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Big Sky Conference's 'Year of the Guard'

I’ve followed the Lady Griz for 25-plus years as a fan and even covered them for the Missoulian during a four-year stretch in the late 1980s.

I have watched numerous outstanding Montana guards of course. Kelli Pilcher stands out most prominently for me. But so do Kyla Sisco, Cheri Bratt, Katie Edwards, Julie Demming and Barb Kavanaugh.

But I don’t believe I watched a group of guards as collectively talented as the five who took the court during the five games of the 2008 Big Sky Tournament finals that culminated with junior Mandy Morales claiming the tournament MVP award in the wake of Montana’s 101-65 championship-game win over the Montana State Bobcats.

This season could truly be called the, 'Year of the Guard' in the Big Sky Conference.

An MVP case could be made for any of the five, only one of which (Montana’s Laura Cote) was a senior this year.

PHOTO: Montana's Mandy Morales and Montana State's Erica Perry battle for control of the ball in Montana's 101-65 tourney championship win.

Three are Lady Griz, and that is evidence enough to explain why Montana won both the regular season and tourney titles for 2007-08.

Senior Laura Cote was arguably the Big Sky’s outstanding sixth-player, capable of changing games with her intensity, shooting accuracy and defensive prowess, which she put on display during Montana’s championship game win over Montana State. Cote averaged 8.3 points per game during the years, but more importantly, shot 43 percent from three point range, making 28-of-64 during the season. And how about a sixth-player, non-starter making the all-tourney team? Her 29 points, three assists and eight rebounds is proof enough that she deserved the recognition.

Junior Sonya Rogers – who also scored 29 points in tourney play – finished the season as the national leader in three point shooting percentage accuracy at 48.6 percent, was Montana’s second-leading scorer at 12.5 per game, and led Montana with 70-of-144 three point shots during the season. Her incredibly quick-release shot, often triggered from a single quick-turn-spring-and-shoot motion was always exciting, particularly when she was hot, best displayed this year during Montana’s first win over the Bobcats when Rogers made 5-of-6 treys and scored 32 points.

An then there’s junior Mandy Morales who – despite a battle with painful and nagging foot injuries during the season – finished as the Lady Griz scoring leader at 16.4 points per game. Morales racked up 124 assists against only 65 turnovers during the year, and made an astounding 83 percent of her free throws (107-128), many of which sealed important Montana wins in the final minutes. As her coach, Robin Selvig, noted in post-championship game comments, Morales – who scored 55 points, dished 14 assists and had 11 rebounds in two tourney games – is just getting back to form now after battling her painful injuries. If any single player can spark the Lady Griz to a first-round NCAA tourney win, it’s a healthy Mandy.

But two other classy Big Sky players – Portland State’s sophomore point guard Claire Faucher and Montana State’s sophomore point guard Erica Perry – were equally impressive during season and tourney play.

Montana whips Montana State to claim Big Sky Women's crown

The Montana Lady Griz won the 2008 Big Sky Women’s Championship Saturday with a 101-65 romp over the Montana State Bobcats at Montana’s Dahlberg Arena before 5016 fans.

Trailing by 12 points in the opening minutes of the game, Montana got the spark it needed from reserve senior guard Laura Cote, who knocked down three treys while point guard Mandy Morales converted her own treys from long distance.

By halftime the Lady
Griz had claimed a 19-point 49-30 lead with a threatened blowout, the promise of which Montana delivered early in the second half. The Lady Griz held leads between 18-to-36 points over the span of the entire second half.

Cote made 4-of-5 treys for 16 points while Morales shot a perfect 6-of-6 from long range to pace Montana with 24 points.

Cote, who  scored 30 points and sparked critical Montana rallies in Montana's two tourney wins, was named to the all-tourney team while Morales was named the tourney MVP for her combined 55 points and 14 assists in Montana’s two tourney victories.

PHOTOS: Senior Laura Cote was named to the tourney All-Tourney team. She's pictured here post-game with her 'personal' fan club (sorry, no names), with Mr. "C" identified as her fiance. Below, Morales goes up for two of her game-high 24 points in second half action.

Senior forward Johanna Closson scored 15 points, making 5-of-10 shots from the field while junior guard Sonya Rogers scored 16 on 3-of-6 from long range.

