Knights Finish Second To Bozeman In Championship Game

For the 2019 Class AA boys basketball state championship game it would be an east versus west match up between the Bozeman Hawks and the Hellgate Knights with the Hawks taking home the state title with a 55-53 win.

The Knights would pull down the opening tip off giving Hellgate control of the ball which they found Abe Johson for the easy bucket to get the Knights on the board. Bozeman came out on their first posession to work the ball around the edges to get Ryan Lonergan an easy bucket under the basket, sparking a 5-0 run by the Hawks. It was Hellgates turn to go on a run that was started by a Dylan Holst lay up on a fast break, sending the Knights on a 7-0 run. Bozeman tied the game at nine with under a minute left in the opening quarter, but Hellgate patiently worked the ball around the top of the key until they found Rollie Worster who dropped a three pointer as the quarter buzzer went off.

Hellgate started the second quarter with a bucket coming off the hands of Johnson to stretch the Knights lead out. Bozeman’s offense found its stride with 6:30 left in the half, igniting an 11-0 run in less than a minute. The Hawks kept the pace of the game on high speed which pushed Bozeman out to a nine point lead half way through the second quarter. Hellgate called a time out to stop the Hawks momentium wich the Knights used to turn the tide and went on the a run of their own, caped off by a Worster buzzer beater three pointer to tie the game at 22.

Bozeman started the third quarter with the ball looking to continue their scoring run, but the Knights defense settled in and it would be Hellgate to strike first. The Hawks went down the court and answered with a Brett Clark three pointer to give the Hawks the lead once again. Hellgate tied the game up with a free throw and the game would stay even for the next 2:30 until Bozemans Clark went one for two at the charity stripe. With 2:13 left in the third quarter Hellgate would call a timeout to slow down Bozeman who had gone on a 6-0 run to go up 30-24 over the Knights.

Bozeman continued to push the ball to open the fourth quarter, extendeding thier lead to 13 points with just over six minute seft in the game. With 4:57 left in the game Worster would knock down a three pointer, and then on the next trip down the court Worster would nail another three from six feet behind the arc to make it a five point game. By the 2:30 mark Hellgate had chipped away at the lead to make it a two point game of Bridger Deden put back. Hellagte would tie the game at 45 with 55 seconds left in the game, sending the match into overtime.

Extending the boys Class AA prep basketball season due to a tie at the end of regulation Hellgate would win the overtime tip. Deden would go the line and knock down one of two free throws to start the scoring, but the Hawks would score on back to back trips down the court. The Knights came back to drain a three pointer to tie the game with just under two minutes left to play. Once again Worster would knock down a three pointer to give the Knights the lead with 22 seconds left, but it would be Bozeman’s Clark to that give the Hawks the win.