MISSOULA- The Hellgate Knights came away with two crosstown basketball victories on Thursday night at Robin Selvig court, as the 2024 edition of the battle for Gertie, the Golden Goat commenced.
HELLGATE GIRLS 41- SENTINEL GIRLS 38
In the opener, the Lady Knights extended their win streak to four straight games as they knocked off the Spartans 41-38 and jumped to 10-6, 8-4 as Sentinel fell to 7-9, 4-8. Chloe Larson led the Knights with 12 points, while Emily McElmurry led all scorers with 17 for Sentinel.
“It’s the most fun game of the year,” said Larson. “The energy is unmatched, and it is so fun to see all the familiar faces in the crowd. We are starting to get our groove and confidence back, and it is definitely showing in the games.”
Eight of Larson’s 12 points came in the first quarter, as Kaitlyn Hammett poured in 10 for the Spartans. Heading to the second frame of the night, the score was knotted at 13-all. Larson eventually added four more points to close her night of scoring in quarter two. The game got more chippy as both teams were charged with unforced errors as halftime approached. However, the Knights were able to hold Sentinel to a mere 6 points in quarter 2 as they began to climb away with a 24-19 advantage heading into the locker room.
“Everyone has stepped up and filled their roles, and it’s so fun to get a great crosstown win. I love everything about the team and season, so I’m just excited to see what we can do in the postseason,” said Larson.
Hellgate kept up their stellar defense while holding the Spartans to two free throws in the third frame, as senior Alix Mund emerged and added five for the Knights’ total seven points. Sentinel finished near 90% at the free throw line, which ultimately kept them in the game as Hellgate struggled while hovering just below 50% in the third.
“We talked at halftime about how we were in control of the game and that there wasn’t anything drastic we needed to change,” said Mund. “I think that we knew that coming out of halftime, we had to set the tone of the second half and make sure they felt our energy. Consistency and composure was our focus for the second half.”
McElmurry’s effort came up just short as the final seconds ticked off the clock and her miracle three-point heave tipped off the rim and into Mund’s hands to give Hellgate the win. The Knights evened up the 2024 crosstown record at 1-1 with their victory, as they came back to defeat Sentinel after a 40-35 loss last month.
HELLGATE BOYS 65- SENTINEL BOYS 38
In the nightcap, Hellgate pummeled the Spartans 65-38, for their 14th straight win and improved to 14-1, 11-0. With the loss, Sentinel dropped to 8-7, 4-7.
The Knight’s jumped to a quick 12-6 lead after the first quarter, as sophomore Easton Sant collected a quick 5 points, 3 rebounds and a block on his way to an eventual 20 points on 9 rebounds and four assists to complete his night for Hellgate. Sophomore Zane Gillhouse added 17 points on eight rebounds for the Knights in addition to Sant’s dazzling performance. Grady Walker led scorers for Sentinel with 11 points and four steals.
“The game was crazy,” said Sant. “Our student section was huge and there were a ton of people. It was super fun to be able to play there since we got the win.”
Gillhouse scored six for the Knights in the second frame while collecting six boards. Sant worked his way to 11 points in the first half as Hellgate closed the second quarter on an 8-0 run, pulling away from the Spartans 28-13 heading into the final half of play for the night.
Chance McNulty added two dazzling transition buckets from half-court heaves, courtesy of Sant, as the Knights opened up the third frame in style. Sant picked up three more assists and another bucket for Hellgate in the third as the Knight’s nearly doubled their score from half as their margin of lead would increase to 42-24, going to the final quarter of the spirit war.
Hellgate finished the night by nabbing the number 1 seed in the Western AA rankings heading into the final two games of the regular season against the Kalispell schools this week. The Knights will take that seeding into the divisional tournament where they can punch their ticket to the 2024 AA State tournament right back on Selvig Court, with one win in Butte.
“We are looking forward to divisionals and are just trying to keep getting better each game,” added Sant.
The Lady Knights will be back in action Tuesday, Feb. 20 for senior night against Glacier, while the boys will take on Flathead on Thursday, Feb. 22 to close out their regular season. Come support these Knights as they get ready to kick off the postseason!
