Girls team focused on building basketball culture
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
The basketball season is off to a historic start for the Lone Peak High School boys, who set program milestones by starting 4-0, and again by improving to 6-1 with a pair of hard-fought wins in early January.
The season began with wins against Shields Valley and Gardiner high schools on Dec. 6 and 7. In a subsequent tournament in Three Forks, the Big Horns mounted a 14-point comeback to take down Anaconda High School—a school with roughly three-times Lone Peak’s enrollment—and triumphed over a physically-advantaged Choteau High School team with a last-minute comeback and 67-63 overtime win.
“We played some pretty tough competition and found a way to have success,” head coach Al Malinowski told EBS. “… So, off to our first 4-0 start in school history.”
On Dec. 19, the Big Horns led by two at halftime against Manhattan High School but the Tigers pulled away with a 65-55 win in the final minutes—last year, the Tigers were undefeated in Lone Peak’s district and beat the Big Horns by 40-plus in all three of their matchups.
On Friday, Jan. 3, the 4-1 Big Horns took on another tough Class B opponent in Jefferson High School. The visiting Panthers entered Friday with close losses against strong teams from Manhattan and Three Forks. In the first quarter against Lone Peak, the Panthers outscored the Big Horns, 20-16. Malinowski told the team that while offense looked strong, their opponents were on pace to score 80 points against the Big Horn defense.
“Well, we buckled down in that second quarter and held them to six [points], which gave us a chance to get back in the game and take a lead,” Malinowski said. “… We’ve become a team that finds a way to keep our composure.”
The Big Horns held a 48-43 lead entering the final quarter, and composure proved critical as the Panthers closed the deficit to three points with roughly one minute on the clock. The Big Horns took fouls and junior Ebe Grabow put the game on ice by executing a pair of free throws with seven seconds on the clock. The Big Horns won, 63-58.
Senior Isaac Bedway said the Big Horns have historically struggled in tense fourth quarter moments. He sees late-game timeouts as an opportunity for the team to focus on staying calm.
“We’ve gotta have the mental confidence in ourselves and our teammates. And when we put our team first, we’re gonna win every time,” Bedway told EBS after the game. Malinowski sees a positive trend in camaraderie and mental resiliency—in multiple close games already this season, the trust and chemistry have translated to W’s.
In total, Lone Peak made eight 3-pointers on Friday, shot by four different players including junior Ebe Grabow, who struck from the corner with three minutes left to extend the lead to seven and spark celebration with his courtside teammates. Junior Oliver McGuire also drained a 3-ball as the Big Horns surged to a five-point lead in the final minute of the third quarter.
Six players scored in total, but Malinowski hopes to see that number increase as the team improves its depth. Bedway and Grabow led the scoring with 22 and 18 points, respectively.
Coach Malinowski repeated words offered to the team in the locker room by Grabow: “Everybody who went in contributed to that win.”
For improvements, Malinowski said the team had a few lapses in running its man-to-man defense, and took a few hasty shots. Bedway added that rebounding could improve.
“We did have some mental breakdowns tonight that hurt us,” Malinowski said. “So just staying more locked in on a consistent basis will help us in the long run when we’re playing against a really athletic, strong team like Jefferson.”
Malinowski added that it’s still early January, and that the team has “bigger goals” down the line.
On Saturday, Jan. 4, the Big Horns hosted Ennis High School in a rivalry game. Down six points at halftime, the Big Horns made adjustments and defeated the Mustangs, 47-40. Bedway bolstered the offense with 19 points.
The Big Horns advanced to 6-1 for the first time in program history—even counting the years against smaller schools in Class C.
When last year’s young team entered a challenging Class B, the final minutes of some lopsided losses afforded playing time to a handful of freshman and sophomores. Now, those players are on the court helping the Big Horns win tight games.
Malinowski believes the program’s development traces back to early 2023.
“It goes back to the team two years ago that made it to state… Some of these guys were part of it, some of these guys watched it happen and said, ‘that’s how we need to be,’” Malinowski said. “That was pretty a resilient team, and had good leaders on it. And I think that’s what’s helped turn our program around.”
Bedway is taking pride in seeing young players step up—now a senior, he remembers stepping into his role as a sophomore on the state-bound team in 2023.
“l think just the level of intensity we came in with has been huge,” Bedway said of this year’s team. “Young players are stepping up… some players who didn’t play last year as well. Everybody is contributing on defense.
“We’ve got way more energy than last year. I love what’s going on right now—I think it goes on off the court and on the court.”
New girls coach looks to build culture
Class B has been tough on the Lone Peak girls team. Last year’s young team—two seniors, two juniors, and 11 combined freshmen and sophomores—had their hands full as the Big Horns rose to the next level of competition.
This year is off to a similar start. The Big Horns have lost their first five games of the season, including an 89-30 loss to Jefferson on Jan. 3.
“They kept their composure… they kept playing and they kept cheering for each other, and maybe that’s the most important thing,” head coach Jessica Bedway told EBS after the game. “They’re learning some important lessons I think.”
Right: Harper Morris drives to the hoop. PHOTOS BY JACK REANEY
Bedway stepped up to the head coaching role after serving as an assistant coach last season, and she brings competitive basketball experience as a former NCAA division I player at Lehigh University. She also has years of coaching experience at high school and college levels, and said the Lone Peak program has been an adjustment as she focuses more on the basics. Bedway hopes to begin an offseason program to help maximize player development.
Bedway said junior Maddie Wilcynski has been a leader on the court. Junior Taran Gilbert added a 3-pointer to keep the game close in the early minutes, juniors Poppy Towle and Harper Morris added a few baskets, and eighth grader Annie Coltea splashed a 3-pointer in the final minutes.
“They’re coming along,” Bedway said, noting that although the first few games were rough, her players are good sports and fun to work with. “We’re definitely doing better than we were. It’s just the little things like boxing out, and getting the ball in quickly… It’s going to be a long season in [Class] B.”
The Big Horns fell to Ennis, 65-15 on Jan. 4. They will continue gaining experience against tough opponents as the season nears the halfway point.
