No. 1 spots in Class AA, C change in 406mtsports.com girls basketball rankings

NOTE: These will be the final 406mtsports.com girls basketball rankings of the season for Class A, B and C. The final Class AA rankings will be next week.

BILLINGS — The Helena Capital girls basketball team avenged its only loss of the season in commanding fashion, and the Bruins were rewarded in the latest 406mtsports.com Class AA rankings.

Capital beat Missoula Hellgate 44-30 at home last Tuesday, 38 days after losing at Hellgate 52-50. The Bruins traded places with the Knights and are No. 1 for the first time this season.

The top ranking in Class C also changed because then-No. 1 Fort Benton lost to then-unranked North Star 61-58 in overtime on Saturday in the District 9C title game. The Longhorns fell to No. 5, and District 3C champion Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale moved up from No. 2 to the top spot. North Star is now No. 9.

Also in Class C, Roy-Winifred rose two spots to No. 6 thanks to its 35-28 District 8C championship win over No. 7 Belt on Saturday. Roy-Winifred is now responsible for both of Belt’s losses this season and has outscored the Huskies by 14 total points in their three matchups. The Outlaws lost to Belt 43-35 on Jan. 22 and to Fort Benton 44-35 eight days earlier. Belt shared the State C co-championship with Roy-Winifred last season and outscored the Outlaws by seven total points in their four meetings.

Melstone dropped two spots to No. 8 in Class C after losing to Ekalaka 45-38 in Saturday’s District 4C title game.

The bottom three spots in Class B changed mainly because then-unranked Jefferson beat then-No. 8 Anaconda 58-45 last Tuesday. Jefferson is now No. 8, Anaconda is No. 9 and Forsyth, which lost to No. 2 Colstrip 61-36 Saturday in the District 3B championship game, fell one spot to No. 10. Columbus went from No. 10 to unranked.

The Class A rankings stayed the same but likely would have changed if not for No. 1 Billings Central’s comeback 49-43 win at No. 5 Laurel last Tuesday.

Class AA

1. Helena Capital (11-1) (+1)

2. Missoula Hellgate (10-1) (-1)

3. Billings West (11-1)

4. Billings Skyview (9-3)

5. Bozeman (9-3)

Class A

1. Billings Central (13-1)

2. Havre (12-2)

3. Hardin (10-3)

4. Columbia Falls (16-0)

5. Laurel (10-4)

Class B

1. Big Timber (16-0)

2. Colstrip (13-0)

3. Roundup (13-2)

4. Malta (12-2)

5. Thompson Falls (13-2)

6. Missoula Loyola (15-3)

7. Eureka (13-5)

8. Jefferson (11-4) (Previously unranked)

9. Anaconda (11-5) (-1)

10. Forsyth (9-5) (-1)

Class C

1. Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale (18-0) (+1)

2. Seeley-Swan (14-0) (+1)

3. Manhattan Christian (19-0) (+1)

4. Charlo (13-0) (+1)

5. Fort Benton (16-2) (-4)

6. Roy-Winifred (14-2) (+2)

7. Belt (16-2)

8. Melstone (16-2) (-2)

9. North Star (14-3) (Previously unranked)

10. Plentywood (16-2) (Previously unranked)