The Arlee Scarlets and Ronan Maidens will compete at their respective state tournaments this week after a week off to prepare.

Ronan

The Maidens will take on St. Labre in their first game on Thursday at 3:30. Ronan defeated Loyola to take top honors at the Western B divisional tournament two weeks ago. Junior Alicia Camel said their first game against Eureka at divisionals was tough. “They ran a box and one against us and that kinda shook us up a little and it was an off day – we kind of always start slow but we ended up winning,” she said. Of their semifinal game, she said the team was working together. “We started getting our act back together and we started passing better than we ever have the whole season. We started sharing the ball and that worked out. We just looked good - like the team we were supposed to be this whole year.”

The Maidens will have their work cut out for them in their first round game against St. Labre (22-4) and their superstar Shiloh McCormick, who has scored over 2,000 career points and has had multiple games where she has scored 40 and even 50 points. Camel said the team knows what they are up against with her. “I know Shiloh will be hard to go against...but that’s just one person,” she said.

Senior guard Jordyn Clairmont will be competing in her first state tournament, and is confident in their team. “I’m nervous to play in state. It’s my first time...so I’m nervous but really excited and I know we can do really good if we work together,” she said at practice Monday. She said it has been cool to see how far the team has come in the last few years. “Last year was our first year in divisionals and this year’s our first year in state so it’s kind of cool seeing all the progress we’ve made over the couple years,” she said.

The Maidens have some strong athletes this year. The top three scorers on the team, junior Lee Camel, junior Alicia Camel, and sophomore Micalann McCrea have combined for over 1,085 points this year. Lee Camel averages 18 points per game, Alicia averages 15 points per game, and McCrea averages 14. McCrea has five double-double performances on the year, Alicia has three, and Lee has two.

Malta and Fairfield have been State B champions for the past nine tournaments, six of those belonging to Fairfield including four straight undefeated seasons during the tenure of Gonzaga recruit 6-4 Jill Barta, while Malta owns the other three. Prior to last year, the preceding half dozen state finals were fought between Malta vs. Fairfield. Fairfield is on Ronan’s side of the bracket, while Malta is on the other side.

The Maidens are down one player at the state tournament due to injury. Senior Ashley Peterson injured her arm in the semifinal game against Libby, and is currently in a hard cast.

With a deep bench of guards, the Maidens will miss the height of Peterson, leaving Alicia Camel to take care of things under the basket.

Top bracket

(1S) Shepherd (23-0) vs. (2W) Loyola (18-7)

(1N) Malta (23-0) vs. (3W) Bigfork (19-5)

Lower bracket

(1W) Ronan (21-2) vs. (3S) St.Labre (22-4)

(2S) Forsyth vs. (2N) Fairfield (20-3)

Arlee

The Arlee Scarlets are on a role. After losing a few tough games during the season and a overtime loss to Plains in the district championship, the Scarlets won three straight at the divisional tournament. With six girls over the height of 5’11”, the Scarlets will be one of the taller teams in the state tournament in Great Falls this weekend.

Among those tall towers is freshman Alyssia Vanderburg, who has added a new dynamic to the team this year. Vanderburg is closing in on her season 400th point and is running neck and neck with Bryndle Goyins for team leading rebounder honors. Her presence allowed six-foot junior Carly Hergett to move to a guard position for this season. Hergett’s transition went smoothly, as she continues to be one of the top scorers for the team, and is an important part of the team’s defensive effort. With an arm span that is about as wide as she is tall, Hergett constantly disrupts plays. Hergett passed the 200 scoring threshold during the Western C Divisional and also carries century club credentials for rebounding along with five dozen steals on the season. Another starter, junior Bryndle Goyins, stands at 5’11” and opposite Vanderburg, is a tough player to guard. In the front court for the Scarlets is senior Becca Whitesell, a four-year varsity player who controls the pace of the game for the team. She has over 90 assists on the season. Another senior, Morgan Malatare, is a quiet player, but consistently leads the team in steals.

Senior Megan Shick has made her presence know in the last part of the season. She is the team’s sixth leading scorer who is closing in on the century mark for scoring as well as has pilfered more than two dozen steals.

The Scarlets are peaking at the right time, as they have continued to get better as the season goes on.

In their first game, they will match up with Medicine Lake/Froid, the second seed out of the east. Both teams will match up pretty evenly in the height department.

Other teams attending include the Box Elder Bears, whose only loss came to Belt in the divisional championship game two weeks ago. Of course, Belt, who will be making their ninth straight state appearance, is always a favorite in the tournament.

Top bracket

Arlee vs Medicine like/Froid

Broadview/Lavina vs. Box Elder

Lower bracket

Belt vs Absarokee

Plentywood vs Seeley-Swan