HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — If you're from or live in Harford County, it's likely you've heard of Ryan Furniture. The local family-owned business has stood along Pulaski Highway in Havre De Grace since 1966. Owner Jim Ryan, 76, recently decided to close shop. With that, Jim plans to fully cease operations by mid-May. Jim also sold the 28,275 square foot building the business occupies, through the brokerage firm Lee & Associates. The store's closure comes after passing through three generations of Ryan's. Richard and Lillian Ryan started the company. They passed it onto their son's Jim and Tom. After Tom's passing in 2006, Jim took over day-to-day operations, leading to the hiring of his son, Mike, who became warehouse manager. “I started working at Ryan Furniture when I was 14, have poured all my energies into making the business successful, and wish to thank our loyal customers who have supported us over many years,” Jim said. “I am looking forward to my retirement years and have many fond memories serving the community.” Ryan Furniture in Havre de Grace to close shop (NMB) The Havre Blue Pony Softball Team is coming off a busy week that saw them play four games in five days. The Ponies opened the week last Tuesday with their first Conference loss 13 to 8 to Fergus but won three in a row on Thursday, Friday and Saturday defeating Glasgow at Home and Sidney and Dawson County on the road, securing their place at this year’s State Tournament. Head Coach Tony Vigliotti said he was pleased with the week. The Ponies hit the road Tuesday for their final conference game of the season versus Fergus and will be in Butte Friday and Saturday for the LaVerne Combo Tourney where they will Play Columbia Falls, Dillon, Ronan and Florence. Sign up to receive our free daily recap of local news, sports, and obituaries. (*=required field) PSG manager Luis Enrique, with the title win wrapped up two weeks ago, made nine changes from the side which advanced to the Champions League semi-finals in midweek despite losing the second leg against Aston Villa The hosts took the lead in the eighth minute when Bradley Barcola rolled a pass into the box to Désiré Doué whose control took him past his marker before he hit a shot that took a deflection on its way to the net Le Havre were completely outplayed in the first half and will have been relieved to go into the break just one goal down but PSG doubled their lead five minutes after the interval The visitors pulled one goal back on the hour mark through Issa Soumaré's header from a corner kick move but were unable to muster another chance on target as treble-chasing PSG earned their 10th consecutive league win Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain continued their quest to become the only team in the French top flight to remain unbeaten throughout a season with a routine 2-1 home win over Le Havre on Saturday PSG manager Luis Enrique, with the title win wrapped up two weeks ago, made nine changes from the side which advanced to the Champions League semi-finals in midweek despite losing the second leg against Aston Villa The hosts took the lead in the eighth minute when Bradley Barcola rolled a pass into the box to Désiré Doué whose control took him past his marker before he hit a shot that took a deflection on its way to the net The visitors pulled one goal back on the hour mark through Issa Soumaré's header from a corner kick move but were unable to muster another chance on target as treble-chasing PSG earned their 10th consecutive league win TotalEnergies production tops forecasts in Q1 Monday - Friday 9am-12pm / 2pm-6pm GMT + 1 All financial news and data tailored to specific country editions — Maryland has a lot of beauty but there is one hidden gem in Havre De Grace which has been a best kept secret Chris Scholz was able to get a hold of some peonies from a neighbor almost 15 years ago He learned how to plant and take care of the peonies and during the pandemic he opened his land to the public for people to visit the beautiful flowers "The first year I think we had 25 or 26 people and he made the website and the next year we had about I think about 100 and something and it's just grown and I think we're up to about our fifth or sixth year," says Scholz He says over time he has enjoyed sharing the beauty with people who come to visit and over the years he has even gotten different types of peonies from Festiva Maxima to Madame Emile "But the thing that makes me happy is when I see everybody out here and the flowers are blooming and there is just lots of smiles That's worth the money the investment I made so that's one