Smith, Kelch earn Northwest A basketball honors

The all-conference basketball teams for the Northwest A have been released, and a total of three players each from Bigfork and Browning were selected All-State, along with two from Columbia Falls.

Bigfork’s trio of Braeden Gunlock, Paeten Gunlock and Ava Davey and Browning’s Jerel White Grass were voted All-State for girls basketball by the league coaches; all of them are first-team all-Northwest A, as is Taryn Borgen of Columbia Falls.

On the boys side, Browning’s Maurice Redhorn III and Tommy Running Rabbit are first-team all-conference and All-State, bracketing Jace Hill and Cody Schweikert of Columbia Falls.

Each of the four Class A leagues received three All-State selections, with an extra selection if a team — in this case, girls runner-up Bigfork and the third-place Columbia Falls boys — places in the top four of the State A tournament.

Asher Knopic of Bigfork filled out the all-Northwest A first team for the boys. He’s a sophomore; Redhorn, Hill, Schweikert and Running Rabbit are seniors.

White Grass is the only senior among the first-team girls: Borgen, Davey, Braden Gunlock are juniors, and Paeten Gunlock is a sophomore.

Redhorn and Hill were named co-MVPs; Braeden Gunlock received that honor for the Northwest A girls.

Browning swept the coach of the year awards: Poorboy Croff for the girls and DJ Fish for the boys.

 All-Northwest A

*-denotes All-State selection

GIRLS

First Team

Braeden Gunlock, jr.    Bigfork (MVP)*

Paeten Gunlock, so.    Bigfork*

Jerel White Grass, sr.    Browning*

Ava Davey, jr.    Bigfork

Taryn Borgen, jr.    Columbia Falls

Second Team

Teslin Trombley, so.    Browning

Hope McAtee, sr.    Columbia Falls

Bailey Smith, sr.    Whitefish

Natalee St. Goddard, sr.    Browning

Callie Gembala, sr.    Bigfork

Honorable mention —  Kalcie Connelly, sr., Browning; Arianna Zepeda, jr., Ronan; Julia Barnard, sr., Polson; Rylee Taylor-Jefferson, fr., Polson; Madison Vincent, jr., Libby; Ellie Stutsman, sr., Columbia Falls; Onnikka Lawrence, fr., Columbia Falls.

Coach of the Year — Poorboy Croff, Browning.

BOYS

First Team

Maurice Redhorn III, sr.    Browning (co-MVP)*

Jace Hill, sr.    Columbia Falls (co-MVP)*

Cody Schweikert, sr.    Columbia Falls*

Tommy Running Rabbit, sr.    Browning*

Asher Knopic, so.    Bigfork

Second Team

Kolby Finley, so.    Ronan

Mason Kelch, sr.    Whitefish

Tyler Andersen, sr.    Libby

Marlo Tonasket, Jr., sr.    Ronan

Ted Coffman, sr.    Ronan

Honorable Mention —  Jude Reevis, jr., Browning; Mark Robison, sr., Columbia falls; Eli Thorness, sr., Bigfork; Josia Misa, sr., Ronan; Carson Gulick, jr., Whitefish; Jack Jensen, sr., Bigfork; Tristan Crawford, jr., Browning.

Coach of the Year —  DJ Fish, Browning.