Charlo girls finish regular season 17-0

Arguably the two top girls teams in Western Montana Class C basketball collided in Hot Springs Saturday night as both squads prepare for what could be a rematch in the District championship game this weekend.

The Visiting Charlo High Lady Vikings came to Hot Springs with their unblemished 17-0 season record on the line against the once-beaten host Lady Savage Heat.

The last time these District 14-C leaders met was in Charlo where the Lady Vikings eked out a 3-point win, which was Hot Springs’ only loss of the season.

Charlo left town with their unbeaten regular season record intact and earned the District top seed for this weekend’s tournament via a 57-42 win over Hot Springs. The Lady Savage Heat have the two seed and both teams have a first round bye.

Charlo came out strong to open the game against the Lady Savage Heat, jumping out to a 19-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. They then added another point to that lead and were ahead 32-18 at the half.

The two teams battled evenly throughout the second half, but the early Lady Vikings lead held up the rest of the way.

Charlo junior Liev Smith led all scorers with 17 points, while Conner Fryberger chipped in 12 and Destiny Manuel added 11 for the Lady Vikings, who improved to 18-0 on the year.

The Lady Savage Heat were led by the 12 points of standout sophomore Katelyn Christensen while senior center McKenzie Cannon accounted for 10 points as Hot Springs closed out its regular season with a 16-2 record.

Hot Springs will face the winner of a Thursday game between Plains and Two Eagle River in a semi-final contest at 2:45 Friday in Ronan. Charlo, meanwhile, will play Friday at 6:15 in a game with the winner of Thursday’s game between Noxon and St. Regis.

The Hot Springs boys closed out their regular season the same night against Charlo’s boys and came away with a 69-54 win over the Vikings.

District scoring leader Brandon Knudsen added another 30-plus point effort for Hot Springs, who secured the four-seed for the District tournament.

The Savage Heat came out strong against Charlo, outscoring them 10-6 in the first quarter, then adding one to that lead in the second quarter to take a 29-24 lead at the half.

With Knudsen scoring from all over the court on his way to a game-high 33 points, Hot Springs turned up the heat in the third quarter as they outscored the visiting Vikings 26-17 to enter the final eight minutes of play with a 55-44 advantage.

The Hot Springs boys will next meet Charlo in a rematch in the first round of the District tournament in Ronan, with that game scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

The winner of that game will advance to face top-seeded Plains Friday at 4:30 p.m.