thing," says Chris Scholz Scholz says as he expands his peony garden he enjoys having people come by and take pictures and even take some home "They bloom like you see for such a short period of time take them with you," he says but the time they bloom depends on the weather Scholz says this year he also wants to let people pre-select a type of peony they would like to take with them in the off season to grow on their own "So you put a steak at the one you like and then come back and see me in the fall we find a steak and we dig them up so that's something new we're going to try." says Scholz He is also looking to expand his garden over-all adding more plants than just peonies "We started a bunch of sunflowers so later on in the summer we're gonna have some flowers and hopefully over where the goats were will make a place for pumpkins and then out and that lower field I've got a bunch of wildflower seeds and I want to make like a wildflower area," he says The St. John's Peony Farmfields are expected to start blooming ahead of mother's day (Havre) – A plethora of area teams traveled to Havre on Saturday for the Havre Lions Invitational Track Meet Carson Nissen of Chinook won the 100 and 200 meters in the mid-distance sprints Havre’s Tyson Brandon won the 400 meters while Landon Beck of Chinook paced first in the 800 meters The boys 1600 and 3200 meters were swept by Mason Gregoire of Havre Tanner Vick of Power-Dutton-Brady finished first in both the 110- and 300-meter events Deven Tyler and Cooper Walton placed first in the 4 by 100 relay and Owen Davies were the gold medalists in the 4 by 400 relay Havre’s Tommy Lewis placed first in the shot put the discus saw Dane Grammar of Chester-Joplin-Inverness place 1st East Helena’s Slade Olson was first in the Javelin Dreyden Anderson of Box Elder finished first in the High Jump The Pole Vault title was claimed by Tanner Vick from PDB Chinook’s Carson Nissen was the long jump champion John from CJI claimed the title in the Triple Jump Team race saw the Blue Ponies place 1st with 133 points and the Vigilante’s from East Helena High School placed third with 100 points In the girls’ sprints Kaydance Reiter  of Havre continued her dominant season The 400 meters saw Chinook 8th grader Charley Nissen finish first while Bridget Reed from Turner finished first in the 800 meters The distance events saw a pair of Sugarbeeter ladies take first with Alexus Seymour in the 1600 meters and Ashlyn Ford in the 3200 meters Turner’s Bridget Reed added to her 800-meter title with victories in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles and Kaydance Reiter captured the title in the 4 by 100 relay and Marley Springer placed first in the 4 by 400 relay saw Hannah Schoen of Chinook place first in the shot put and Javelin The discus title was claimed by Katie Tilleman of Havre CJI’s Brynn Kammerzell finished first in the high jump Havre’s Taylor Leeds finished first in the Pole Vault Macee May from Havre placed first in the Long Jump and Jayla Ramberg from CJI claimed the Triple Jump Title The Blue Ponies easily claimed the girls title with 192.5 points Chinook was second with 95 points and Turner finished 3rd with 77points Next up for the Havre Boys and Girls Track and Field Teams is a trip to Polson on Saturday May 10th Sign up to receive our free daily recap of local news (GREAT FALLS) The US Border Patrol-Havre Sector announced recently that agents apprehended a person involved in the smuggling of what it called "three illegal aliens." The arrest happened on March 4 The agency said the three illegal aliens have been identified as Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members The US Department of the Treasury said several months ago of TdA: The alleged smuggler, a US citizen, will be prosecuted for "bringing in and harboring illegal aliens," per 8 USC 1324 The illegal aliens will be charged with "improper entry by alien" and "re-entry of removed aliens," per 8 USC 1324 and 8 USC 1326 The agency did not release the names of any of the people involved April 16) Charges of illegal entry by an alien against two of the people have been dismissed without prejudice by U.S The other two pleaded not guilty to their charges last week Kristin Louise Mitchell (aka Kristin Louise Short) of Shelby pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with attempted harboring of illegal aliens pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with re-entry of removed alien and Ponce-Lopez was detained pending further proceedings NOTE: The headline above now includes the word ALLEGED The Border Patrol stated in its news release on March 18th that the "illegal