PCN Top Sports stories of 2015

The following stories are a few highlighted sports stories throughout the 2015 calender year. Of nearly 250 sports stories written this year, these were handpicked due to popularity, due to team or athlete achievement or picked by either the editor or sports editor. This marks another great year in sports for our county. We appreciate the cooperation of our schools and everyone affiliated with Phillips County Sports- including the teams, athletes, sponsors, boosters, clubs, coaches, parents and correspondents.

We understand that there were so many more highlights throughout the year, these are only a handful.

-Pierre Bibbs and PCN Staff.

Nicholson gets inked

PCN Issue: Wednesday, December 2

Headline: M-ette senior Nicholson officially commits to play for Lady Griz

Reason: Other than the fact that Nicholson signed with one of the most notable college in the state, the story ended up racking up 6,987 views on the PCN's site, making it the most viewed story on the website despite being up for less than a month in 2015.

Summary: While it was reported by multiple sources that M-ette Senior Hailey Nicholson verbally committed to play with the University of Montana last July, she put her intentions in writing on Wednesday November 11.

On that day, Nicholson became the seventh M-ette to commit to play for the Lady Griz in the program's history, according to gogriz.com.

Nicholson will be the seventh M-ette to join the Lady Griz in the team's history, putting her alongside Linda Mendel (1985-90), Greta Koss (1992-97), Skyla Sisco (1993-98), Linda Cummings (1996-01), Cheryl Keller (1998-02) and Juliann Keller (2001-05), who were all mentioned on the site.

The U of M's interest in Nicholson was shown during the school's Team Camp, where several M-ettes would work out with high school teams from all over the state.

"We played a few games and on the last day after our final game he (Lady Griz Head Coach Robin Selvig) came and said that he wanted me to come play for him," Nicholson said.

Average Joes

PCN Issue: Wednesday, July 22

Headline: First pickup game in the books; 19 come out for first Malta Coed Softball game last Tuesday

Reason: Sport's Editor's Pick. It takes a tremendous amount of courage for a group of ex-athletes and sports fans to come together and form an adult softball league.

Summary: The first pickup game for the Malta Co-Ed Softball League is in the books. The game featured 19 participants that held a seven inning game at the Trafton Park Softball field last Tuesday, July 14.

Team A defeated Team B 15-9 thanks to a strong outing in the fifth inning which the team scored six runs.

Cheyenne Young, who was a part of the winning side, was pleased with the opening game.

"First base is a lot farther than I remember," Young told the PCN.

She played fast and slow pitch softball in her childhood years when she lived in Oklahoma.

"When we lived in Oklahoma, I played left field," Young said, noting that she hadn't played since age 11. "I play right field now because no one hits in there."

Havoc a hit!

PCN Issue: Wednesday, June 17

Headline: Havoc on the Hi-Line a success

Reason: Havoc on the Hi-Line gave Phillips County the first live Mixed Martial Arts Competition it's seen in years.

Summary: If the first Havoc on the Hi-Line MMA event had one theme, it would be adversity. Many of the fights ended in comeback wins.

The event which was held last Saturday at the Dodson Fairgrounds hosted a loud and enthusiastic crowd that was thoroughly entertained by twelve fighters.

The night featured six amateur matches that provided plenty of entertainment. The event saw one decision, one submission and four Technical Knockouts.

Havoc's main event featured a heavyweight bout between newcomer Travis Lamb and Fort Belknap's Warren Brockie.

Brockie found himself on the losing end of the match throughout the first two rounds as Lamb a seasoned wrestler kept Brockie on the ground for most of the match.

It was a match that nearly got called near the end of the second round. Then the time judge blew the horn.

Lamb, obviously tired, stumbled and missed a takedown attempt, then Brockie capitalized landing two hard knees to Lamb's side before referee Ryder called for a stoppage in the match 1:16 into the third round.

Coach Knudsen

PCN Issue: Wednesday, August 12

Headline: Former MSUB, M-ette standout Knudsen prepares for basketball, this time as a coach

Reason: Not everyone gets to be what they want when they 'grow up," but Bobbi Knudsen's accolades as a player allowed her to start her coaching career at a GNAC college.

Summary:

Former M-ette and Montana State University Billings standout, Bobbi Knudsen will be coaching as the second assistant coach at Seattle Pacific University (SPU), a NCAA Division II – GNAC School next basketball season.

Knudsen has set many records as an M-ette and a Yellowjacket and if she had a few more years in Germany many other records would have fallen, but her trip has taught her a few things and the most important thing brought her back.

"It was a lot different than America, that's for sure," Knudsen said. "I learned, I love the U.S.A."

She had no regrets of stepping out and taking her talents to the pro-level.

"I would recommend anyone who has the opportunity to do it, do it," Knudsen said. "Because you see so much and you experience so much."

Not Ping-Pong

PCN Issue: Wednesday, July 29

Headline: Waters, Giblette, participate and take home hardware in Table Tennis Tourney

Reason: Editor's Pick. Every once in a while, we get to step out of the realm of traditional sports, this story gave us that chance. Not only did John Waters give a stellar interview. He also opened up many eyes to competitive table tennis.

Summary: The first rule of table tennis is not to call it "ping pong."

"That's because there is a difference between ping pong and table tennis," John Waters told the PCN.

Waters and Palmer Giblette were not stand out athletes throughout their high school career, but that didn't stop them from proving that they were.

Both earned medals in Table Tennis at the 2015 Big Sky Games in Billings on Saturday, July 18.

