The Shot Heard ‘Round Montana
By Danny Waldo
The fourth time is the charm.
At least in the case of the Bozeman Hawk boys’ basketball team it is.
After making their fourth consecutive appearance in the Class AA state championship title game, the Bozeman Hawks took home the title for the first time since 2011, defeating Missoula Hellgate 55-53 in overtime. And they did it in improbable fashion thanks to the heroics of an improbable player.
Brett Clark, a season-long role player for Wes Holmquist’s squad, dropped in a team-high 18 points, including the final two with under two seconds to play to secure one of the biggest upsets in the Class AA final in some years.
Clark’s final basket was set up by good fortune and preparation. Hellgate made 1 of 2 free throws to knot the score at 53, and a jump ball on the missed second attempt gave Bozeman possession 84 feet away from their own basket with just 4.1 seconds remaining. Senior Ryan Simpson inbounded the ball, attempting to hit teammate Carter Ash around midcourt with the hopes that the junior could make a play.
And make a play he did.
Three Missoula Hellgate defenders were able to get their hand on Simpson’s long pass, but none of them were able to corral it. Instead, the crafty Ash emerged with the ball and immediately made a drive to the basket where he found Clark alone under the hoop. Ash dished to Clark, who promptly banked in a soft layup just before the buzzer sending the Butte Civic Center faithful into a frenzy as the Hawk bench spilled onto the floor in celebration.
With the win, Bozeman avoided being the first team in any classification to lose four consecutive state championship games. (Billings Central also was making their fourth consecutive appearance in the Class A title game after losing the previous three. They won this year’s title as well.) It was just the second time ever that the Class AA state title game had been decided in overtime.
Not only did Bozeman win in impressive fashion, they did it against improbable odds. Missoula Hellgate was undefeated versus Montana teams this year, and were the overwhelming favorites to take home their first championship since 2013.
“It’s tough to go in the locker room after you lose that one,” Bozeman head coach Wes Holmquist said. “It was a lot more fun to go in there tonight.”
