It was a loud and proud, playoff-like atmosphere inside the St. Regis gym Saturday night when two of the top three boys teams squared off in a crucial Western 14C conference clash.

And after a close, hard-fought struggle to the end, the host Tigers pulled out a 62-52 win over Two Eagle River as their young depth stepped up to fill the void left by a hand injury that sidelined standout forward John Pruitt.

The win gave the Tigers boys a sweep of their week’s games, having knocked off Hot Springs 60-43 the night before in Hot Springs.

The Lady Tigers also had a good weekend, picking up a pair of relatively comfortable wins over Two Eagle River, 64-24, a day after besting Hot Springs’ Lady Savage Heat 59-40.

The battle between St. Regis’ boys and Two Eagle River was the marquee attraction in St. Regis, with playoff seeding ramifications at stake for the Western 14C conference.

Two Eagle River, which earlier last week upset 14C co-leader Charlo 68-61 in overtime, came to St. Regis with a 6-2 conference mark while the host Tigers came in at 8-1 after losing to Charlo last week.

The Tigers were playing without junior starter John Pruitt, the team’s main rebounder and second leading scorer after he broke a bone in his hand last week while participating in a pick-up basketball game.

The big question for the night, other than who would stay in the hunt for the top spot in the league, was could the youngsters on the Tigers’ roster step up in perhaps the biggest game of the year to help senior Caleb Ball in Pruitt’s absence.

The answer was a resounding yes.

With a playoff intensity permeating the gym which was packed with an equal number of St. Regis and Two Eagle fans, the Tigers’ sophomores and an eighth-grader were equal to the challenge.

St. Regis swarming defense and timely shooting helped it gain a 14-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter. They built that lead in quarter number two, outscoring the visiting Eagles 17-12 to go into the locker room with a 31-21 halftime lead.

They were led on the evening by Ball, the school’s all-time career scoring leader, who finished tied for game-best honors with Two Eagles slick forward Thomas Spotted Eagle, both of whom scored 30 points.. Ball also had numerous steals that resulted in points for the Tigers as their signature swarming, intense defense disrupted the rangy, athletic Eagles throughout the game.

The third quarter was an intensely contested affair as players and fans from both sides absorbed the energy of the moment. St. Regis emerged from the third period holding a hard-earned 46-35 lead with eight minutes to play.

With less than six minutes to play, the Eagles had closed the lead to 48-45 and appeared to have momentum squarely in their court.

Then Ball went on a mini-rampage, tossing in a pair of free throws after being fouled while shooting. He followed that with a two-point jumper, then added two more free throws to boost the Tigers lead back to 54-45.

The Eagles fought back as the game clocked ticked away, and with 1:21 to play, they had moved to within seven points, 59-52.

However, the eighth grader, Tiger Conner Lulis, put a final touch on the St. Regis victory when he sank a long three-pointer with 35 seconds left to seal the win for the Tigers, who rose to 9-1 in 14C play and 13-1 on the year. Lulis finished with 16 points, while junior Kaleb Park added 10 for St. Regis.

The win set up a battle for first place and District top seed when Charlo and St. Regis meet this Friday in Charlo.

A day before the clash with Two Eagle River, the Tigers took to the road for a match-up with Hot Springs in the Spa City. St. Regis opened a big lead early, rolling to a 24-7 advantage at the end of the quarter and building a 42-19 lead at the half.

The two teams played pretty much even up in the second half as the early Tigers’ lead held up throughout the game.

Lulis led the Tigers with 19 points, while Ball had 17. Quincy Styles-DePoe tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 and senior post Garth Parker pitched in 15 for the Savage Heat.

In girls play, Macy Hill had a game-best 27 points to lead the Lady Tigers to an easy 64-24 win over the Lady Eagles.

Hill scored from all over the court and had numerous steals and assists as St. Regis ran to a 36-11 halftime lead, then opened a 54-17 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Shylah Dalka chipped in nine points and had several assists, including a few behind the back, wrap-around passes to aid in the St. Regis rout.

The win moved St. Regis to 5-5 in 14C play and 8-6 on the year, while Two Eagle River fell to 2-8 in the conference and 2-12 overall.

Friday night the Lady Tigers encountered a much tougher opponent in Hot Springs.

The Lady Tigers took a 15-10 first quarter lead, then held on for a 24-22 advantage at the half as seniors Lily DeTienne and Josie Uski began finding the range from the field for the Lady Heat.

However, St.Regis went on a scoring spree in the third quarter, out-pointing the host team 20-6 to build a comfortable 44-28 lead with one quarter to play.

The Lady Tigers were able to hold off the never-quit Lady Savage Heat and pulled out the victory.

Hill led a foursome of Lady Tigers who scored in double figures, pouring in 19 points. Sophomore Avery Burnham added 16 mostly inside points, Dalka had 11 and senior Bailey Hutchinson chipped in 10 for St. Regis.

Uski led Hot Springs with 15 points.

This week St. Regis has a pair of road games, beginning Thursday night in Alberton. They then stay on the road for a game against Charlo Friday night.

Hot Springs has a pair of home games, hosting Superior Friday evening and Two Eagle River Saturday night.