BILLINGS — We’re courtside at First Interstate Arena in Billings for Championship Saturday at the Class AA state basketball tournament. The morning loser-out and afternoon third-place games are complete:

GIRLS
• Missoula Hellgate 54, Billings Senior 45 
• Missoula Big Sky 58, Butte 29
• Missoula Big Sky 46, Missoula Hellgate 35, consolation
• Gallatin 58, Billings West 41, championship

BOYS
• Missoula Hellgate 55, Billings Senior 47
• Missoula Big Sky 50, Helena 44
• Missoula Big Sky 55, Missoula Hellgate 53, consolation
• Missoula Sentinel 47, Billings West 46 (OT), championship

Follow along here for live scores, highlights, and reaction from the boys and championship game. And check out our live-blog from today’s girls championship, as well. We’ll have on-site coverage from Scott Breen, Alec Bofinger and Mike Scherting.

* * * Class AA updated scores and pairings * * *

Check out our live-blog from the girls State AA championship.

10:45 p.m. | WATCH highlights of Missoula Sentinel’s championship win over Billings West (story below)

Missoula Sentinel boys survive OT thriller, 1st title since 1986

10:38 p.m. | Sentinel ends 40-year drought by withstanding furious West rally

Lincoln Rogers’ step-back 3-pointer from deep in the corner with 15 seconds left helped the Missoula Sentinel Spartans’ boys basketball program end a 40-year drought.

More germane to Rogers and the rest of the Spartans, their 47-46 championship game victory over Billings West Saturday night at First Interstate Arena ended a frustration that stemmed from losing in the 2024 title game.

To do it, the Spartans had to withstand another furious rally from the Golden Bears, who came back from 12 points down in the fourth quarter of their semifinal game the night before and beat Missoula Hellgate in triple overtime.

On championship Saturday, West trailed by 10 to start the fourth quarter. But again, the never-say-die Bears got the game into overtime and had a one-point lead on Grayson Baumann’s 3-pointer with time winding down.

But then Rogers took charge, took a giant stride with his 6-foot-8 frame, and launched a 3 that will live in Sentinel lore. It was true, and when Rogers, who finished the game with 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks, grabbed West’s final miss with just seconds to go, the crown belonged to Sparty.

“Obviously, it feels amazing,” said Rogers when asked about his final shot. “But at the end of the day, it was a team effort, and I couldn’t get it without my teammates. It’s just a surreal feeling. I can’t even describe it.”

Spartans coach Sam Beighle, himself a Gatorade player of the year who graduated from Sentinel in 2018, couldn’t either. It’s the first title for the Spartans’ program since 1986.

“I’m really lucky,” Beighle said. “I’ve only had this job three years, and we’ve had success because we have players like you saw out there on the floor. Tonight, they changed Sentinel basketball. It’s due to them and their commitment to the right things and working hard, not giving up.”

Cash Rice, who again hit big shot after big shot, scored 17 points to lead West, which finished as runner-up for the second year in a row. Baumann finished with 12 points.

Kade Robinson added 13 points and Gavin O’Reilly had six steals for the Spartans.

Beighle said he told his team to expect a Bears’ rally. They got it. And Beighle’s Spartans responded.

“We knew they wouldn’t go away, they play so hard,” Beighle said. “They’re such a together, well-connected group and so we had to just keep fighting.

“I just told our guys in that locker room (that) basketball is imperfect, and that the only thing that’s really perfect is winning.”

And that, the Spartans did.

9:58 p.m. | Sentinel wins it!

Lincoln Rogers’ fadeaway 3 with 15 seconds left proved to be the difference in a 47-46 championship win over West. More to come.

9:51 p.m. | Overtime again!

Oh, my … West has rallied again. We’re headed to overtime tied at 39-39. West has never led in this game.

9:50 p.m. | Tied up!

Cash Rice with a spinner through the lane, and it’s 39-39 with 4.1 seconds left.

9:47 p.m. | It’s loud!

A Spartans free throw gives them a 39-37 cushion. West’s Keegan Grossman had his shot blocked by Lincoln Rogers, and it’s West ball under its own basket with 15.5 to play. It’s getting loud in here.

9:44 p.m. | Time out Spartans

Two free throws by Grayson Baumann pulls the Bears within 38-35. Another Sentinel timeout is called with 51.6 seconds to go.

9:40 p.m. | Here comes West

A Cash Rice drive (but missed throw on the and-one) has the Bears within 38-33 with 1:28 to play. Sentinel calls a timeout. Down to the wire again.

9:30 p.m. | Dueling 3s

West cut the deficit to six points on a banked 3-pointer by Cash Rice, but Sentinel’s Beau O’Reilly answered with his own 3. It’s 35-28 Sentinel with 4:20 to play.

9:23 p.m. | Can West do it again, or will Sentinel close it out?

The Golden Bears entered the fourth quarter of last night’s semifinals trailing Missoula Hellgate by double digits, but wound up winning a triple-overtime game. Tonight, they’ll start the fourth trailing Sentinel 31-21. Do the Bears have another rally in them?

9:15 p.m. | Defensive posture

Sentinel’s Lincoln Rogers, a 6-foot-8 senior, just had a defensive possession for the books. He blocked consecutive West shots, then threw the ball off a West player, bouncing it off the Golden Bear out of bounds and giving the Spartans possession. Sentinel leads 25-16 with 3:46 to go in the third quarter.

9:05 p.m. | Halftime check-in

The Spartans have hung their hat on their defense all tournament, and tonight has been no different. They’re holding the Bears to 29% shooting from the floor, and they’ve forced eight turnovers. Kade Robinson has 10 point the lead the Spartans and Lincoln Rogers checks in with nine. Gavin O’Reilly has assisted on five baskets for the Spartans.

8:57 p.m. | Good quarter for Sentinel

The Spartans will take a 21-14 lead in halftime. The lead ballooned to 11 points on a 3-pointer by Lincoln Rogers, but the Bears managed to chip into that.

8:49 p.m. | Searching for a flow

Both teams are being forced into some shots, but Sentinel’s Lincoln Rogers has found some space lately. He’s scored four straight points and the Spartans are on a 10-3 run for an 18-11 lead with 3:00 to play in the first half.

8:37 p.m. | First quarter in the books

The Spartans got off to an 8-2 start, but the Golden Bears might have found their legs after last night’s long triple-overtime game. Grayson Baumann and Cash Rice hit 3-pointers and evened things up at 8-8 by quarter’s end.

8:11 p.m. | Boys championship preview: Missoula Sentinel (18-3) vs. Billings West (16-5)

We’re pretty much on schedule for the boys scheduled 8:30 p.m. tip off following the Gallatin win over Billings West in the girls’ championship, so here’s a quick look ahead to tonight’s boys title game:

Late Friday night, West boys coach Kelly Darragh expressed confidence that his players would be rested and ready for tonight’s championship following the Golden Bears’ training triple-OT win over Missoula Hellgate in the semifinals. “They’re 18- to 17-year-old boys,” he said. “They’ll bounce back.”

The Golden Bears will also have to find a way to solve Missoula Sentinel’s zone defense. The Spartans have given up a total of just 76 points and held their two opponents to 34% shooting.