The 2014 State Class A Boys’ Basketball Tournament begins this Thursday at the Montana ExpoPark Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. For the Columbia Falls Wildcats and Polson Pirates, pivotal first-round match-ups stand between them and the elusive road to a state championship. 

Each team is three consecutive wins away from everlasting glory, from being embroidered in Montana High School Association history.  Two painful losses, and they’ll leave Great Falls empty handed with a dream falling just out of reach.

The Wildcats (16-4) are coming off their sixth consecutive Northwestern A divisional title after defeating the Whitefish Bulldogs 51-37 in the championship game at Glacier High School last Sunday. They’ll hope to ride the late season momentum into their opening round game where they’ll face the Havre Blue Ponies (7-13). 

Although Havre is a below .500 team, they boast Class A’s leading scorer in senior Dane Warp. Warp averages nearly 24 points a game and has the capability of single-handily carrying the Ponies. 

“They have a little size and they can shoot the ball pretty well,” Columbia Falls head coach Cary Finberg said. “(Warp) is averaging 24 a game, so he’s kind of the focus of their offense. Defensively the focus is on stopping him.”

Fortunately for the Wildcats, the offense is clicking as three players are averaging double-figures this season. Senior forward Jared Trinastich has scored 274 points in 20 games this season, netting nearly 14 points a game. Guards Alex Presnell and Ty Morgan are both averaging 12 points a game, respectively. 

“Offensively, we feel that we’re pretty balanced and we have some depth we can take advantage of,” FInberg said. “Because of our size, I think we’ll have an advantage on the inside.”

The Wildcat’s past divisional success has allowed them to gain plenty of state tournament experience, with much of their roster having already seen the hardwood in Great Falls.  With eight teams left in contention for a state tournament, experience can mean the difference in a fast start or a shell-shocking upset.

“Our group has been to state before. They know you have to go there and play well and be aggressive. I’m not concerned with them overlooking someone at this point in the season,” Finberg said.  

“We also have Laurel and Stevensville on our side (of the bracket) and those are two quality teams. Still, our goal is to be playing on Friday night (in the semifinals) and not Friday afternoon,”

The Wildcats and Blue Ponies tip-off today at 2 p.m. A win would put them in the semifinals on Friday at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of Laurel (18-2) and Stevensville (13-8). A loss would pit Columbia Falls against the loser of the same game at 12:30 p.m. on Friday  

   The Polson Pirates (7-15) shot their way into the state tournament, going 73 percent from the 3-point line in the second half of their challenge game against Whitefish at Glacier High School last Monday.

For a team that shot roughly 20 percent from behind the arc during the regular season, the Pirates will be looking for their hot streak to continue as they open up the state tournament against the Belgrade Panthers (18-2).  

“We haven’t been a great 3-point shooting team this year. Fortunately we got hot in our last game,” Polson head coach Brad Pluff said. “In the tournament, we’re going to want to slow the game down a bit, be patient and take good shots.”

Pluff also believes his team matches-up nicely against Belgrade—champion of the Central A conference.

“They’re a good, athletic team; they have some good athletes on that team. They’ll do some drive and kick stuff, offensively, and we’ll see some zone defense. It’s going to be challenging, but our boys will be ready.”

Led by senior Andrew Weltz, who’s 311 points in 22 games are twelfth best in the state, the Pirates also rely on the athletic ability of senior guard Cedrick Smith. Smith is also averaging double-figures, scoring nearly 12 points a game. 

The upstart Pirates seem to be hitting their stride at the right time, and after an upset win over Whitefish, they have plenty of confidence heading into the tournament.

“If you look at our side of the bracket,” Pluff said, “obviously every team is going to be tough, and there are no easy games. But if there’s a side we’d like to be on this is it.”

If Polson were to pull off another upset, they would play in the 8 p.m. semifinal game on Friday against the winner of Dillon (18-2) and Miles City (7-14). Should Belgrade defeat the Pirates, Polson would play the loser of Dillon and Miles City at 2 p.m. on Friday.

For some, it’s an honor just to be one of the final eight teams at the end of the season; the chance to compete for a state championship can be humbling. There will be triumph, and there will be heartbreak. For the Wildcats and the Pirates, no one will be ready to come back to Flathead Valley without making a name for themselves.