Helena boys, girls defeat crosstown Capital, secure Class AA state tournament berths

Helena High’s boys and girls basketball teams swept a crosstown playoff doubleheader at Capital High on Friday night, with the Bengals beating the Bruins 37-34 in the girls game and 52-45 in the boys game to secure berths in the Class AA state tournament in Billings March 12-14.

The girls opened the night and outlasted Capital 37-34, with Helena junior Lauryn Lieberg leading the Bengals with 16 points. Capital sophomore Madi Emmert had a game-high 18 points for the Bruins as both teams battled through a low-scoring contest at the Capital High gym to decide the play-in berth.

In the nightcap Helena’s boys closed out the sweep with a victory listed here as 52-45, with senior guard Chase Foster top-scoring for the Bengals with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Capital’s Drew Almquist finished with a team-high 16 points for the Bruins in a game that settled regional bragging rights and sent Helena back to the Class AA field.

Reports on the boys final differed across local outlets: Montana Sports and several aggregated feeds listed the final as 52-45, NonStop Local reported a 51-46 result, and an early posting contained a typographical 52-4 error. This article uses the 52-45 figure as reported in the primary Montana Sports coverage; official box scores from the game book or school athletic departments should be consulted for final confirmation.

Helena head coach Brandon Day reflected on the sweep after Friday’s wins, saying, “We were overlooked from the beginning.” Day’s comment came after the Bengals clinched their state tournament tickets with victories on Capital’s home floor.

Montana Sports posted full highlights of both games online and a video titled “Helena boys, girls punch state tournament tickets over crosstown rival Capital” contains game footage. The Independent Record published a photo gallery from the boys game with image files labeled 030626-ir-spt-boys-basketball-CHS-1.jpg through HHS-9.jpg, documenting the teams’ finishes and in-game action.

Both Helena squads now turn their focus to the Class AA tournament in Billings March 12-14, carrying momentum from a crosstown sweep that resolved one of Lewis and Clark County’s most immediate postseason matchups.