Two tickets were punched to the next round of the Western Montana Class C postseason quest, but as of the end of District tournament play Saturday evening, their travel plans were still in limbo.

The St. Regis boys, buoyed by the return from injury of junior standout John Pruitt, held off a furious fourth quarter rally by Charlo’s Vikings to secure the District’s top seed for this weekend’s Divisional playoffs in Butte. The Tigers won 57-51 in the first of two District championship games played Saturday evening at the Linderman Gym in Polson.

In the second title game of the night, Superior’s regular season conference champions, the Lady Bobcats, had an almost identical outcome, choking off a determined Charlo Lady Vikings team in the fourth quarter for a 44-37 win that also made them the number one girls seed out of District 14C.

For the two Charlo teams, their fate and trip to Butte had to wait until Monday night where both of the Vikings’ teams faced play-in challengers for the right to the second seed and a trip to Divisionals.

The St. Regis boys opened the championship evening by battling to an 11-8 first quarter lead over the Charlo boys. The Vikings were the regular season champs, losing only one conference game during the season, falling to Two Eagle River, which earlier in the day was eliminated by Superior’s boys.

Charlo swept the Tigers during the regular season, the last game between the two by a blow-out score of 64-29, February fourth in Charlo. That game was played just one week after Pruitt broke a bone in his right, shooting hand and missed the last four weeks of the regular season.

Doctors cleared Pruitt to return to action in time for the District tourney, a move that turned out to be a blessing for the Tigers, who lost both regular season meetings against the Vikings.

With both teams banging bodies and diving for loose balls, the defense pace resulted in a razor-thin 23-20 St. Regis lead at the halftime intermission.

St. Regis then came out and cranked up its trademark defensive pressure, while Pruitt, senior Caleb Ball and sophomore Hunter Stolla rained three-pointers from downtown Polson. By the end of the third quarter, St. Regis held what seemed to be a comfortable 40-26 lead with eight minutes to go in regulation.

The fourth quarter saw Charlo reverse the situation that put them in a 14-point hole, as they began to control the backboards in large part due to the play of 6-6 junior post Wes Anderson.

At one point the Vikings pulled to within four points, 38-34, as the Charlo fans roared their approval. However, timely threes by Stolla, Pruitt and clutch baskets and free throws by Ball kept the Vikings at bay as time ticked away in the final eight minutes.

With most of the fourth quarter gone, Anderson picked up his fifth foul, forcing him to the bench and helping alter the rebounding situation in favor of the Tigers.

In the end, St. Regis had just enough to preserve its lead and hold on for the win and the District’s number one seed.

Senior’s Tucker Love and Keaton Piedalue had 15 and 13 points respectively for the Vikings, while St. Regis got a game high 19 points from Ball and 18 from Pruitt, who throughout the evening was a force on the backboards despite a tape job on his injured right hand.

The win boosted St. Regis to 17-3 on the year, while the loss left Charlo with a 14-4 season record.

St. Regis now waits for its next opponent in the Divisional tourney, which gets underway this Thursday in the Mining City.

Charlo played a challenge game hosted by Thompson Falls High against Superior’s boys last night (Monday) at the Blue Hawks gym. Charlo eked out a 69-64 overtime win over the Bobcats when they last played each other February fourth in Superior.

The final game in Polson was also an eagerly anticipated match-up between the number one regular season champ Lady Bobcats from Superior, and the conference runners-up Lady Vikings.

Superior won both of the regular season games with Charlo during their 13-0 unbeaten conference campaign.

Behind their swarming defesne and overall team speed, the Lady Bobcats, clawed their way to a 13-7 first quarter lead behind a trio of senior starters, Isabella Pereira, Darby Haskins and Payton Milender.

By halftime Superior clung to an 18-14 lead, a low-scoring contest reflect of aggressive defense from both teams.

Superior, behind the sharp-shooting of Haskins and Pereira and the overall play of Milender, outscored the Lady Vikings 14-6 in the third quarter, padding their lead to 32-20 with one quarter to play.

As was the case in the boys game, Charlo’s girls then cranked up their game, largely via the inside play of 5-8 sophomore forward Seeley McDonald, pulling them within three points late in the final quarter.

However, clutch shooting and improved rebounding over the final minutes of play allowed the Lady Bobcats to hold on for the win and the number one seed in Butte.

McDonald led all scorers with 19 points, the majority of them from inside the key.

Haskins topped Superior’s scorers with 16 points, while Pereira added 10 and Milender, who directed the Lady Bobcats attack throughout the evening, had nine points.

The win lifted Superior’s season mark to 18-2, while the loss dropped Charlo to 15-6 for the year.

Like the boys team, Charlo’s girls faced a challenge game from St. Regis’ Lady Tigers last night in Thompson Falls, with the number two seed from the West at stake. The Lady Vikes will face St. Regis, winners of the consolation round title with a 46-36 win over Noxon.

Charlo beat the Lady Tigers both times during their regular season games, the last a 45-43 home win February 4.