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Suffering the misfortune of playing in the same conference as two of the top ten teams in the state, the Plains Trotters placed third in the District 14C tournament in Ronan last week, defeating Noxon 57-43 in the consolation game Saturday.

Coach Eddie Fultz and his Trotters started the tourney with a 54-13 win over Two Eagle River Thursday, then lost a hard-fought 53-42 decision to Hot Springs in the semifinals Friday before coming back with a 34-24 win over St. Regis Saturday morning to earn their consolation date with Noxon later that day.

Since Charlo defeated Hot Springs in the championship, and the Trotters had already lost to the Savage Heat, there was no challenge game. Plains finishes season play with a fine 15-7 record. The Trotters' only losses this season came to upper echelon teams Charlo, Hot Springs and Seeley-Swan; and Seeley ended up winning the District 12C title in convincing fashion last week.

"I am really proud of this team," Fultz said. "The only teams that beat us this season were all very good.

"I feel like we really came together as a team, especially over the course of the last several weeks," he added, "and I am proud of the way we finished the season."

The key game for Plains was the semifinal meeting with Hot Springs. Fultz had his team in the game most of the way but the Heat finally managed to pull away late.

"You have to give Hot Springs credit, they played well," Fultz offered. "We got pretty close there midway through the fourth quarter but Cannon kind of went off on us at that point."

Indeed, when Trotter Kaylah Standeford came up with a steal and converted the layup to make the score 38-32 Hot Springs, that is precisely when Cannon stepped up, grabbing offensive boards and converting them into baskets on two straight trips down the floor as Hot Springs built the lead back up to 43-33 and held on from there to win.

"We kept Cannon in check most of the night but then she goes off for 11 points in the fourth quarter," Fultz said. "That was probably the difference in the game.'"

One of the most productive players in western Montana this season, senior Kylee Altmiller, who recently signed to play volleyball for Providence College in Great Falls, led the Trotters against Hot Springs with 14 points, Krystena Boes added 10, Mia Loberg six, Kimmy Curry and Standeford four apiece, and Lexa Craft and Celsey VonHeeder two each.

See other story for Hot Springs scoring.

In the challenge game win over Noxon, Altmiller scored 27 points, Boes nine, VonHeeder six, Curry and Standeford five each, Craft and Kaylee Cole two apiece and Carlie Wagoner one.

See other story for Noxon scoring.

Altmiller led a balanced Plains scoring attack against St. Regis in the loser-out contest with nine points, VonHeeder scored eight, Curry seven, Wagoner four, and Boes, Standeford and Loberg two apiece. Kylee Thompson led St. Regis with eight points and Sunny Shoupe and Macy Hill scored seven apiece.

In the first round game with Two Eagle River, Altmiller and Craft led Plains with 12 points each, Curry added eight, Wagoner seven, Standeford and Loberg five apiece, Genna Deschamps three and VonHeeder two.

Ce'Alana Sherwood scored eight points to lead Two Eagle.