Arlee gears up for State Tournament

Arlee is heading into the State Class B Boys' State Basketball Tournament in Billings with a lot to feel good about.

The Warriors are coming off three straight wins in the Western B Divisional Tournament and are taking their No. 3 seed into the first round against the North's No. 1 seed, Fairview.

"It's going to be very similar to some of our league games," Arlee Head Coach Jason Maki said. "They're physical and athletic. They have a pretty good big man."

While the size of Fairview's big man is a mystery due to the quality of the game film on hand, Maki said he has proven to be a skilled shooter to go along with his power game. Officially listed at 6'4", forward Jeffrey Tjelde brings a 32-inch vertical and 185-pound frame to the court and is a double-double machine. Fairview also has 300-pound, 6'3" Landen Thompson, who plays center in football and puts up double-digit points on the basketball court.

Fairview finished second in the Northern 2B during the regular season but went on a tear in the postseason and has won seven straight.

A tough team to play in state is nothing new since most squads at the Class B Boys Basketball Tournament will be quality opponents. Arlee has been battle-tested, however, playing in the tough Western 6B, which has the odds-on favorite in the tournament – Missoula-Loyola.

"I think the way to go about it is going through this tournament one game at a time," Maki said. "Obviously, the coaches are looking at the winners and losers to see who is next, but we're just focused on Fairview, and when that's over, we will move on to the next team."

During the nearly two-week layover between the divisional and state rounds, the Warriors have been working on their own game, running for conditioning, doing yoga, enjoying pizza with a film session, and getting ready for the next step of the season’s journey.

"I don't think we played our best basketball at divisional; we scrapped, clawed, persevered, and survived to advance," Maki said. "I'd love to see our best games of the year be these next three."

Arlee finished second in the Western 6B to undefeated Missoula-Loyola in the regular season, posting a 7-2 league record and sporting the No. 1 offense in the 6B. So far this year, the Warriors are averaging 68.8 points per game.

The league was no slouch, either. Missoula-Loyola is 22-0 on the year, and Anaconda is 15-8. Both teams are in Billings for the tournament, along with Arlee.

"We played Florence, Anaconda and Eureka – good physical teams, and Loyola is in a whole different ballgame," Maki said. "I don't think Loyola has lost since last year's preseason, but weird things happen during the postseason."

Arlee also was a standout team despite dealing with players sick with the flu and other illnesses and having their best player hurt his ankle.

"But, knock on wood, everyone is feeling great now, and this is as good as we have felt in a while," Maki said.

The state tournament will feature teams with tribal backgrounds who like to run and others who like to run set plays. It will be such a mix that the results should be entertaining for those in attendance at the MetraPark Arena.

"It will be nice to see who comes out on top," Maki said.

Arlee travels to Billings on Wednesday and will probably stop in Butte for practice before playing their first-round matchup against Fairview at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of the game will play the winner of the Red Lodge-Anaconda matchup at 6:30 p.m. Friday, while the losers of both contests will play each other at noon Friday.

    Warrior Kendall O'Neill prepares to take a shot during the Divisional matchup with Plains Feb. 22 at the SKC gym. (Christa Umphrey photo)
  

    Warrior Benjamin Harlow-Old Person looks for an opening against Plains during the Divisional Tourney at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo. The Warriors secured a 82-53 victory over the Horsemen. (Christa Umphrey photo)