7A CHAMPIONSHIP
MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL 54, BIGFORK 46
When it is March you can expect the Rangers to be heading south to the big dance. It is almost like a birthright. #2 Mountain Iron-Buhl is headed to state for the eighth straight year with a victory over Bigfork. This was the same section final match up as last year which the Rangers won by seven.
It appeared that things would be different this year. MIB burst out of the gate and led 16-4 with 12:10 left to go in the first half. But despite that lead, there were issues for the Rangers. Mary Burke got into foul trouble picking up three by the 8:46 mark of the first half. That meant she had to take a seat. Also Ranger point guard Macy Savela picked up two quick fouls. That gave an opening to the Huskies and they took advantage of it with an 11-2 run (18-15) forcing a Ranger time out at the 7:30 mark. Bigfork got a spark off the bench from Brianna Haley who led all scorers with 17 points. Haley led a charmed life only two missed shots all night. If she had 100 possessions she would have ended up with 212.5 points. The Rangers did go to the locker room with that same three point margin (27-24).
The second half saw Bigfork hang point to point with the Rangers. Bigfork would not go away without a battle. It was Haley that kept the magic going for the Huskies. She banked a three and then knocked another 3 down to tie the game at 41 at the 9:40 mark. MIB responded on the next possession with Patia Hayes, the only Ranger to score off the bench, hitting a shot from the left baseline. MIB would not trail or be tied again. Madisen Overbye hit a three that provided all the cushion MIB would need (47-41). Once MIB got a stop and the ball, they surgically worked the clock down. 49 touches led to a free Burke on the left block. Not only did MIB score, but their clock management made Bigfork rush things with time winding down. One critical possession MIB missed a free throw, but picked up the loose ball—–on two occasions in the possession. They can thank Overbye for her hustle both times.
The top 100 is now complete. MIB was the biggest fish left in the pond at 75. Some may have been thinking if I was ever going to get around to the Rangers. A lot of things have to fall into place for it all to work. The reason this game was selected was I knew going into postseason that all the AAAA and AAA teams would be charted because of conflicts with the Stillwater schedule. Many sections are locked into the same night in the big schools. When the Ponies went down on Saturday, that opened up Thursday. If Stillwater would have won on Saturday, MIB would have come under the eye Tuesday.
MIB heads to Williams Arena with a 28-2 mark. Bigfork wraps up the season at 25-4.
| Category | Mountain Iron-Buhl | Bigfork |
| Scoring | 54 | 46 |
| Rebounds | 27 | 29 |
| 2FG% | 47.8 | 47.6 |
| 3FG% | 43.8 | 27.3 |
| FT% | 55.0 | 61.5 |
| Distributions | 24 | 19 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 23 |
| Paint points | 18 | 20 |
| Bench | 6 | 17 |
| Team | PP100 | Scorer | Distributor | D stops |
| Mountain Iron-Buhl | 87.1 | Madisen Overbye 15 | Allie Negen 8 | Madisen Overbye 10 |
| Bigfork | 74.2 | Brianna Haley 17 | Desiree Kobal 5 | Brianna Haley 13 |
TRENCH PLAYER: 5-6 junior guard Madisen Overbye of MIB. Not only did she lead the Rangers in scoring, but had four straight Ranger points to give them a cushion down the stretch (47-41) PLUS she was the force on the defensive glass picking up four rebounds in the last seven minutes keeping the Huskies penned up outside.