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Hamilton, state tournament next stop for Eagles

Published on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 4:49 PM MST

harry lipsiea | sidney herald
Sidney’s Megan Johnson brings the ball downcourt against Billings Central during the Eastern A title game in Billings

It’s been an excellent season for the Sidney girls basketball team, and now the Eagles are looking to go out with a bang. After winning divisionals with a 42-30 win over Billings Central, Sidney is hoping to earn the Class A crown in Hamilton Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

First-year head coach Jon Skinner was pleased with his team’s performance at divisionals.

“I thought the girls came out both games and did exactly what they needed to. On offense, they played together, and on defense they came out with good intensity. I was very happy overall,” Skinner said.

The Eagles match-up with Polson at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The Pirates, who are 13-5 on the season, feature scrappy defense and balanced scoring.

“Just by looking at tape, they look similar in style to Miles City. They are reasonably quick and look to trap on defense after every rebound. Just like every game this season, to be successful we’ll have to handle the opponents defensive pressure,” Skinner said.

Ball handling will also be key in Sidney’s game against Polson. “They are pretty notorious for coming up behind you and coming away with steals. We’ll need to limit our turnovers to come away with a win,” he said.

The Pirates have seven players capable of scoring in double digits on any given night, Skinner said. “They don’t have one particular player you can key on. Polson is very balanced,” he said.

Skinner expects a tight, well-played tournament. “From what I’ve seen there are some pretty impressive teams in the state. Coming into Thursday, each team has a one out of eight chance of winning the state title,” he said.

The field seems to be pretty balanced. “You have to think Anaconda is favorite as they have won the state title the last two years,” he said. “But, overall I expect a pretty even tournament. It’s any team’s for the taking.”

The Eagles, who are 18-2 going into the tournament, have showed the ability to win close games all season long. That attribute will be an important one at the state tournament.

“Keeping our composure late in games has been a strength for this team. At a state tournament when teams are so even the little things are going to be the difference between a win and a loss,” Skinner said.

With one goal on their mind, the Eagles are looking to bring home a state title. “Everyone’s just really excited for the tournament,” Skinner said. “We’re just going to take it game by game”

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