutting the lead down to 22-19. But that would be as close as the Lady Cougars would get as Erickson hit a three and Von Bergen hit a basket to push the lead back to eight. They hit four of four free throws in the final minutes to preserve the win.
Defensively, the Lady Pirates had an outstanding game. They held the Lady Cougars to 17 percent shooting for the game, allowing just seven field goals.
“We knew we had to get out on Hoffman and keep her occupied,” Bart Erickson said. “Becci Rohrer, for a big girl, did a tremendous job on Myhre. Usually you don’t have big girls go out on the perimeter. She’s probably one of the main reasons we have improved towards the end of the season.”
Offensively, the Lady Pirates connected on 11 of 31 shots from the field. They only had four girls score; Rohrer, Von Bergen and Erickson each had eight points and Dani Badgett added seven. Von Bergen also grabbed 10 boards. Custer got over half of their points from Hoffman, 11.
The Lady Pirates will face a daunting task in the semi-finals at 6:30 p.m., against Harlowton-Ryegate. The Lady Engineers beat the Lady Pirates three times this season by a total of 81 points. But last year in the semi-finals of the Southern C, Broadview-Lavina upset the previously undefeated Lady Engineers.
“We have to come out and contain their three main scorers,” Bart Erickson said. “This is the fourth time we’ve played them. They’re a tough team. It would obviously be an upset, but we’ll go out and see what happens.”
Custer will take on Terry in a loser-out contest at 1:30 p.m. The teams split their two regular season meetings.
Broadview-Lavina 31, Custer 21
B-L 7 7 4 13 - 31
Custer 8 2 2 9 - 21
Broadview-Lavina (17-6)- Dani Badgett 7, Becci Rohrer 8, Nicole Von
Bergen 8, Emily Erickson 8.
Custer (14-8)- Kailey Prokop 1, Lauren Hoffman 11, Arica Myhre 4,
Marrissa Ladwig 3, Sara Grinsteiner 2.