Sports

The little black Wells Cargo trailer next to the Big Sky Exxon is a sled-in, sled-out property. It’s the basecamp for Rudy Noorlander’s Alpine Adventures, a snowmobile outfitting service that sits just three and a half miles from the Buck Ridge trailhead.

Using his best “Are you ready to rumble?!?” voice, John Hannahs announced KP Hoffman in the starting lineup for the Lone Peak Big Horns and the senior stand out affectionately ran over to greet her former coach, Nubia Allen. Allen moved to West Yellowstone and is now leading the Lady Wolverines.  

West Yellowstone’s big men Nathan Morse and Danny Sullivan towered like lodge pole pines over Lone Peak’s shorter shooting guards, combining for 16 points in the first half 
of the Jan. 11 showdown in Big Sky. The Wolverines used their height advantage and 

Before the start of the boys’ varsity match up with Gardiner, Lone Peak’s sophomore big man Brayden Vaile sat in the stands in a shirt and tie. The 6΄3˝ backup injured his knee in the junior varsity game and that sidelined him for varsity play. He usually gets minutes in both games, but not against Gardiner. 

With elk grazing on the football field outside the Gardiner High School gym, the lady Big Horns just kept feeding their senior leader KP Hoffman on the inside for a hard-fought win. The victory over the Bruins followed one of the worst defeats of the season the night before against Twin Bridges.

In the final minutes of the Dec. 22 Lone Peak High School junior varsity game at Shields Valley, the opposing coach subbed in No. 32, Jordan Henson, a special needs student with a love for hoops. The home crowd roared as his teammates worked to feed Henson the ball. 

The Shields Valley varsity boys were winless until 24 hours before their match up with Lone Peak. 

Still basking in the victory from the night before, Shields Valley captain and post player Hunter Greenfield recalled how he put his team over the top against Roberts and earned the Rebels’ first win of the year. 

Right before tipoff, Assistant Coach Sam Lightbody pointed to the records of the two teams about to meet on Shields Valley’s home court. The LPHS girls’ varsity was heading into the game 0-2 in conference play, while the Lady Rebels were 2-0.