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It was an ugly win that ended up contributing to a beautiful result – the District 14C regular season championship and the No. 1 seed into this week’s conference tournament.

Coach Tyrel Allen and his Plains Horsemen put the finishing touches on an undefeated, 10-0 14C campaign last week, edging past Noxon 50-48 in Plains Friday and stopping the Two Eagle River Eagles 72-41in Pablo Saturday.

Now 15-3 overall, the No. 1 seeded Horsemen will await the winner of Thursday’s first round game between Hot Springs and Charlo, the No. 4 and 5 seeded teams, at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Ronan Event Center.

“This will be the first time since I have been coaching that we will go in as the No. 1 seed,” Allen said. “We have some kids that have been through these district tournament wars before and are thinking we know what it takes to be successful.

“Now we just have to go out and play the way we are capable of playing and everything else should take care of itself,” he added.

The Horsemen did not really defeat their Sanders County rivals from Noxon, as much as they survived the encounter, pulling out the win on the strength of a rebound and putback by senior Treydon Brouillette in the closing seconds.

Noxon had dictated the action in the first half which ended with the Red Devils leading 24-18. The Horsemen rallied behind Kade Pardee and Brouillette in the third quarter and Plains took a 37-33 lead into the fourth.

After trading the lead several times in the last few minutes, Brouillette’s rebound and putback of a missed shot by Pardee proved to be the ultimate difference.

“We didn’t come out ready to play and Noxon did,” Allen said. “I don’t know if it was because it was senior night or what, but we came out flat and Noxon was able to take advantage.”

Still, the win doesn’t look any different than the other 14 on paper – it is just another W. “It was ugly, but it is a win,” Allen said, “and we will take it.”

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Pardee finished with 21 points to lead the Horsemen, Brouillette added 11, Esvin Reyes six, a sick Nathan Feliksa and Jake Weyers five each and Tristan Subatch two.

Please see other story for Noxon scoring.

Allen said Feliksa was diagnosed with walking pneumonia after the game, but that he should be cleared to play again this week by his doctor in the coming days.

Pardee poured in a career-high 38 points in leading the Horsemen past Two Eagle River, Parker Flock chipped in with 12, Weyers 11, Brouillette eight and Subatch and Garth Parker two apiece.

Sheadyn Croft scored 18 points to pace Two Eagle and Michael Brown added 11.