aliens have been identified as Tren de Aragua Gang members," but provided no evidence that they were actually gang members Report a typo Match reviewParis Saint-Germain 2-1 Le Havre: Champions maintain unbeaten record in Ligue 1PSG made it 10 wins in a row in Ligue 1 after brushing aside Le Havre in an impressive home performance Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are Paris Saint-Germain 4 win(s) Paris Saint-Germain haven't lost to Le Havre in their last 5 meetings (4W, 1D). Ousmane Dembélé is the competition's top scorer (21) Have scored 9 goals in their last 5 matches Issa Soumaré has the most shots on target per match for Le Havre (0.9) Antoine Joujou has created the most big chances for Le Havre (6) 19 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT?Paris Saint-Germain won 2–1 over Le Havre on Sat 19 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 16 goals in their last 5 matches Paris Saint-Germain haven't lost to Le Havre in their last 5 meetings (4W Paris Saint-Germain is playing home against Le Havre at Parc des Princes on Sat FRENCHTOWN — Griffin Terry had a hand in five touchdowns and Tate Nelson found paydirt three times to help Havre upset Frenchtown 47-30 in a quarterfinal game of the Class A football state playoffs on Saturday Terry and Nelson hooked up for the game's first touchdown to give the Blue Ponies a 7-0 first-quarter lead but Frenchtown went into halftime up 16-13 after a pair of touchdowns from Cyr to Hardy Frenchtown extended its lead to 23-13 in the third quarter on a Cole Johnson touchdown run Terry scored on a quarterback sneak to cut the deficit to 23-19 and then found Teegan Solomon for a TD to give the Blue Ponies a 26-23 advantage Frenchtown couldn't handle the ensuing kickoff Terry threw a touchdown pass to Chris Bell to make it 33-23 Johnson then returned the kickoff for a Frenchtown touchdown to bring the Broncs back within 33-30 but Nelson and Terry each added touchdown runs in the final 5 minutes to give Havre a cushion and propel the Blue Ponies into the semifinals Havre will meet Laurel next week after the Locomotives held on for a 35-28 win over Columbia Falls in a quarterfinal game on Saturday The other semifinal will pit Lewistown against Billings Central after both teams won afternoon games to give the Eastern division a clean sweep of Saturday's quarterfinal games Lewistown upset reigning champion Dillon 21-13 and Billings Central routed Whitefish 55-21 BILLINGS — Havre and Billings Central's girls basketball teams are slated to write another chapter in their rivalry after both won semifinal games at the Eastern A divisional tournament at First Interstate Arena on Friday and the Havre girls just had to weather the storm Lockwood threw at them in the semifinals of the Eastern A divisional tournament on Friday in Billings Havre trailed by as many as 13 before rallying for a 40-26 win over the Lions punching their ticket to the Class A state tournament and clinching a berth in Saturday’s title game I think the nerves got to the girls early,” first-year Havre head coach Tommy Brown said They just went out and played and figured it out.” but Havre responded with a 14-2 run to end the first half and trailed by just one The Blue Ponies grabbed their first lead of the game just seconds into the third quarter and led by as many as 14 after an Ariana Gary three-point play with 1:24 remaining Havre held Lockwood to 28.9% shooting from the field and forced 18 turnovers Who knows if that’s the reason they missed shots but just making it tough on them,” Brown said “That’s a good team we just beat out there They do have a tendency to get hot from anywhere so you’ve got to come ready to play and do it for 32 minutes Gary led all scorers with 14 points and also pulled down seven rebounds Ela Harber added 10 points for Havre while Dani Jordan led Lockwood with 11 The Blue Ponies will face Billigns Central in the title game Havre lost its only meeting against Billings Central 48-32 back on Feb Lockwood will play Miles City in loser-out action at 9 a.m so just looking forward to a real exciting game.” The night's second semifinal didn't feature the same dramatic swings as the first Billings Central led wire-to-wire en route to a 45-36 win over Hardin in the semifinals of the Eastern A divisional tournament The Rams jumped to a 29-18 lead at halftime on the back of Kam Reinker's 16 first-half points We fed off of her early and that's what teams do," Billings Central head coach Jetton Ailes said (Hardin coach) Cindy (Farmer) does a fantastic job and there's a lot of respect that goes that way She had them ready and prepared and they came