Montana shot 54 percent from the field on the game, and a blistering 62.5 percent from three point range.

Montana State senior post Krislyn Wallace made 17 points while sophomore point guard Erica Perry scored 11 on 4-of-13 shots from the floor. Both made the all-tourney team. Forward Rebecca Mercer added 11 points.

Montana advances to the first round of NCAA tourney action, which begins next week. First round seeding and locations will be announced at 5 p.m. Monday, March 17.

Montana, Montana State advanace to Big Sky Tourney Finals

In two semifinal games that delivered all the drama, action and emotion of championship college basketball - and sterling performances from three outstanding underclass point guards – the Montana Lady Griz and Montana State Bobcats capitalized on the minor flaws of their foes to advance to the championship of the Big Sky Conference Women’s Tourney, scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday at Montana’s Dahlberg Arena.

MSU sophomore point guard Erica Perry repeatedly shredded the Idaho State defense with 15 points on deadly slicing drives to lead the Bobcats past the Bengals, 83-72 and move her team into an all-Montana championship final.

The other semifinal match was a battle of the wit, quickness and scoring punch of Montana’s junior point Mandy Morales, who scored 31 points and led her Lady Griz to a 94-80 victory over Portland State and its equally talented super-soph point, Claire Faucher, who scored 27 in a losing cause.

Despite the Lady Griz-Vikings’ point-guard standoff, it may have been the spirited second half play of another Montana underclass player – freshman forward Sarah Ena – that broke a tense deadlock and enabled Montana to surge to the win over the game’s final five minutes.

PHOTO: Montana frosh forward Sarah Ena (left) scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds and sparked the Montana Lady Griz to critical late second-half surge over the Vikings. Defending is Vikings post Erin Yankus.

The Bobcats overcame the 34 points and 19 rebounds of all-conference Idaho State senior Natalie Doma by getting balanced double-digits scoring from five players.

Montana State, Portland State claim first round tourney wins

Night one of the Big Sky Conference Women’s Basketball tourney went as expected, with higher seeds Montana State and Portland State taking first-round victories.

The Bobcats edged the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 84-78 in a tense struggle that wasn’t decided until the final minute of play. Meanwhile the Vikings cranked up their perimeter shooting game and surged to an 11-point, 37-26 lead at halftime lead over the Northern Colorado Bears, before employing an efficient inside-outside passing game to extend the lead to 18 early in the second frame in an eventual 82-69 win.

The Bobcats will face the second-seeded Idaho State Bengals in Friday’s 5:30 p.m.  semifinal round and the Vikings advance to the nightcap where they will challenge the top-seeded Montana Lady Griz, a team they beat by 10 during the last week of regular season play.

PHOTO: Northern Colorado's Danielle Hagen (#33) goes up for two of her game-high 37 points against Vikings forward Erin Yankus.

The first night of the tourney saw stellar performances by two seniors playing their final games. Northern Arizona’s Laura Dinkins scored 28 points on 10-of-18 shots and pulled down 14 rebounds in her team’s loss to the Bobcats. Northern Colorado’s Danielle Hagan – a native of Sidney, Montana – scored 37 points to tie the mark for the second-highest point total in conference playoff history, while at the same time eclipsing the 1000-point career scoring mark  during her UNC career.

Vikings Claim 08' Big Sky Tourney Championship

Congratulations to the Portland State Vikings, 67-51 victors over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in the championship final of the 2008 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Championship.

Yep. The Vikings held the Lumberjacks to 51 points.

Senior all-conference wing Deonte Huff led the Vikings with 17 points, supported by 14 from sophomore wing Kyle Coston and 13 from junior guard Andre Murray.

Despite several runs from the Jacks, the game was effectively over by halftime with the Vikings holding a commanding 14-point, 34-20 lead,

The Vikings did the trick tonight after toying with the Idaho State Bengals in the tourney semifinal game.

In the championship, it was Big Sky MVP, junior Jerimiah Dominguez who carried this team again, as he did through much of the season and down the critical final stretch of games. Dominguez had six assists and four steals, two coming in the final minutes of the first half when the Vikings took control.

There's no doubt in my mind that Vikings were the clear class of the Big Sky, due mainly to Dominguez' sterling play. Here's hoping the Vikings have some success in the NCAA finals.

