CHUCK BANDEL
Valley Press
Recent Stories
Lady Hawks stay in mix with win over Eureka
While anything can happen once the postseason begins, the girls Western 7B race for the top is pretty much a four-team competition.
Plains teams post impressive victories
The Plains boys basketball train is back on track.
Lady Hawks extending winning streak
The cream, it has been said, rises to the top. Sometimes it has to be churned a little longer than other times, but the axiom holds true.
Blue Hawks notch 7B basketball victories
If you are a coach, seeing your team come together with playoffs in the not-too-distant future is usually a good thing.
Mission sweeps Superior at St. Ignatius
A lot of tourists stop in St. Ignatius to check out the old Mission cathedral. Probably even a few who stop to watch some Mission basketball.
Trotters drop two conference games on road trip
After some amazing games and surprising finishes, one thing is clear when it comes to the Western 7B girls basketball conference: the top spot, in fact the top four spots are up for grabs.
Lady Tigers even record at 3-3
It was a tough way to start a week for the St. Regis girls basketball team, which was whacked by Charlo, 60-19 last Tuesday night in Charlo.
Scrappy Alberton Panthers keep battling
When you are in the lobby of a skyscraper, the thought of climbing the stairs required to get to the penthouse may be daunting indeed. But to get there, no matter the level of “daunt”, you must put one foot forward and repeat that process.
Lady Savage Heat scratch out win over Noxon
Sometimes when things go sour, it’s hard to sweeten them up. Such is the state of Hot Springs basketball, with both teams struggling to get on the winning track.
Local grapplers earn hardware at Ted Kato
Local wrestlers continued their impressive, winning ways at yet another area wrestling event.
Tigers roar in 14C basketball win over Charlo
It started out as a great week for the St. Regis High boys basketball team. It ended with a narrow loss that further jumbled the regular season Montana District 14C basketball title chase, leaving it a three-team battle for the top.
McAllister nets 22 to lead Hot Springs over Alberton
The removal of Alberton’s girls as a schedule opponent due to injuries and other factors left schedulers throughout the 14C conference scrambling for fill-in opponents.
Pruitt powers St. Regis over Alberton
One day the future divisional champions from Alberton High may look back at this one and shake their heads.
COLUMN: Hologram all-stars
When it comes to this Artificial Intelligence stuff, I’m at the very least a skeptic and at best a “show me” before I come to a conclusion.
Lady Hawks take first round over Trotters
Rivalry games are many things: interesting, hard-fought, puzzling, etc.
Bobcat wrestlers hang at tough Jug Beck tourney
In the final analysis, Jug Beck pinned Old Man Winter in the waning moments of the third period.
Blue Hawks top county rival Horsemen
According to Mr. Webster, inevitable is something “certain to happen, unavoidable.”
Trotters upend Superior girls; Bobcats surprise Horsemen
For the Plains girls basketball players, it was a brief deviation from their season-long winning ways that was quickly corrected.
Up and down ride for Hot Springs hoopers
For most teams, mid-season is the midway equivalent of a carnival.
Tigers pick up two wins
When asked prior to the start of the 2023-24 high school basketball season what the year would bring, St. Regis boys’ coach Jesse Allen sported a Mona Lisa type smile.
Valley Christian High tops Noxon teams
Missoula, particularly the gym at Valley Christian High, was not a great place for a Red Devil to be this past Saturday.
Local grapplers compete at Cut Bank Invitational
Impressive depth and strength in the lower and middle weight classes have emerged as the bread-and-butter of this year’s Plains/Hot Springs (PHS) wrestling team.
Hayden Hanks named to Shrine Game roster
Working hard and being dedicated to your craft almost always comes with rewards.
Plains hoopers stay hot after holiday break
On a roll. There’s probably not many other ways to describe the path of the Plains Horsemen and Trotters so far this basketball season.
Bobcats upend Darby, 50-32
Those distant rumbling sounds in the Superior area may be related to basketball.
Thompson Falls teams stay even
For the Thompson Falls boys and girls basketball teams, it was a 50-50 weekend.
COLUMN: Coach Bandel
Come with me now to a mystical place not many get a chance to experience. It is a place of anxiety, joy, happiness, anger, frustration….the gauntlet of human emotions.
Eureka tames Lady Bobcat hoopers
Both before and after the game, the girls basketball match-up between Eureka and Superior seemed pretty even “on paper.”
Superior boys fall to Lions, 69-45
The game was closer than the final score indicated, but it is ultimately the score that counts in the win-loss column.
Undefeated Loyola routs Blue Hawks
There was a whole lotta “Heart-Breaking” going on last week on the basketball court at Thompson Falls.
Second half of winter sports seasons gets underway
If you are a vegetarian, this is the sprouts, tomato and cucumber time of the high school sports season.
COLUMN: Wacky world of bowl games
Tradition is being flushed when it comes to college football.
COLUMN: Failed resolutions
I really don’t make New Years’ resolutions any more.
Lady Savage Heat topple Lady Tigers
As complicated as they can be, sports are also as basic as the numbers used to designate success on the field or court of play.
Plains basketball teams roll over Trojans
It was a Class B stampede in Troy this past week.
Noxon posts 78 in win over scrappy Alberton squad
It may have been a lopsided score, but the real story in Noxon’s 78-47 win over Alberton Thursday night was the heart involved.
Hawks boys and girls post convincing wins over Wardens
Thursday night was a great night to be a Blue Hawks basketball fan.
Superior hoopers net dramatic wins over Darby
If the Superior basketball teams, boys and girls, go on to have a successful 2023-24 seasons, the spotlight will fall on Darby.
Thompson Falls teams split weekend games
A split against two good teams is not perfect but it ain’t bad.
Quinlan leads Superior Bobcats in two losses
Every now and then, its called a cycle in small town basketball, graduation can be a not so good thing.
Plains girls cruise over Noxon
One of the pleasant surprises of the new season, at least for Plains fans, has been the play of the Trotters, who ran their season mark to 6-1 with a 35-17 win over Noxon Saturday evening in Noxon.
Lady Bobcats lose to Seeley-Swan, Charlo
The season is young and the good news for the Superior girls is the only place to go is up.
Plains girls hand Hot Springs first loss in OT thriller
It may be way too early to label a game so young into the new season as the “game of the year,” but the clash this past Tuesday between Hot Springs girls and Plains girls would get some votes.
Plains boys win two at home
Good vibes are the name of the games at Plains High school this year as it relates to sports.
COLUMN: Christmas wish list
Ordinarily, when the world does not seem like it’s upside down or inside out, I usually ask Santa this time of year, to bring good things to folks I know.
Local wrestlers impress at big meets
Montana has some really good wrestlers. No doubt about it. And it’s not just in the Class AA and A schools, there are some outstanding wrestlers in the B and C categories also.
Lady Hawks go 1-1 at round-robin tourney
It was a mixed bag of results for the Thompson Falls girls basketball team during a round robin tournament in Anaconda/Deer Lodge this past weekend.
Plains boys and girls split games with Darby, Two Eagle River
Two teams, four games, two wins, two losses.
Blue Hawks top Salmon, Idaho for first win
When you’ve had an encounter with a group of Wildcats that didn’t come out like you hoped, what could be better than smoking some salmon?
COLUMN: Big league payday
In the future, archaeologists sifting through the rubble of a past civilization may stumble on a curious place of worship.