The tournament started off in round robin format, where each player played multiple opponents. Their record throughout the round determined which division (A, B, or C) the players would play in during the tournament round. There were 25 people present at the tournament.

Waters only lost one game in the round, which was good enough for Division B. He lost to last year's reigning champion. Waters has only been playing table tennis for about a year and a half.

M-ettes get even

PCN Issue: Wednesday, October 21

Headline: M-ettes split series with Mavericks last Tuesday; Drop game against Wolf Point

Reason: In sports, revenge games rule.

Summary: The Malta M-ettes volleyball team was pretty young in terms of minutes played. On the other side, the North Country Mavericks were also pretty young. The first game between these cross-county rivals was pretty intense and ended with a Mavericks victory.

Determined to avenge that loss, the M-ettes played a very composed game against a very composed Mavericks team.

That night the M-ettes would prove that they could beat their rivals on their home-court and evened the series between the two squads.

Both teams featured strong, hard-hitting frontlines and athletic, active backlines.

"I just think we really, really wanted to win considering these guys beat us last time," Senior M-ette hitter Mary Grace Kalal told the PCN. "We just got really excited and kept talking. That always helps."

Malta was led by Kalal and Adrianna Bibeau who both had 11 kills apiece. Malta had 38 kills as a team. Kalal also led Malta in aces, recording five of the team's 17. Bibeau led the team in blocks recording the only two blocks.

Henry goes off!

PCN Issue: Wednesday, February 11

Headline: 43 point quadruple double for Henry!!! Lady Coyotes roll over Harlem JV 77-33; Team prepares for post-season

Reason: It is rare for a player to post a quadruple-double in the stats column. Luckily the PCN was able to see it as Dodson senior Janessa Henry nearly single-handedly defeated Harlem's JV Squad last February.

Summary: Lady Coyote Janessa Henry went off in the most dominant single player performances Phillips County has seen in a while. Henry posted a remarkable 43 points, 12 steals, 12 defensive rebounds and 11 assists in a 77-33 win against The Harlem Lady Wildcat JV team on Tuesday, February 3.

"I didn't even know I scored 43 points. I was just focused," Senior guard Janessa Henry told the PCN after the game. "I just wanted to be more aggressive this game because my season is coming to an end. I was just focused on the game."

Henry was all over the court, playing suffocating defense and terrorizing the Lady Wildcats on offense.

"She's a strong leader. She knows the game. She's able to recognize those passes, she had lots of steals," Coach Hunter said. "Her awareness on the court helped her tonight. She gave 110 percent, 110 percent of the time..."

Undefeated M-ettes win state

PCN Issue: Wednesday, March 18

Headline: M-ettes win ninth state title in dramatic showing in Great Falls

Reason: The M-ettes won the state title.... Duh.

Summary: There was no girls team in the state of Montana as dominant as the Malta M-ettes this past season.

Their dominant 26-0 2015 campaign ended in a 46-35 win over the Colstrip Fillies in the 2015 Class B Girls Championship in Great Falls.

They defeated the previously undefeated Forsyth Dogies 44-42 in a highly anticipated semi-finals match last Friday and the Columbus Cougars 54-39 in the opening round last Thursday.

It marks the team's ninth state title, since 1991. The M-ettes have won 37.5 percent of Class B titles in that time span.

The team has been to the championship 16 times since 1983 (32 year span), and once more in 1978.

In the 2015 Class B Girls Championship game, Malta was led by Sophomore Sophia Stiles, who led the team with 27 points, eight steals, four rebounds and four assists. She was also six of seven from behind the charity stripe.

Stiles' performance was dominant even though she had twisted her ankle in the semi-final game against Forsyth.

"I went to the CMR's athletic trainer and she ultra-sounded (my foot) in a bucket of ice water and she did shock treatment on it twice today," Stiles said. "It was really weird . It would shock and my toes would move without me moving them."

Lady Panthers take second at state

PCN Issue: Wednesday, March 11

Headline: Lady Panthers take second at State Tourney in Missoula

Reason: The Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale co-operative had a strong season that ended in the State C title game.

Summary: The Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale (SWH) Lady Panthers ended the season on the same note that got them to the 2015 Class C State Championship game in Missoula, and that's with ferocious defense.

The team faced a 13 point deficit against the eventual champion Gardiner Lady Bruins, and brought it down to one point late in the fourth quarter.

Ultimately a lack of fast break points and foul calls cost the team as they fell 55-48 to the Bruins.

On the way to the championship game, the Lady Panthers defeated Belt 56-50 last Thursday in the opening round of the tourney. Belt came into Missoula as winners of the last three state tournaments.

Mustangs grab playoff win

PCN Issue: Wednesday, November 4

Headline: Malta Overwhelms Wardens 48-12; Look for redeem only loss against Devils Saturday

Reason: The Malta Mustangs overcame adversity after losing their starting quarterback Jase Galt to a knee injury. The team defeated Powell County for their lone playoff win last season.

Summary: In the Mustangs' 48-12 victory against Powell County last Saturday, the team put on a solid effort which included 244 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, three passing touchdowns and six interceptions.

Allen Williamson led the offensive charge with 235 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. He averaged 11.7 yards a carry.

A solid run game paved the way for a solid passing attack led by first time starting quarterback junior Keenan Schipman. Schipman was 7-for-16 and totaled 222 yards and three touchdowns. His longest was a 77 yard touchdown pass to Tyson Carney.