to compete." after a 3-pointer by Kevee Rogers with 1:12 to play but the Rams held the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 70 seconds to advance to Saturday's title game Reinker led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting and also pulled down 13 rebounds Billings Central and Havre are slated to play in the title game at 5 p.m Hardin will play Lewistown in loser-out play at 9 a.m "We're just going to go play a basketball game Now we just lace them up and see who comes to play," Ailes said GREAT FALLS — The Public Works Department of the City of Havre says there is a water main break in town The break is in the 700 block of 10th Street The agency says it may be affecting residences in the 7th Crews are working on getting the repair done and water service restored as quickly as possible They ask that people use caution in the areas that crews are working so they can get the repairs done as quickly and safely as possible If you have any questions please call 406-265-4941 Sunnyside Intermediate School in Havre is turning reading into a competition by pitting fourth and fifth graders against 16 businesses to see who can stack up the most books both the students and the businesses will have 11 days to add books to their "tower" reading books at or above their reading level to ensure that they are challenging themselves The competition will begin on Monday February 24th with final numbers due on Thursday “It worked out perfectly,” explained school librarian Jade Miller “It's just kind of the perfect timing to celebrate reading the students participated in another reading challenge that added up the kids read words that they could put towards the Bobcat or Grizzly teams with the winning team flag being flown Miller says that the challenge was so successful that they wanted to do another one that not only celebrates reading but builds strong relationships within the community “It’s the perfect opportunity to show these kids that reading is a life-long skill I thought that adding in the businesses will add more competition and depth to the challenge.” the business will host an ice-cream social for the students and if the businesses win the classes will host "Reading Parties" where employees are invited into the classroom to read alongside the students and spend additional time promoting reading across the community an employee with one of the participating businesses says that as soon as the business caught word of the challenge It's just nice to see the schools getting out into the community and participating I think that at this age they don't necessarily know what all of the adults in their life do Community leaders are optimistic that the challenge will spark a renewed interest in reading and open the door for future projects and collaborations “Nothing hypes these kids up more than turning them against each other Miller commented.” They love the competition part of it They love that they have this incentive and something that they're working towards who most people know as the Seattle Times beat reporter for the Seattle Mariners He announced on Tuesday afternoon that he will be taking a four-month sabbatical from covering baseball he will be taking over the Havre Northstars baseball team this spring and I wouldn’t be doing this (Seattle Times) job without the program,” Divish said in a statement on his ‘X’ account I’m excited for this opportunity.” After playing for the Northstars as a high schooler and excelling in football he journeyed east to compete for Dickinson State on the baseball field He had long been interested in the journalism world going to the University of Montana and picking up a bachelor’s degree in journalism first as the sports editor for the now-Havre Weekly Chronicle then moving to cover Idaho State athletics for the Idaho State Journal first as the Mariners beat reporter for the Tacoma-based News Tribune and now at the Seattle Times for the last 11-plus seasons Divish cited the need to be with his family His parents are still based in Havre and are involved with MSU-Northern athletics Divish works with Havre athletes every winter helping them master mechanics and getting them in the spotlight through his social media following “Spending part of my summer back home in Montana with girlfriend (Northstars infielder and Havre High athlete) Tyson and (Havre High runner and basketball player) Macy and my parents while experiencing a different kind of baseball is a needed break,” Divish said “The chance to coach Tyson and his friends is something I needed and wanted to do.” Divish said he will return to the Mariners beat beginning the first week