When asked prior to the start of the 2023-24 high school basketball season what the year would bring, St. Regis boys’ coach Jesse Allen sported a Mona Lisa type smile.

It was the kind of smile that said he knew something we didn’t.

But the Mona Lisa probably became a huge grin when no one was looking.

To wit, the Tigers won a pair of games this past weekend that are grin sprouters for a coach.

His Tigers whacked Troy 70-50 Saturday night in St. Regis, one night after mauling Seeley-Swan on the road, 63-40.

But as any good coach would do, the Mona Lisa will be on display for all who inquire. Over-confidence and cockiness have derailed many “promising” sports teams over the years.

And this year began without the school’s all-time leading scorer, Caleb Ball, on the floor via graduation.

But, they still had John Pruitt. And a freshman point guard who plays like a seasoned senior. And a host of other players who are talented and deep.

So maybe it’s no surprise at all that St. Regis is now 5-1 on the year, their only loss a December setback to Drummond, which is tied for first place atop the Western 13C conference and whose only setback was a loss to Class B Anaconda, currently second in the Western 6B.

Saturday night against 7B Troy the two teams traded buckets in the first quarter, which ended with St. Regis holding a slim, 12-11 lead.

Then, Pruitt and company cranked it up a notch, outscoring the visiting Trojans 15-8 on their way to a 27-19 halftime lead.

They never trailed in the second half.

By the end of the third quarter, that lead had grown, methodically, almost surgically, to 47-33 as the Tigers' depth took over and they cruised to the 20-point victory.

Pruitt, the senior who is having a very good year, hustled and clawed his way to a game high 23 points. Teammate Barrett Bassette added 14 to the Tigers’ effort and Conner Lulis, the freshman who stepped in to replace Ball, tossed down seven.

St. Regis began their week’s play with a lopsided win over Seeley-Swan, which is now 5-3 with the loss. Their other two losses were to Drummond, and 7B member Thompson Falls.

Against the Blackhawks, St. Regis took control in the first quarter and never looked back. After eight minutes of play, the Tigers were up 23-16, thanks to solid team play, including valuable rebounding from 6-1 sophomore transfer Barett Bassette and the strong group of juniors including Ayden Rael, Dillon Thomas, Hunter Stolla, and freshman Lulis.

As they often do, the Tigers continued to add to their lead, outscoring the home-standing Blackhawks 13-10 in the second quarter and taking a 36-26 halftime lead.

Using their intense defensive pressure as a points generator, they outscored Seeley 27-17 in the second half to secure win number four on the season.

The Lady Tigers, meanwhile, snapped a five game losing streak Saturday night with a hard-fought home win over Troy, which is still looking for its first win of the 2023-24 season.

The Lady Tigers came out determined to put a mark in the “W” column, bolting out to a 17-8 lead after one quarter of play. That initial lead was enough to hold off the Lady Trojans the rest of the way.

At the half, St. Regis was up 27-18. The two teams played even-Steven ball in the second half, with Troy rallying but falling short in the fourth quarter, allowing the Tigers to escape with the six point victory.

Guards Shannon Todd and Shylah Dalka had 10 points each to lead the Lady Tigers in the win. Lilly Swanson and Kyla Bush contributed eight points each to the St. Regis effort.

Cortenie Rogers scored a game-best 15 points in a losing effort for Troy.

The win over Troy came one day after the Lady Tigers were ambushed on the road by Seeley’s Lady Blackhawks.

The home team ran up an 18-0 advantage after the first quarter of play Friday night. Their defense did not allow a basket until the opening minute of the second quarter when Todd buried a three-pointer for the Lady Tigers.

However, Seeley went on to outscore St. Regis 23-11 in the second quarter on their way to a seemingly insurmountable 41-11 lead at the half.

The Blackhawks kept the pedal to the metal in the third quarter, growing their halftime lead to 61-20 heading into the final quarter of regulation.

Next up for St. Regis is a boys only game (Alberton is not fielding a girls team this year) versus the Panthers this Thursday (Jan 11) followed by boys and girls games in Charlo January 12.