Orediggers look for back-2-back Championships

I would love to ask Coach Adam Hiatt “When you have beaten a team 3 times, that 4th has to be pretty easy, right?"

I would ask, and then I would run!

The problem is I know he would catch me, and then he would administer a beating that I fully deserved.

The stress involved in playing the same team 4 times is insane, and then you up the ante by making the 4th time a semi-final game in the conference tournament.

Rocky entered the semi-final absolutely on fire, and they didn’t take long to restoke that fire. Coming off a 20-point performance against Carroll College, Jesse Owens got rolling early, knocking down his first several shots and ending the first half with 10 points. Rocky also accomplished something that no one else had done this conference season, they held Caleb Bellach to 0 points in a half.

In 9 of the 15 conference games this season, Bellach had been in double digits by half, and in the remaining 6 contests he had scored in the single digits, the lowest being 5 points vs. Carroll on January 5^th.

Asa Williams led the charge for the Diggs, finishing with 17 points, and 4 rebounds, incredible energy, and some big plays late in the ballgame. Chrishon Dixon (8 points and 0 turnovers) and Hayden Diekhans (6 points and 5 rebounds) played outstanding.

The difference for Montana Tech was the bench. Nearly half of their 77 points came from the bench. Keeley Bake played 21 minutes and finished with 15 points. Cam Larance had himself a day, playing for 19 minutes, he finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and the energy he brought to the floor was off the charts.

We have been bragging about how good Tech’s bench was all year, and last night that was shown to be a fact. That bench is the reason the Diggs are in the Frontier Championship.

Now it is time to get ready for Providence.

As you know, the Orediggers and Argos have squared off 3 times this year, and Tech has won all three of those meetings. The first two wins came on Kelvin Sampson court, the last was in Great Falls. The Argos are packed with talent and in my opinion the streakiest team in the conference. When they have some momentum and are knocking shots down, they are scary. They have outstanding deep threats that can stroke the 3 all day, but they also have a great inside game and mix the two up really well. The other side of that coin is, if they go cold, it feels like they REALLY go cold.

The Argos are led in scoring by Marcus Stephens and Davien Harris-Williams averaging 20 and 18 points respectfully. Kenny Curtis is a threat from 28 feet in, and Jake Olsen is strong in the post. Again, this Argos team is loaded with talent, and if they want to advance to the NAIA National Tournament they must win this game. Tonight's Championship will be an incredible display of talent.

The Orediggers are looking for back-to-back Frontier Conference Tournament Championships with a win tonight.

Tip-off of the men’s championship is scheduled for 7:30 pm, the women will start the night off at 5 pm, as Carroll College will take on UM Western, both games at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. You can watch the games on the Frontier Conference YouTube Channel.