For excellent tourney coverage, check out Ian Ruder's Vikings' Blog, which is part of the Portland Oregonian sports blog lineup.

I think the championship game is noteworthy for another accomplishment: it was the third-straight championship game appearance by the Lumberjacks, though they lost all three. That says quite a bit about the coaching job turned-in season-by-season by Jacks' coach, Mike Adras.

A couple of interesting sidebars to the tourney. Did any other Montana viewers notice – as I did – that much-maligned veteran Big Sky official, Eric Curry, called the championship game? And that was after he covered the Vikings' – Bengals' semifinal game on Tuesday. Hmmm. Several not so subtle messages from Big Sky Conference officials in this assignment.

Lastly, something that bears brief mention here, but which I'm going to analyze in more detail later...

Notice the attendance figures at the PSU-hosted tourney? Tourney games were played in the Rose Garden, the home court of the Portland Trailblazers. The Vikings drew a whopping 3188 fans in their first tourney win over ISU and 4113 in the championship game. Ouch.

That's 117 spectators LESS than the Montana Grizzlies' men's 2007-08 season average and only 272 more than the Montana Lady Griz season average. There's a good chance (contingent on Lady Griz victories) the final two nights of the 2008 women's tourney will significantly out-draw the men's tourney.

Lastly an announcement: Grizzly Journal will provide game coverage of the Women's Big Sky Championships, which begin tomorrow, Thursday, Mar. 13. I can't yet guarantee that my press pass gives me photographer's access, but I will provide game stories for Grizzly Journal readers.

But if you're a local fan, check out the Lady Griz this week. They're a team that plays without fear, with defensive intensity, and with outstanding on-floor leadership and chemistry.

Big Sky Playoffs –– Montana at Idaho State, open thread

I've watched college basketball for a good many years and have seldom seen a team win without at least battling its opponents in rebounds.

Yet here are the Griz, being outboarded 19-10 by the Bengals... leading by six, 32-26 in Pocatello at halftime of the first round of Big Sky Conference playoff action.

Matt Martin is tied for the rebounding lead with Bran Qvale with two.

As usual, the Bengals are sealing up the low blocks, which means that the Griz have to score from the perimeter. Nice to see Matt pace the Griz with a 3-for-5 mark and Ryan Staudacher with 3-of-6.

Still, it'll be a tough go if Montana can't do a better job on the boards in the second half.

Final: ISU 67, Montana 65.

A brief stats line: ISU outrebounds Montana by 10 (Mick Holien said the spread was actually 12). Montana shoots 42% from the field (37% in the second half), compared to the Bengals' 52% (77% on 14-of-18 shooting in the second half).  And...  what can you say when a team shoots  45% from the free throw line, missing  four critical shots from the line down the stretch.

Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said that two critical stretches –  one in each half when ISU made quick runs – spelled the difference.

The loss was one of Montana's sixth by a total of 11 points during the year.

NOTE: This is a brief wrap. For Grizzly Journal readers, my coverage of the Montana Grizzlies will continue through the post-season and through the year. Keep posted for continued coverage, including several interviews and, hopefully, an email exchange.

SCSOUTING REPORT: Big Sky Playoffs, Round #1, Mar. 8

The Montana Grizzlies’ first-round Big Sky Conference playoff game at Idaho State is the best of possible road games.

Regardless of the hype, most focused upon the controversial nature of the teams’ last game in Pocatello, a Montana overtime win made possible by an officials’ decision, it’s a game Montana can win.

Would the Griz rather travel to Odgen to face Weber State, a team with two wins over Montana in league play? Or Montana State, where numerous dominoes would be stacked against the Griz?

Though the Bengals are one of the better defensive squads in the Big Sky this season – and Montana has fared poorly against tough defensive teams – Montana matches up well man for man against ISU in quickness, rebounding and game pace.

Besides, if Montana truly deserves an appearance at the semifinal round in Portland, the conditions should be favorable. You can bet the Big Sky Conference will have a capable officiating crew on the court for this high-charged game. And both teams have a lot to prove.

I decided my previous two scouting reports were accurate enough to bear repeat examination, so I’ll let them stand. You can read the most recent SCOUTING REPORT here. 

My brief game story from Montana OT win is here. A game analysis of the Montana overtime win is here.