of August Stay tuned to New Media Broadcasters for a conversation with Divish in the coming weeks before the Northstars season officially begins also known as "Pets Are Worth Saving," is expanding its mission in Montana by taking over the former Havre’s Helping Haven location in Havre The move aims to boost fundraising efforts and provide more support for both pets and people in need The new facility is due to open on Friday February 21 A New Chapter for PAWSThe PAWS shelter has been a staple in the community for years and the shelter itself has been here since 2006,” said Alissa Hewitt the shelter is able to generate funds through a resale shop where every dollar goes toward helping animals and the community is going to be for sale,” Hewitt explained “And 100% of that money goes towards the shelter and to the Hi-Line communities in need It also goes towards our four-legged friends at the shelter and now we’re able to help the two-legged friends and families here in Havre and the surrounding area.” Services and SupportPAWS will continue its essential spay and neuter services with vaccine clinics planned for the future which has been over capacity for two and a half years has struggled with funding due to reliance on adoption fees We’ve almost had to close down a few times,” Hewitt admitted “So this came at a really good time for us.” the new location will also serve the community in other ways from newborn all the way up to 5X,” Hewitt said PAWS will be launching a pet pantry to assist families in need “If you’re running low on dog food and it’s a little while before you get paid Looking AheadThe expansion provides PAWS with a sustainable income source helping to ensure the shelter’s future while supporting both animals and families in the Havre area “We think it’s a great direction to go in,” Hewitt said The new facility is due to open on Friday February 21st and is at 615 First Street West in Havre. Click here to visit the website HAVRE — As the Mariners beat writer for the Seattle Times, Havre native Ryan Divish has spent nearly every day of every summer for nearly 20 years on the road or at the ballpark. "I covered my first Mariners game for the Tacoma News Tribune in August of 2006,” Divish said. "And I have spent essentially every summer covering baseball since then.” And while Divish enjoys his work and considers himself lucky to have a coveted job, covering a professional sports beat can certainly take a toll. "I think when you're at the park and you're talking to the players, you're covering the games, that part is great,” Divish said. "It's the traveling, the hotels. I was flying 75,000 miles a summer. I don't think I ever spent more than 14 days at home at any point. So that part of the grind, I think, was starting to wear on me.” He craved an opportunity to reconnect with the game he loved, enjoy a Montana summer, and spend more time with his parents, his girlfriend Cindy Brandon and her children in Havre. So he approached management at the Seattle Times with an idea. "I looked into the idea of taking a leave of absence at our paper, and it's actually in our collective bargaining agreement. And so I kind of explored it some more,” Divish said. "I talked to my family. I talked to my coworkers. And I just kind of decided, yeah, I think I need this.” When former coach Patch Wirtzberger stepped away from the Havre Northstars Class A Legion baseball program over the summer, he asked Divish if he was interested in taking over. The Northstars needed a new coach and Divish needed a new perspective. That’s how Divish took a sabbatical and landed back on the Hi-Line, coaching the same team for which he played growing up. Havre is where his passion for baseball found its first spark. “I grew up one block from the American Legion park and I played three years for the Northstars. And right when I was done playing, I coached. And then when I was playing college baseball at Dickinson State, I would come back and coach as well,” Divish said. "It was a big part of my life. Honestly, being able to play baseball in college allowed me to have the structure I needed to get to where I was with the Seattle Times and with journalism.” But now he's trading notebooks for lineup cards. And Divish inherits a Northstars teams with one of the more experienced rosters in Montana. "That's probably the selfish part as I get to come back to a pretty loaded team,” he said. "Most of our guys are back.” The Northstars only graduated one player last year and return a talented core of upperclassmen including Cindy's son, Tyson Brandon. "I think we're going to be great. I mean, most of these guys I've been playing with