One Nation, Under God

Principal King Explains why M.H.S. hoops headed to Three Forks

Sports schedules for Phillips County high school sports were finalized shortly after the 2015-16 school year began, but one item on Malta High School’s basketball calendar has left a few hoops fan scratching their heads.

Last Wednesday night at their school board meeting, Malta High School Principal Scott King explained why it is necessary this season for the Mustangs and M-ettes basketball teams to make a trip to Three Forks, Mont., some 330-miles away, one way, to play in a two-day tournament in Gallatin County.

Principal King explained that the Montana High School Association (MHSA) allows boys and girls’ basketball teams a total of 18 regular season varsity games. He said MHSA decides in the spring on who will play whom, and when, up to 16 games (though he added Malta is generally only assigned 14 games.)

“To make up those other four games, we have had a trusting relationship with both Havre and Fergus that we would go home and (then) away with them,” King said. “Havre is continuing to do that, however, last year, hours after the master schedule was finalized, Fergus called and said they do not want to play us and that they want to take their team to a tournament at Butte Central.”

King said he had to scramble to replace the Fergus games to fill-out the 18 game schedule, calling around with some Class B schools in the region to try and find games, but all the schools called already had all their games penciled in.

“So I called down to Three Forks because I knew they had a tournament,” King said. “They want to bring 10 schools in for the tournament and we were the tenth school. We just got in.”

So, at least this season, the Mustangs, M-ette’s and the JV teams will travel to Three Forks. King said the Three Forks folks accommodated his request that the Malta teams see late action on Friday night (when the team will travel southwest) and early games on Saturday (before heading home.) The Friday match-up for both teams will be against Fairfield while on Saturday, the Mustangs will take on last year’s Class B state runner-up Loyola and the M-ettes will face Belt.

Next year, King said he hopes to see the M.H.S. basketball teams included in a Central A, Eastern A flip-flop with the chance that over a three-year span Malta would have the chance to host part of the tournaments.

“One thing that is difficult about this is that we do lose one home appearance,” King concluded. “Normally we have nine home games, but this winter we will have only eight.”

Practice for M.H.S. fall sports begins this Thursday, November 19.

 

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