Hellgate

Although there was a smattering of high school spring sports on display last weekend, the competition really ratchets up this week.

Maybe those coaches had it all right in the preseason polls. Before the Class AA boys' basketball season began, the Bozeman Hawks and Kalispell Glacier Wolfpack were tabbed to win the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively. Right now, those teams are at polar opposites...

Last night, I had the chance to catch parts of three different local high school basketball games. The Sentinel boys defeated Flathead 62-40, the Big Sky girls also took care of Flathead 52-38, and the Loyola girls knocked off Superior 60-14...

'Tis the season for Christmas caroling, chesnut roasting, and gift giving. And, for some of Missoula's high school athletes, jump shooting, ball hawking, and slam dunking. Before the local high schools close for Winter break, several varsity basketball teams will squeeze in one more non-conference contest tonight.