Grizzly Journal's All-Big Sky Awards for 2008

This season in the Big Sky Conference was one of surprises, none very good. The Big Sky’s top five teams would probably stand, at best, in the middle of the pack in the Big West, West Coast or Mountain West conferences. The conference is probably most closely comparable to the Western Athletic Conference.

Nonetheless, the year in transition may be somewhat stable, since  several coaches are young, with less than three years’ experience, and won’t be going anywhere. Only Sac State’s Jerome Jenkins appears to be a coach on the bubble, and Jenkins could make a case as “Tough-Luck”  coach of the year, having lost several players to injury, transfer or academic problems.

If I were an AD looking for a coach, I’d probably consider calling only two Big Sky candidates –  Northern Arizona’s Mike Adras or Portland State’s Ken Bone.

The conference has other, more serious issues.

A CONFERENCE CRISIS – The major crisis facing the Big Sky this off-season will not involve coaches, players, schedules or facilities. The Big Sky Commissioner’s office will need to address game officiating or face a dramatic decline in game quality, attendance, and subsequently, the ability of conference schools to attract quality teams from other conferences.

Portland State Dismantles Montana by 52, 108-56

The Portland State Vikings’ 108-56 deconstruction of the Montana Grizzlies at Dahlberg arena before 5103 stunned fans Saturday went significantly beyond the fact that it was the worst Montana loss in Big Sky Conference history.

The 52-point home court thrashing came within six points of the historic worst-loss ever for Montana at home – a 70-12 verdict against Washington State in 1913 – and was the worst defeat since 1970, when Oral Roberts University won by 32, 111-79.

PHOTO: Ceylon Elgin-Taylor's driving shot in second-half play was blocked by PSU Center Scott Morrison. Elgin-Taylor scored 8 points and had four assists.

Perhaps most disheartening for a Montana team and program that has struggled all season for some form of self-definition, was that it was the fourth home-court loss of the season for a team that has seemed to play well on the road, only to fizzle in front of their partisan fan base. But Montana players had little time to reflect upon that.

There was nothing cheap about the Vikings’ victory, which they demonstrated in the game’s first three possessions by grabbing a 6-0 lead in the first 1:20 of play.

Led by the dazzling play of point guard Jerimiah Dominguez, – who scored 24 points and made 6-of-8 treys – the Vikings made statement after statement on literally every square inch of the playing floor in every facet of the game.

Montana center Andrew Strait said Dominguez was the difference.

"He’s pretty impressive," said Strait of Dominguez. "It’s good to have someone like that at the head of your team you know, because when he gets in the lane he’s going to attract a crowd and he’s going to find you. He really exposed us tonight."

SCOUTING REPORT: Portland State at Montana, Mar. 1

Here’s what the Montana Grizzlies think about the Portland State Vikings.

Montana reserve guard Cameron Rundles: “We know that Portland State is the best team in the league, hands down. Their record shows it. They’ve proved it. And they’re going to host (the Big Sky tourney).

“But we’ve had a good week of practice,” said Rundles. “That’s been the remedy for us. If you practice well you play well. (We can’t) worry about Portland State winning all kinds of games... we’re still approaching it as just another game. Even though a lot is on the line, as long as we’re in the conference tournament we feel we’re going to do damage.”

Montana Senior Center Andrew Strait: “When I was a freshman it was the exact same scenario. They came in here, already had secured the Big Sky, and we put a pretty good licking on them. We’re going to have to do that again. that’s going to be a big focus. I think a win like that against the top team in conference will give us some momentum going in to the Big Sky tournament.”

PHOTO: Andrew Strait looks for an "outside" pass against Northern Colorado.

Montana coach Wayne Tinkle: “They’re a great team. They’ve got a lot of weapons. They’re playing together, and when you have that much talent and you get those guys to play that hard and together, they’re tough to beat. We’re just going to have to tip it up ready to play,” said Tinkle.

“We played them close down at their place and we weren’t as good a team as we are now. So, we’ll take our chances.”

Montana enters the final game of regular season play with continuted health problems. Strait suffered a broken nose during Friday’s practice, but is expected to see action. Senior guard Matt Martin is still battling the effects of a troublesome virus.

For the first time in Montana basketball history, three players will step on the floor as members of the Grizzly career 1000-Point club. Strait and junior Jordan Hasquet achieved the milestone earlier in the year while Martin eclipsed the milestone with seven points Thursday.