As a reward for winning the Northwestern A divisional boys basketball title, Columbia Falls gets to play a Laurel team ranked No. 1 most of the year in the opening round of the Class A state tournament, which begins today in Billings.

After going unbeaten against Class A foes in the regular season, Laurel (19-2) was an upset victim in its divisional championship game, ensuring Columbia Falls (15-5) will have to run the gauntlet if it’s going to win a state title.

Southwestern A champion Stevensville (17-3) and Central A runner-up Browning (17-3) make up the other quarter in Columbia Falls’ half of the bracket, giving the Wildcats the toughest draw in the tournament.

“You look at the records on our side of the bracket and they’re all pretty good,” Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg said. “But at the same time, all eight teams are quality teams. We’re happy to be there regardless of who we’re playing.”

Columbia Falls also has to overcome a nearly two-week layoff since its divisional championship, but every team is in the same boat on that front.

“Everybody had the same time off, so it’s just a matter of trying to keep your edge,” Finberg said. “Obviously if you’re playing well, which we were, you just want to make sure you don’t lose that game intensity and that edge we had.”

While the Wildcats have the worst record in their half of the bracket, they boast an experienced roster that has been to the state tournament five years in a row and was runner-up at last year’s tournament. Senior guard Luke Kazlauskas leads Columbia Falls with 15.3 points per game, quick junior guard Alex Presnell averages 11.2 points and 6-foot-4 junior forward Jared Trinastich gives the Wildcats a post presence with 11.2 points per game. Seniors Colin King and Austin Martin contribute to Columbia Falls’ veteran lineup and Finberg said a handful of underclassmen have stepped up to provide depth.

“We’ve been playing very good basketball here of late,” he said. “Some of our younger guys have kind of evolved into the type of players we need them to. Some of these kids have been there, they know the routine, so we feel very confident going in.”

In Laurel, Columbia Falls is up against a first-round opponent that mirrors its strengths. Neither team has imposing size, but both have quickness and a variety of offensive options.

“Offensively they’re pretty perimeter-oriented,” Finberg said of Laurel. “They’ve got some kids that can shoot it. In that aspect we feel we match up pretty well because we kind of do the same thing.”

The difference is on the defensive size of the ball, where Laurel prefers an aggressive style of man-to-man while the Wildcats normally operate out of a 1-3-1 zone.

“If you ask them what kind of a team they are, they’re going to hang their hat on the defensive end,” Finberg said. “They try to get a lot of ball pressure and disrupt what you try to do.”

Laurel’s offense is led by senior guard Brett Thompson, who averages 14.5 points. Junior guard Taylor Maida averages 8.6 points and 6-2 junior Evan Jones scores 8.5 points per game.

Finberg said Billings Central (14-6), which beat Laurel in overtime of the Eastern A divisional title game, looks like the top contender in the other half of the bracket. Billings Central’s offense is led by Dan Meyer, who leads Class A with 20 points per game.

Columbia Falls’ first-round game against Laurel tips off today at 12:30 p.m. in Rimrock Auto Arena.

State A

Billings Rimrock Auto Arena

Thursday

12:30 p.m. Columbia Falls (15-5) vs. Laurel (19-2)

2 p.m. Stevensville (17-3) vs. Browning (17-3)

6:30 p.m. Billings Central (14-6) vs. Frenchtown (10-10)

8 p.m. Belgrade (13-7) vs. Butte Central (14-7)