Pickleball craze hits Montana courts

The dude in the pickle costume marching in the Plains Day parade might have been a harbinger of things to come.

And then there was one

SUPERIOR – The Superior Bobcats remained undefeated in the Divisional Tournament last week as they propelled themselves to the State Championship. The semifinal game, on Friday Feb. 28, was a hard battle and Superior’s season-long winning streak seemed in danger of coming to an end. According to Head Coach Chris Toivenen, the Ennis Mustangs had a great team this year. “That was Ennis’ first loss to a class C team,” Toivenen said. “That was a huge win for us.” The teams had a good game and both played hard. The guards on both sides were able to keep the other team from gaining a serious advantage. The first half had the Bobcats gain the lead, but Ennis was still close enough to be a threat. Halftime began with a score of 25-13. In the second half the Mustangs gained a second wind and began to close in on Superior. Ennis was able to remain a threat through most of the game but they could not tie the game before the end of the final quarter. While the game was back and forth, they guys did what Toivenen asked them to and brought home a nine-point win. The game ended with a final score of 46-37. Seniors Tucker Smith and Clint Voll were the top scorers of the semifinal round as they brought in 14 and 13 points respectively. Fellow senior Jarrod Tippens also performed well as he contributed nine points. There was no rest for the weary between games. Coming down from the win against Ennis the Bobcats almost immediately had to go against Drummond the next day. Toivenen felt this game was a nail bitter. He said it was hard for the guys to go against two strong team back to back. The championship round was a Bobcat vs. Trojan battle on Saturday, March 1. It was Superior’s closest game of the season and the team had to fight hard to claim victory. The tournament ended with Superior going to state and a final score of 46-43. The game opened well for the Bobcats as they took the lead in the first quarter. Drummond was close behind them and kept the guys on their toes. The first quarter ended with a score of 14-9. Superior was able to keep the lead and entered halftime with a close two-point advantage. As the second half opened Drummond pulled ahead, a season first for the Bobcats as they fell behind. Their defense pressed Superior back and kept them under 10 points. The game could still go to anyone as the final quarter opened with a score of 32-35. During a timeout, Toivenen told the team to pick up the intensity. His motivational words did the trick and the Bobcats came back to take the lead. In the final quarter the tides turned again as the Superior boys gained a second wind. The team pressed back against Drummond and reclaimed the advantage. They were able to cement their place at state with a three-point gap in the score. “Drummond has a good defensive team, so this was a big win,” Toivenen said. Voll continued to shine as a top scorer as he took 16 points for Superior. Tippens was close behind him again with 11 points. On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the team played against the Shields Valley Rebels. They claimed victory in their first Divisional game with a 30-point lead. The Bobcats came out strong in the first quarter and they quickly broke the Shields Valley defense. The second quarter was a continuation of the team’s strong performance in the first. Superior nearly doubled its score as the team’s size and speed overwhelmed the opposition. At the end of the first half, the Bobcats had a decisive 41-12 lead. As the second half began, the Bobcats pulled back and did not push as hard as the first quarter. Their guards were still strong as they kept the Rebels from making many baskets. In the final quarter the Rebels came back from behind and pressed the attack. They made huge leads and were able to recover a number of points. It was not enough to tie the game and the Bobcats’ existing lead was boosted enough to ensure a decisive victory. The game ended with a final score of 70-40. Toivenen felt the Bobcats had an amazing defensive first half. He thought they had a good game and passed the ball well. Tippens was the Bobcats’ top scorer as he brought in 24 points. Junior Wyatt Zylawy came in a distant second with 15 points. Toivenen was proud of how the guys did during the games. He said they stepped up and played a great game to win the tournament. “It’s not an easy thing to do,” Toivenen said. “There are 26 teams in our division…They sure stepped up when they needed to.” This week the team will go to the State Tournament in Butte. The tournament begins on Thursday, March 6, and runs through Saturday, March 8. The Bobcats will be the only Mineral County team represented this year. Their first game will be against the Broadus Hawks at 8 p.m. Toivenen said the team was excited to go back to Butte for state. “Just one game at a time,” Toivenen said. “I don’t know how many games we’ll play. I hope it’s three and we play for the State Championship on Saturday night, but that’s yet to be determined.”

Trap club results week six

After the six weeks of shooting the results were Plains and Noxon tied for 1st place with 1012 points. In number third place was the Denton Club

Riverdogs split double-header at Missoula

If the initial two-games of the just underway Legion baseball season are any indication, the Plains-based Clarkfork Riverdogs may be on their way to a good season.

Daines, Feinstein team up to create Wildfire Caucus

Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines announced this week the creation of the bipartisan Senate Wildlife Caucus in cooperation with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat.

Burgers and Bows shootout pulls in 80 archers

Archery, including bow hunting, is alive and well in Northwest Montana.

St. Regis topples Hot Springs 3-1

After the first game of this unofficial rivalry clash, it looked like it was going to be one of those matches.

Speed limit questioned

The Mineral County Commissioners met with a representative from the Montana Department of Transportation Wednesday morning to discuss the possibility of lowering the speed limit on Highway 135 near St. Regis.

County highway relatively safe over Memorial Day weekend

West End, St. Regis firefighters help in rollover

Letters to the Editor

I am asking for your vote to reelect Denley Loge as your State Representative in House District 14. As an advocate for Montana military and veteran issues for more than 35 years I have worked with many freshman legislators. Representative Loge is one of the best I have ever worked with on those issues. He is sensitive to the needs of our military and veterans and knows the wants and needs of his constituents in HD 14.

Hot Springs comes together for Christmas gift giving

Insurance company refuses to renew

One Mineral County couple is being denied renewal of their homeowner insurance policy because the carrier says they live in a “high wildfire risk area.”

Benda places eleventh for Superior at state golf

SUPERIOR - Josh Benda and Luke Boyce were studs for Superior golf all season, and were invited to play in the state tournament with the best-of-the-best of Class-C schools from around the region.

St. Regis Tigers breaking losing streak at home

ST. REGIS – The St. Regis boy’s basketball team broke a 78 game streak of losses last weekend as the Tigers went 1-1 against Victor and Alberton.

Top-ranked Savage Heat get another win

Superior student wins Keep Montana Green poster contest

Every year the Keep Montana Green Association holds a poster art contest and this year, Superior School’s Abigail Wheeler was the regional winner. She won in the intermediate division which is grades 4 through 6 for her poster.

Schools bring in pennies for peace

Danielle Switalski

Community welcomes New Year with annual dance

Summer Crosby

More information on the issue of airport hangar leases

In response to the letter to the editor from Gerald Geske complaining about the decision of the Mineral County Commissioners and County Attorney concerning his “ground lease” at the Mineral County Airport in Superior, we offer the following reply:

Sanders County economic trends

Many of the trends that people have been commenting about in Sanders County have been confirmed by a recent social-economic study. It also points out some errors in popular thought. The study by Headwaters Economics an independent, nonprofit research group independent group of Bozeman reports on statistics of Sanders County and makes some prediction.