since we were 10 years old,” Brandon said. “It's going to be amazing. I've waited my whole life to be in the situation we're in this year. And to have Ryan coaching, it just means everything to me.” The Northstars have seen a lot of success over the past few seasons. In 2023 they won a district championship and also won a game at the Northwest Regional tournament. Last year, they finished 29-23 and made it to the semifinals of the district tourney. "I think if we can just keep our heads down and keep working like we are, I think we got a good shot at state this year,” said senior Chason Mader. "We have a lot more experience, and that plays a huge role. Just guys that have been in the situations before and know how it works.” And having a skipper like Divish, who’s been around baseball at the highest level and has trained many of the current Havre players during offseason, certainly helps. “Div is awesome, I’ve know him for a while and he’s helped us all develop over the years,” said senior pitcher Tanner De La Rosa. “It’s a great lesson for all of us, we’re going to learn a lot from him. He’s doing a good thing coming down here and helping us out." The leave of absence from the Times is scheduled to last for four months, spanning the length of the Legion baseball season. Divish will return to the Mariners beat in early August, hopefully with a new outlook and some hardware. “I always tell the kids to be in the moment and be where their feet are. Like a year ago at this time, I never thought I'd be sitting right here right now. Work was my entire life. And now life in Havre has offered me a different perspective,” Divish said. “So right now I'm just focused on hopefully getting this team to districts and winning districts and getting to state. That's their goal that we try and push for every day." But of course, Divish is a scribe at heart. So will he find a way to document the summer of 2025? “I've had a ton of people ask me if I'm going to write a book about it. Writing a book seems hard, but I am taking notes and trying to jot down thoughts every day," he said. "And most of it right now is me being really overwhelmed with all the organizational stuff, but being excited to come up and see these kids every day." Personalized news alerts with our mobile app Please subscribe to continue reading… HAVRE — The Montana State University-Northern men’s and women’s basketball programs will be hosting the 38th Annual Hi-Line Invitational Tournament March 27-29 at the Armory Gymnasium. The H.I.T. features some of Montana’s top high school talent on all-star teams from each of the state’s four classifications (AA, A, B, C). Girls and boys action will take place throughout the weekend, culminating with consolation and title games on Saturday evening. A 3-point and slam dunk contest is also scheduled for Friday evening. Full coverage of all four classifications of state basketball tournaments March 12-15, 2025 in Bozeman, Billings, Missoula and Butte. Coverage of the Class C state basketball tournaments March 12-15, 2025 in Butte. Coverage of the Class AA state basketball tournaments March 13-15, 2025 in Bozeman. Coverage of the Class B state basketball tournaments March 13-15, 2025 in Missoula. Coverage of the Class A state basketball tournaments March 13-15, 2025 in Billings. BILLINGS — The Havre Blue Ponies reached the Class A girls basketball state semifinals for the ninth consecutive year by beating the Bigfork Valkyries 49-37 Thursday morning in the first round of the state tournament at First Interstate Arena. The Dillon Beavers then forced their way into the semifinals as well, fighting off a stubborn Lewistown Golden Eagles team 47-42 in another first-round game. In its fourth season as a varsity program, the Lockwood Lions won its first-ever state tournament game and reached the semifinals for the first time with a 52-43 win over the Frenchtown Broncs. Defending champion Billings Central rolled in first day’s final game, cruising to a 70-35 win over Columbia Falls. Havre and Dillon will meet at 3:30 p.m. in a semifinal game on Friday, followed by Billings Central and Lockwood at 5 p.m. Lewistown and Bigfork will face off in a 9 a.m. loser-out game. Frenchtown and Columbia Falls play at 10:30 a.m. in the other loser-out contest. It may have started out to be a season of transition for the Blue Ponies after longtime coach Dustin Kraske, who guided the Blue Ponies to six state championships, stepped down last April. But the young-but-experienced Blue Ponies haven’t seemed to miss a beat under the guidance of first-year coach Tommy Brown. “It’s our chemistry and the way we play together, the way we work,” Havre’s Tierra Parker said. “We’re all family on the team.” Parker was one of three players in double-digit scoring for the Blue Ponies. Amaya Jarvis led the way with 19 points, followed by Parker, the team’s lone senior, with 11. Ela Harber added 10 points. “Well, I’m happy with outcome, obviously,” Brown said. “I think that stemmed from all of our kids that came in and just brought the fight to them and executed the game plan very well. Just really proud of our kids.” Jarvis scored nine of her points in the first quarter, helping the Blue Ponies to an 18-12 lead. That ballooned to as many as 15 points, and the Blue Ponies led by 12 at the break. Bigfork never did close the gap, and finished shooting just 22% from the floor for the game against a physical and aggressive Havre defense. “We put a lot of time into working on defense,” Jarvis said. “I think we know going into games, if we start off defensively strong, then it will carry over to our offense.” Braedon Gunlock scored 15 points and Paeten Gunlock had 11 to lead Bigfork. Dillon coach Josh Keller and players Kenleigh Graham and Kylie Konen readily admitted the Beavers’ first-round victory wasn’t a piece of art. Wins at this time of year aren’t supposed to be, even if the matchup features an established program and Western A champion against a relative newcomer like Lewistown, the fourth seed from the Eastern A making its first state appearance since 2016 and the only team in the bracket with a losing record at 10-13. The Beavers were just happy to be smiling after this one. “We talked about, just in the locker room, that there’s probably no such thing as many pretty games at the state tournament,” Keller said. “It’s survive and advance time, and there are no bad teams here. Lewistown’s here for a reason. They beat some really good teams to get here.” The game was scrappy from the start — it was just 6-3 Lewistown after the first quarter — and the biggest lead by either team was six points. In the decisive fourth quarter, the lead exchanged hands three times before a Cassie Keller 3-pointer gave the Beavers the lead for good at 37-35 with 3:40 to play. It was still a two-point game when Konen drove the baseline with 38 seconds left four a four-point cushion, and Dillon sealed the game with four straight free throws combined from Konen and Graham sandwiched around a Riley Roche 3-pointer for Lewistown. “There definitely wasn’t a time where we could let up and think we had it in the bad,” said Konen, who tied with Cassie Keller for a team-high 11 points. “We had to stay strong the whole game … yeah, it was rough.” Ava Robinson made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to lead Lewistown. Eleven of those points came in the first half, and a defensive adjustment of rotating three defenders on her in the second half helped the Beavers keep the game from getting away from them. Lewistown also got 10 points from Lexy Burnham before she fouled out late in the fourth quarter. “There’s always going to be a little bit of pressure at every state game, but you’ve just got to play through it,” Graham said. “Keep a good head on you and keep pushing through.” Maybe it was the newly purchased crisp white suit Lockwood coach Rob Tedlund was wearing. Or perhaps it was the red-and-white beaded pendant made by the family of one of this players Tedlund was wearing around his neck that he said has brought the Lions good luck. Maybe, but the Lions players themselves also brought good fortune their way as what once seemed unobtainable became reality. Taysha Little Light has been with the Lockwood program since day one and you would have had trouble convincing her then that she and the Lions are where they are now. “Honestly, I didn’t think we would” be a semifinal team, Little Light said. “But we’ve come a long way. We’ve all put in the work and the time into this game, and we all love it.” Little Light always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, producing what Tedlund called Little Light’s best offensive game of the year. She scored 16 points and had four assists, while Dani Jordan, the team’s leading scorer during the season, finished with 13 points. Though it wasn’t the smoothest offensive performance of the year for the Lions, who made it to state last year but went 0-2, the 52 points they scored was the most Frenchtown has given up this season. “It feels really good,” said Lockwood junior Kannah Franco. “Just all my hard work I put into it, I feel like it’s paying off. I really went out today, I played my hardest and I just played for my team.” Mason Quinn scored 20 points to lead Frenchtown, which led 11-7 early but never again. She also had 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals. But this game belonged to the Lions, who have to gear up for a semifinal against unbeaten and defending champion Billings Central. The Rams have beaten the Lions twice this season. Whatever the outcome of Friday’s game, though, the Lions put another block in their foundation on Thursday. “My biggest thing is I’m happy for these girls,” said Tedlund, who has been Lockwood’s only girls basketball coach so far. “My first open gym six years ago …” – and then he motioned to Little Light sitting to his left – “ … this kid right here walked in with shorts that probably would still fit her, they were like four inches below her knee. “To see those kids work that hard that long ago until today, I’m just really happy for them. No matter what happens down the road, they always get to say that they’re the first to win a state game at Lockwood.” The Rams scored the first nine points of the game and didn’t allow a field goal in the first quarter. They led by 25 points already in the second quarter and went on to claim their seventh straight semifinal berth. “The girls play hard, they come to play,” Billings Central coach Jetton Ailes said. “We challenge them every day in practice to get better every day. And it shows … I think we’re 72 practices in together, so if we’re not ready now, it’ll be a long night. But they came ready to play.” Kam Reinker had 17 points — including the 1,000 point of her career — and 14 rebounds to continue her penchant to put up double-doubles for the Rams. Annika Stergar and Coral Old Bull scored 12 points each, and Amaya Lorash contributed 11 points. The Rams shot 43% from the field – that number was hurt by a 3-for-19 performance from the arc – and grabbed 53 total rebounds, 26 on the offensive end and 27 defensive. They also had 13 steals and held the Wildkats to 23% shooting. Taryn Borgen and Emalee Alton both had eight points to lead Columbia Falls. It’s pretty easy to see why the Rams are where they are and Thursday’s game simply reinforced that. Only one team has played within single digits of the Rams, and the win over Columbia Falls was their 27th victory in a row. Billings Central has been victorious in 43 of its last 44 games. This state tournament already is a far cry from last year, when the Rams won their three games by a combined 11 points. Their tournament-opening went into overtime. “I think last year at state we really started to see the things that we could accomplish,” said Ryen Hadley, who had eight points, two rebounds and five steals. “I mean, we lost to Miles City that semifinal game at divisionals, and I think that lit a fire under us and we just got to work. Coach Jet and her staff really prepares us for these moments.” There are more moments for the Rams to get ready for, starting with Lockwood in Friday’s semifinals. As of now, they look ready for anything that comes their way. “I think it has to do a lot with complacency, like, we’re never settling,” Old Bull said. “We’re always wanting more. And I think it’s more of a ‘want,’ like we all love basketball enough to want to be better, not only for ourselves in a selfish manner, but to make that extra pass, to make the extra plays, to hustle for one another.” Viking JupiterViking JupiterViking JupiterViking Jupiter14 Nights 14 Nights  Europe - AllTrade Routes Of The Middle AgesLeaving from: Barcelona →+12 ports 2026Viking Ocean CruisesViking Astrea14 Nights 2027Viking Ocean CruisesMSC EuribiaMSC EuribiaMSC EuribiaMSC Euribia10 Nights 10 Nights  Middle EastMiddle East CruiseLeaving from: Barcelona →+5 ports 2026MSC CruisesCruise Critic FavoriteViking SaturnViking SaturnViking SaturnViking SaturnViking Saturn14 Nights MSC EuribiaMSC EuribiaMSC EuribiaMSC Euribia11 Nights 11 Nights  Middle EastMiddle East CruiseLeaving from: Barcelona →+6 ports 1fr));}@media screen and (min-width: 576px){.css-vz9jrm{grid-template-columns:repeat(1 1fr));}}@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.css-vz9jrm{grid-template-columns:repeat(2 1fr));}}@media screen and (min-width: 1024px){.css-vz9jrm{grid-template-columns:repeat(3 1fr));}}@media screen and (min-width: 1284px){.css-vz9jrm{grid-template-columns:repeat(4 Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings Rates are in GBP and valid for UK and Ireland residents only please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices Cruise Critic makes no guarantees for availability of prices advertised on our site Cruise Critic is not responsible for content on external web sites Lowest pricing is based on our 3rd party pricing supplier and valid as of 6th May 2025